Too Traditional?

[davidlpope]

A couple points:

1. Wearing formal attire to a non-formal event is not being "too-traditional", it's being ill-informed.
2. In my mind "historical attire" is not the same as "traditional attire". In other words, I consider a box-pleated kilt or a kingussie-pleated kilt historical but not "truly traditional". That being said, it's usually the accoutrements that one wears with a kilt that scream "traditional", "modern", or "clueless". Several of my friends have kingussie-pleated kilts and most folks they encounter never even notice the unique pleating style. They're great kilts, though, and I find them more comfortable due to the less fabric used in their construction.
3. Clothing should be adapted to the environment you're in. So, when it's a cool morning at Stone Mt., a tweed jacket and waistcoat feels nice. In 90 degree heat at Linville, I lose the jacket and tie and roll my shirt sleeves up.
4. American clothing, generally, has grown less formal and less traditional. By way of example, although t-shirts are generally worn now as outer garments, there are still some who hold to the traditional notion that they are underclothing and not suitable in public.


My personal preference is to try and wear the kilt the way that it is worn in its native environment, the Highlands of Scotland.

Here in the US that may clash with how it is typically worn. In many cases I think this clash is the result of misinformed and novice kiltwearers who base their notion of "what looks right" on highland outfitter brochures/websites and the examples they see at their local Highland Games.

When I show up at an evening event with bar buckle brogues, Argyle hose, and my Angora or full-mask badger sporran, I look different than those who surround me. I have a velvet doublet and bias-cut waistcoat on order, so when those arrive I will stick out like a sore thumb.

This was precisely the case at last year's Grandfather Mt. Patron's Reception. Almost everyone else was attired in ghillie brogues, white hose, fly plaids, rabbit fur sporrans, "historical-inspired" garments that looked like pirate vests, etc. Everyone, that is, except the Command Sergeant Major from the Black Watch (and a few commendable others) who was wearing bar buckle brogues, diced hose, and a hair sporran.

In my mind it's an issue of in-group/out-group behavior, being "in the know", if you will. It's not unique to kilted attire, I find the same phenomenon at work when I quail hunt. From time to time one of the guys that I normally hunt with will bring a guest. This normally means that the guest shows up in what they imagine to be "bird-hunting clothing", although it's not what the rest of us are wearing (which is normally more beat-up, non-descript, and basic). See this thread for a more thorough discussion:
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...70#post1028170


I guess I'm okay with looking out of place or "too-traditional", if that's what most people think...