Less Can Be More

[Nathan]

On the subject of symbolism (clan badges, celtic knot work etc...)...

I certainly agree that this can be overdone, but I may be one of the folks who think there is and has been a place for these things in Highland attire if done tastefully.

For those of us with a military background, insignia are typically on all of our items, sporrans, belts, bonnets etc... Given the number of people who get interested in Kilted attire through association with the military, It stands to reason that these items would be attractive. Highlanders with military service are certainly not a new phenomenon.

It's also the case that the under the clan system, clansmen were kind of in a de facto military regiment although certainly, strict uniformity of dress wasn't paramount, some indicators of which side you were on would have been very helpful on the battlefield and I wonder to what extent some of these traditions have been lost or perhaps exaggerated and then rejected as fiction due to the exaggeration.

So while I don't want my clan badge or a thistle on every piece of kit I own, I have no problem with these symbols being on my kit or that of another.

Regarding knotwork, our people have enjoyed adorning ourselves and our belongings with knotwork since well before the modern kilt was developed. I'd say there's a much more authentic chain of heritage with items adorned with knotwork than there is with the modern clan tartan little kilt. Similarly, designs like thistles and lions etc.. can be found on the very old Highland items, and elements like knotwork dogs etc.. can even be found on pre-historic pictish stones.

For that reason, incorporating these into our accessories provides a visual link to our tribal past and I, for one, am a fan of maintaining that aesthetic link. I like that we still employ these motifs and would be sad to see that end.

There is also one more thing to remember. When we're looking at modern TCHD, the influence of a broader "British" approach to style and texture and taste is evident. This isn't a bad thing, but the style of a British landed country gentleman in the early 20th Century out hunting on the hills need not be the only well from which to draw our present day interpretation of how a kilt ought to look.

To Colin's point, if you wouldn't dress like such a country gentleman in your non-kilted attire, why copy his fashion sense exactly in your kilted attire? There is tradition to consider, to be sure, but a young man can often look silly wearing an old man's clothes.

Even design elements like the various "scottish" cuffs and epaulettes can be found on the long tunics of British and commonwealth military uniforms and connot be considered uniquely Highland or Scottish accents to the garments. Which is why I think it's perfectly acceptable for these to be optional rather than de rigeur.

Certainly you can look silly if you go too far with any of this, but I am starting to think that I'm very happy to see people wearing the kilt period and expressing their individual taste from the items on offer at their local Highland outfitter. People are going to choose from the items available on the shelves. This is only natural and is how style evolves.

My point is that we shouldn't be too snobby about one particular aesthetic to the exclusion of all others. We can always decide whether an outfit looks good or not, but there is more than one way to end up smartly turned out.

Just my longwinded thoughts to balance the issue... ;)