Kiltedfirepiper,

Drawing on my experience as a piper in a band here in Florida I have a few comments and suggestions.

Since you are in Arizona, forget about a doublet or tunic. It retains body heat and will cause you to overheat quickly. The same is true with a piper's plaid. Furthermore, the doublet and the plaid are expensive, bulky and restricts arm movement.

Go with a white shirt during the summer and add a military-style sweater or short uniform jacket during the winter. If your shirt has epaulets, consider epaulet covers made of the same tartan material as your kilt. It adds a nice bit of color on top.

A horse hair sporran looks great, but they are a lousy sporran. Some have a very small pouch on the back, but most have no provision for storage. Consider something like a hunting-type sporran so you have some place to put personal items (keys, wallet, etc.) and piping supplies (spare reeds and such).

A straight tie looks nice, but I think an ascot looks even nicer. Furthermore, an ascot is easier to put on than a tie and can be machine washed. You probably won't want to wear a tie or ascot during the summer for any length of time.

Spats will allow you to wear hose tops, instead of full hose, and will allow some variation in the style of shoes being worn.

Don't spend money on clothing items you don't really need just because they look cool. Spend the money on quality kilts and sturdy sporrans. Both are probably going to take a beating over time.

When you start playing with other pipers from your department, consider asking your department for the funds to buy a drone tuner and chanter reeds. Remember, you need to equip a band. A good band sounds like one loud piper, not many pipers playing the same song. So, the pipes will need to be tuned together.

Good luck!