Too Traditional?

[MacLowlife]

M'LL.

Glentruim, no that is wrong, the late Euan Macpherson of Glentruim (a fascinating chap) wore the kilt in his very own particular style and it was not unusual to see him about the place kilted. You may have missed it, but go to the photo section and the "vintage" picture thread, I posted(last few days) a picture there of The Queen and Invercauld, that you might be interested in.

Some of you may be interested in a book written by Euan's wife Sandra: "A Strange and Wild Place", it relates to her life in Glentruim. Often a hard life, but with amusing, some sad, tales of people in the glen. I recommend it.

Thanks, Jock. People often refer to sitting in the front passenger seat as "riding shotgun". I see Invercauld is Walking Shotgun.

[Jock Scot]

M'LL.

Just to put you in the picture, so to speak, Invercauld was hosting a "field trial" (a gun dog test that to this day The Queen still takes considerable interest in). So as he was the host then he would of course "escort" Her Majesty.You may be interested, in those days and in some circles today, it was customary to walk with the gun "unbroken" and unloaded,whilst walking between the places where they maybe about to shoot.These days, carrying your gun "unbroken", unless game was expected, would not be regarded as safe practice at all. Clay pigeon safety ethics have taken over these days in game shooting and as I suppose one cannot be too careful, it rightly persists.

[MacLowlife]

I came up as a target shooter and tend to walk with my gun broken, no matter what the activity. It drives my uncle- a live bird man through and through- crazy

[CMcG]

This has been a really valuable thread and I'd like to submit a new photo for your consideration.

As some of you may know, I've entered a contest for "Canada's Sharpest Man." Obviously, the sharpest dressed men would be a kilt-wearer, right? Well, all the other entrants appeared to be wearing p@nts, so I put on some smart day wear, took pics, and uploaded the best one. I started out wearing a tweed jacket (no epaulettes, plain cuffs) but quickly had to take it off because I was getting too warm, even in the late afternoon sun.

Over the last 50-odd pages, some people argued that one can't dress too traditional. This steered me towards proper, smart day wear.

On the other hand, other people have recognized that there are many ways of over doing things or otherwise getting it wrong, especially outside traditional, Highland events. This guided me to tone the whole outfit down a bit.

I'm wearing a medium blue shirt with a miniature houndstooth (rather than a bolder pattern), navy hose (rather than a bright colour or pattern), no bonnet or walking stick, etc. I would have worn my plain leather day sporran but I'm still unpacking and can't seem to find it, so I went with the "hunting" pattern instead. The school tie admittedly matches the colours in the kilt but at least it has a repeating yellow Chung Chi College crest and, besides, my girlfriend told me to wear it. My waistcoat is charcoal wool and is a recent thrift store find that is cut very high in the waist; perfect for kilt wear. Red flashes because I needed a splash of brighter colour and I couldn't forgo a sgian dubh because I don't like to leave the house without a knife. My shoes are highly polished, plain toe, closed lace, and black.

Any thoughts on this?

[Jock Scot]

Well, you could have pulled the waist coat down at the back. Seriously, you do look pretty damn good and I have voted for you, er, well, more than once!

[creagdhubh]

You look great, Colin! Again, best of luck!

Cheers,

[CMcG]

Well, you could have pulled the waist coat down at the back. Seriously, you do look pretty damn good and I have voted for you, er, well, more than once!

Good eye, Jock. Apparently I lost some weight over the last 9 months in Hong Kong because the kilt in that picture doesn't quite fit as snug as it did before, even on the last hole of the straps. I think I should have put on braces/suspenders because the kilt kept slipping down on me... especially in the back from the weight of the pleats. It was a constant (losing) battle to keep the waistcoat down and the kilt up so my shirt wouldn't show between them

And thanks for those votes!

[Tobus]

Any thoughts on this?

Yes, my thoughts are that you look darn good! That's a great photo. I love the setting, the camera angle, and even the lighting/shadows (even though I usually think direct sunlight is a horror for good photos). And of course, what you're wearing looks great too. To my (untrained) eye, it looks traditional, while not over the top, and not old-fashioned. You look sharp yet casual. And I'm not scared to say that you're a handsome fellow too, which goes a long way.

[MacMillans son]

Any thoughts on this?

Well, studies have shown a 68% reduction in train related deaths if you wait for the train at the station versus standing in the middle of the tracks, but I'm always a little suspicious of random statistics without the proper citations.

[CMcG]

Well, studies have shown a 68% reduction in train related deaths if you wait for the train at the station versus standing in the middle of the tracks, but I'm always a little suspicious of random statistics without the proper citations.

A train actually came by while we were taking pictures, which promptly signaled the end of the photo shoot