Photographs: Lloyd Smith
Styling: Ian Tod

IS THERE anything worn under a kilt? No, it's all in perfect working order. Boom, boom. The kilt has often been the object of ridicule – but now it has come into its own, not just as a fashion statement but also as a symbol of national pride. It used to be that there was only one way to wear it; now almost anything goes – and it doesn't even have to be tartan.

Some favour a traditional style, others prefer a contemporary take. There are as many options as there are people who want to wear them – as we discovered when Scottish celebrities rose to the challenge of posing in a kilt for OneCity Trust, the Edinburgh charity set up to promote social inclusion by tackling inequality and poverty.

Some came out as going commando in their kilt; others were a bit more discreet in their patriotic style statements. But every one of the celebrities was delighted to don a kilt from 21st Century Kilts for the OneCity 2009 calendar.

The calendar goes on sale on Friday, priced £19.95, with all proceeds going to the charity. The calendars will be available from www.onecity.org.uk or 0131 469 3835, and from 21st Century Kilts at Geoffrey (Tailor), 57 High Street, Edinburgh (0131 557 0256, www.21stcenturykilts.com).

Ronnie Corbett: I HADN'T worn the kilt for years – and it takes a bit of getting used to.

Putting it on took me back to my childhood when I went to the kirk and to Sunday school in my kilt, green jumper and black brogues.

Ken Stott: I USED to have an ambivalent attitude towards wearing a kilt, it being an English idea of what a Scotsman should wear. Things have changed and we wear it now in a uniquely Scottish way, so I am much more disposed towards getting myself kitted out in one.

Brian Cox: HAVING had my own Cox family tartan created and also being a fan of the modern movement of the kilt, I am very proud to be included in the calendar. I'm a fan of all types of kilt and tartan.

Mark Cousins: I WEAR a kilt like jeans – for comfort, often, directing documentaries, dancing, cycling, whatever. I've done so in Beijing, New York, Paris, Shanghai – wherever I am. There's nothing better for a man to wear.

John Michie: HAVING to wear a kilt at school put me off them. Then I inherited my dad's kilt and loved wearing it – until I got too fat for it and had to give it to my brother.

Craig Hill: PUTTING my kilt on lifts my mood. It's fun, sexy and masculine. It goes down a storm when I work abroad. Everyone smiles and finds it cool, and the mood is set for an entertaining evening. I've often described it as my kilty pleasure – which sums up how I feel about it.

Eddi Reader: I REMEMBER wearing a kilt when I was little. There were miles of pleats and I adored the amethyst-jewelled brooch to keep the front part down. I love the way kilts swish at the back of your legs; makes you shake your bahooky to some imaginary, joyous music as you're walking along the road. It's an item of clothing that puts you in a great mood every time you see one or wear one.

Billy Boyd: AS A true Scotsman, I love to wear a kilt. Wherever I go in the world, I have a better time with my kilt on.

Irvine Welsh: A KILT to me is summer wear because you have to wear it commando style – there's no other way. I got married in one and I had eight kilted groomsmen: four Scottish, three English and one American. The English boys and the American wore it as if it was a skirt, even when the drinks started to flow. You have to be Scottish not to think of it that way. So that's what it feels like to wear a kilt: very Scottish.