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  1. #1
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    I think this place has developed entirely too much angst...

    ...about being "proper"..."correct"...and so on.

    Just wear the bloody thing with the pleats in the back, be reasonably civil and polite to folks, ignore the guff from the jerks, and get on with it.

  2. #2
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    Well said Alan.
    Glen McGuire

    A Life Lived in Fear, Is a Life Half Lived.

  3. #3
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    Indeed, too much emphasis on "correctness" could discourage some people from wearing the kilt for fear they won't get it "right." To quote Terry Varga from Bear Kilts, "Kilts are garments, not costumes!" Unless of course you are in the military or a pipe band that has an actual dress code...

    That being said, it is useful to have guidelines of what might work and what tends not to. What is perhaps more interesting is the reasons people give for their statements regarding rules. To simply say that something is "traditional" isn't always accurate when contemporary kilted formal wear has taken a fairly large evolutionary step from where it was in the 19th century.

    A simple IMHO (in my humble opinion) goes a long way towards disambiguating a rule from preference. When a rule is given, I have more reason to follow it if there is a context and explanation attached to it.
    - Justitia et fortitudo invincibilia sunt
    - An t'arm breac dearg

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by CMcG View Post

    A simple IMHO (in my humble opinion) goes a long way towards disambiguating a rule from preference.
    IMHO, when men start stressing out over whether the color of their socks accurately matches one of the three primary colors of the tartan pattern they are wearing...

    When men come here asking for advice and walk away seriously worried that they're doing something WRONG and thereby are being BAD PEOPLE by offending hundreds of years of tradition etc. etc. etc.

    IMHO...

    ...we are taking all this stuff way too seriously.

    Strap the thing on. The pleats go in back. Put on a shirt, some socks and shoes and go be a man and live your life. Be polite to as many people as you can, ignore those you can't be polite to, speak ill of as few people as you can stomach, love the people you love, stand up for what you believe in and make a positive contribution to society.

    IMHO...Nobody is going to give a rip at your funeral, if your pocket hankerchief matched the primary colors of your bluidy tartan, or if the striped thing wrapped around your hips is in the ancient, weathered, muted, or modern colors.

    Jeez.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alan H View Post
    IMHO...

    ...we are taking all this stuff way too seriously.

    Strap the thing on. The pleats go in back. Put on a shirt, some socks and shoes and go be a man and live your life. Be polite to as many people as you can, ignore those you can't be polite to, speak ill of as few people as you can stomach, love the people you love, stand up for what you believe in and make a positive contribution to society.
    All good advice Alan and excellent use of IMHO Over-seriousness about matters of fashion can certainly be stuffy and there are (thankfully) no kilt police.

    Taken with a different attitude, however, the same concerns about matching this with that or different attire for every type of event can be a lot of fun! IMHO there should definitely be room and acceptance for every approach to the kilt from innovative individualism to conservative traditionalism, laissez faire casual to meticulous sartorial. To each their own... as long as it involves a kilt!
    - Justitia et fortitudo invincibilia sunt
    - An t'arm breac dearg

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alan H View Post
    IMHO, when men start stressing out over whether the color of their socks accurately matches one of the three primary colors of the tartan pattern they are wearing...

    When men come here asking for advice and walk away seriously worried that they're doing something WRONG and thereby are being BAD PEOPLE by offending hundreds of years of tradition etc. etc. etc.

    IMHO...

    ...we are taking all this stuff way too seriously.

    Strap the thing on. The pleats go in back. Put on a shirt, some socks and shoes and go be a man and live your life. Be polite to as many people as you can, ignore those you can't be polite to, speak ill of as few people as you can stomach, love the people you love, stand up for what you believe in and make a positive contribution to society.

    IMHO...Nobody is going to give a rip at your funeral, if your pocket hankerchief matched the primary colors of your bluidy tartan, or if the striped thing wrapped around your hips is in the ancient, weathered, muted, or modern colors.

    Jeez.
    Spoken like a man!

    Geoff Withnell
    Geoff Withnell

    "My comrades, they did never yield, for courage knows no bounds."
    No longer subject to reveille US Marine.

  7. #7
    MuffinMan is offline Oops, it seems this member needs to update their email address
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    I just can't get the image of flashes with sandals out of my mind. In some ways I think we should all take a pic of ourselves in this state of dress, it would be a hoot.
    mm

  8. #8
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    Panache is offline
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    Here is my two cents


    Fashion is an Art

    And all Art does have rules (or at least conventions)

    The student learns those rules and masters them

    The student becomes the artist and must choose where to go with those rules

    Now the history of Art is full of rule breakers

    Folks like Pablo Picasso, Franz Liszt, Johnny Rotten, David Bowie, Orson Welles, Akira Kurosawa, Jean Genet, Arthur Rimbaud, Claude Monet, Jackson Pollock, and Igor Stravinsky just to name a few.

    The funny thing is that boldly breaking a rule in Art can lead you into setting the rules for a whole new discipline.

    It can also can lead you straight to looking like an idiot. The History of Art is also full of people that thought outside the box and created absolute rubbish.

    To quote David St. Hubbins: “It's such a fine line between stupid, and clever.”

    The great thing about XMTS is that we have both staunch traditionalists that are sharing the traditional rules (or conventions) of highland dress as well as modernists who are going out and doing something different and very individualistic. You can take both and create your own look.

    The best example of this is of course our own Hamish who knows all the rules of traditional highland dress and can play by them better than anyone I know and still can turn around and look smashing in a leather kilt and boots!

    Ham dresses to please himself and when he breaks a rule (convention) of traditional highland dress it is because he chooses to and not through ignorance.

    Kilts and highland attire are just clothing and you should wear your clothes, your clothes shouldn't wear you.

    But know the rules before you break them!

    Cheers

    Jamie :ootd:


    P.S. I blame Bill for any and all Angst
    Last edited by Panache; 20th November 09 at 08:08 AM. Reason: Poor Bill!
    -See it there, a white plume
    Over the battle - A diamond in the ash
    Of the ultimate combustion-My panache

    Edmond Rostand

  9. #9
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    If we accept that a T shirt and jeans are not acceptable for certain situations and, for example, a BBQ on the beach, would not be the place for formal wear, then all will be fairly plain sailing. Advice asked for, and advice gently given, is all that is needed. If the above is not accepted then, well, its a free world for most of us and most of us are able to make a choice.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alan H View Post
    IMHO, when men start stressing out over whether the color of their socks accurately matches one of the three primary colors of the tartan pattern they are wearing...

    When men come here asking for advice and walk away seriously worried that they're doing something WRONG and thereby are being BAD PEOPLE by offending hundreds of years of tradition etc. etc. etc.

    IMHO...

    ...we are taking all this stuff way too seriously.

    Strap the thing on. The pleats go in back. Put on a shirt, some socks and shoes and go be a man and live your life. Be polite to as many people as you can, ignore those you can't be polite to, speak ill of as few people as you can stomach, love the people you love, stand up for what you believe in and make a positive contribution to society.

    IMHO...Nobody is going to give a rip at your funeral, if your pocket hankerchief matched the primary colors of your bluidy tartan, or if the striped thing wrapped around your hips is in the ancient, weathered, muted, or modern colors.

    Jeez.
    I respectfully offer this thought...

    Some men WANT to look good. Some men WANT to match. Some men LIKE to dress 'smart'. Some newbies WANT to dress 'smart' and ARE worried about their appearance. They should feel free to ask questions or seek advice from traditionalists without getting barraged with 'Wear what you want' comments.

    Others have a different mindset about clothing... "Strap it on, throw on a tshirt and boots on and get out there" IS A VALID way of looking at it, but it is not the ONLY way to be.

    Some people DO "take this stuff too seriously". Others may say that some people "don't take the way they look seriously enough". These are differing opinions and BOTH can co-exist as long as it's recognized that both people have a right to their own opinion.

    These are differing opinions. Neither is right or wrong... they're just different.

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