In New York the Irish have St. Patrick's Day and the Scots have Tartan Week, which, although scheduled seven months ahead of Scotland's national holiday, St. Andrew's Day, involves a big parade and other cultural gatherings. Among these, the Dressed to Kilt fashion show draws perhaps the most attention, with host Sir Sean Connery and a slew of actors and other famous names on the catwalk to champion Caledonian culture and raise funds for war veterans. On Monday night, the seventh consecutive iteration of the event in New York once again sold out, attracting a crowd of 800 to M2 Ultra Lounge.
Started in 2003 by Friends of Scotland, a nonprofit founded by Connery and James Baron, the fund-raiser has since grown into one of the highest profile Scottish events outside of Scotland and this year included a pop-up shop on the Upper East Side and three U.S. veterans on the catwalk. The charity attributes much of the event's success to the strength of its cause and the playful attitude of its celebrity participants.
"We want to have real people, accomplished people. We can always get models, but then it goes back to being just a pure fashion show," said Geoffrey Scott Carroll, Dressed to Kilt's organizer and M.C. "Part of the charm of the show is that we make mistakes. [The show's models] don't do this for a living. People come out on the catwalk and they drop things and you can tell they've never done it before. That's the beauty of it."
To represent the event's beneficiaries, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, Erskine Hospital of Scotland, and the Wounded Warrior Project, this year's lineup of models included amputees Dan Nevins, Ryan Kules, and Dawn Halfaker. Joining them on the runway were other notable Scots, like Gerard Butler, British Olympic curling team captain Eve Muirhead, rugby player Thom Evans, and Alan Cumming.
Another driver of recognition, sponsorship, and coverage for the event is the organization's focus on providing a commercial outlet for young design talent and building interest in Scotland and its textile industry. "When we started, the only Scottish stuff I saw was what we call 'heather and haggis,' which is not complimentary. Traditional twee stuff, as we say in Scotland, that has nothing to do with today's Scotland. Current Scotland has great music, fashion, and actors; its a hotbed of activity," Carroll said. "So we thought, 'Let's promote contemporary Scotland. Let's provide opportunities to our countrymen—students, young designers—something that puts money in their pockets."
Running April 6 to April 11, the temporary store on Madison Avenue allows the public to view and buy select looks from the show. Although it's still tallying the take from tickets sold for the Monday night event, Friends of Scotland expects to match, if not exceed, the $30,000 it raised in 2009.
