Aboyne Highland Games Photos - Various

[davidg]

the gentlemen are wearing lapel pins with plant badges just above them

I was not there and cannot say for certain but they look like sprigs of heather to me. My guess would be that the lapel badges are association badges of that particular highland games association and the gent nearest us looks like he may be the chieftain of the games

As well as ties with some sort of crest/badge just below the knot. Is this a clan-specific thing?

Again, an educated guess says these are that particular games association's tie

I also noticed that there is an abundance of brown shoes. I was under the impression that, while brown is perfectly acceptable for daywear, black shoes seemed to be the standard (regardless of the colour of sporran).

Many believe that the leather colour should match, many do not share that view. It is quite proper, as you say, to wear brown shoes for daywear but always black for evening. Many people simply do not own brown shoes because they do not wear them on a daily basis and that may be why you do not see so many wearing them with highland dress

I find it curious also that no tattersal shirts are seen in any of the photos.

I don't know why you think it curious. Plain shirts are the norm