Quote Originally Posted by Bugbear View Post
Back to the thread, "Jocking" a bonnet seems to be expected, so there is an example of something looking too new, not being quite right in Highland attire. Wondered if it extended to any other items?
I feel like when someone's civilian Highland attire is too new it can look "off" in several ways, depending on how the outfit is put together. In some cases it can look like a rental or package deal from a retailer, in other cases it can look a bit like a uniform, or worse, like a costume.

It isn't quite clear to me if having things well broken-in is a tradition, an aesthetic, or something else. I have observed that even folks who could theoretically afford to have all new stuff (clan chiefs, dukes, etc), tend to continue to use older items. These could be hand-me-downs from kilted family, heirlooms, or simply well-used items they themselves purchased long ago.

Could this be an embodiment of the oft-quoted Scottish virtue of thrift? The only items of kit I've inherited were my dad's horsehair sporran and kilt pin, but most of the rest of my kilts and accessories are still second hand because I can't afford new