Doc,

CAN a man wear a tartan sash? Well, yes. But a man can also wear a tu-tu and fish net stockings.

MAY a man wear a tartan sash? Well, yes again. No one needs my permission, or anyone elses' permission, to wear anything they want. I would never deign to tell a man what he may or may not wear.

But neither of these are the question being asked. What Ron is getting at is, in the context of Scottish attire, is the tartan sash meant for men or women. And the answer is women. The tartan sash is considered a part of lady's wear in the context of modern day Highland Dress, and to argue otherwise is pointless.

I've seen men wear a lady's tartan sash with their kilts, in an attempt to achieve the look of a fly plaid or even a drummer's plaid without investing the money in the real item. And to be honest, it just doesn't work. They simply look like they are wearing a lady's sash with their kilt.

I've also seen men at the Games wearing just a tartan sash with their Saxon clothing. (By which I mean normal pants and shirt). Usually these are people who are newly aware of their Scottish heritage, are enamoured of the atmosphere of the Games, and want something in their tartan to display. They don't want to drop $500 for a kilt that they have to wait 2 months on, so they spend $50 and get a sash that they can wear right then and there. Now, if any of these men were to actually get into wearing Highland Dress, I'd advise them to give the sash to their wives, or use it in their home as a table runner. But for a one-time fix there at the Games, I'm not going to call them on it.

Aye,
Matt