To plaid or not to plaid.....thats the question??

[Nathan]

Certainly, anyone who has spent some time on this forum has heard (over and again) that the MacLeay paintings are not accurate daily wear, but considering the thread is a discussion of weaing the fly plaid, "Sunday best" seems appropriate.

Indeed Nathan times do change, but this does not happen on its own. If several folks make an alteration to the way they dress, slowly a new norm is created. While the mainsteram will allow fashion to stagnate on account of tradition, those who swim against the stream (Folks not in Scotland wearing kilts) create their own sense of style wich allows evolution to continue.

Sometimes I feel somewhat closterphobic in this forum. I find it ironic that on one hand folks regard the gentlemen in the MacLeay (and other) paintings to be well turned out and displaying a lack of uniformity that has become the standard of our day. People comment on the variety of jackets, waistcoats, belts, hose, shoes and sporrans. On the other hand they appear nervous to fit with the standards of our time, seeking acceptence and attempting to conform to the uniform of the day. Aside from those in Scotland, wearing the kilt within strict social rules for very specific events, we could certainly do no harm in being more open minded about our approach how we put together our kilted "kit". This could just be the ramblings of an odd duck, but then again aren't all of us (Once again besides the Scotland folk) odd ducks wearing kilts about amongst the sea of trousers?

I've seen a lot of back and forth about how representative the MacLeay portraits are of the actual Highland fashion of the period between OCRichard and Jock Scot. I wasn't there, but I think OCRichard has dug up enough archival photography from the period to demonstrate his side of the argument and, given the lack of evidence to the contrary, that's where I lean. My point is that we don't live then, we live now so it's a moot point. What do the tradition bearers of our day consider appropriate? While finding a 100+ year old example of one's attire choice shows a precedent, it doesn't demonstrate that it is traditional.

Regarding your point about being outside of Scotland so anything goes, I can't say I agree. I can't speak for my US friends but there has always been a tradition of kilt wearing in Canada. Kilt wearing is certainly not as widespread as it is in Scotland, but it is mostly carried out here by Canadians of Scottish ancestry or indeed by Scottish ex-pats and both of these groups feel a close connection to their Scottish roots. Canada's military has several kilted regiments. Moreover, we are a Commonwealth nation that shares a monarch with the United Kingdom and so our connections to British traditions are close and are easily demonstrated through our institutions. There are Highland Dance academies and pipe bands in most corners of the country and by and large, Canadian Scots view themselves as part of the broader Scottish landscape.

Since official and unofficial multiculturalism has become a fact of Canadian life, many Scottish-Canadians feel less self-conscious about asserting their culture openly through traditional garb. This is especially so at weddings and formal functions.

Many Scottish-Canadian celebrities have been photographed kilted including Mike Myers and Kiefer Sutherland.

With that in mind, most people here generally do their best to get it right out of respect for their culture. Like their Scottish cousins, they are influenced by the kilt hire industry.

Does that mean we all stick strictly to TCHD? Not really. For example, when Ashley MacIsaac blended his kilt fashion with the grunge look, this was done as a statement of his particular generation in the Celtic culture and not necessary of the fact that he was outside of Scotland. His music was blending traditional and modern elements and so he depicted this visually. This was an artistic statement similar to ones that have been made in Scotland by Runrig and others.

As I read it, your argument amounts to, "Why should we be concerned about the Scots when wearing Scottish national dress outside of Scotland?" To my Gaelic-Canadian sensibilities, this boggles the mind.

I'm wearing the kilt to demonstrate my Highland heritage to all and sundry so disregarding how it's viewed in the land of it's origin seems bizarre to me. I grew up in Cape Breton, a very Celtic part of New Scotland with a majority of people being descended from Highland Scots and where Scots Gaelic is still spoken daily in some corners. When kilted, I am an ambassador of this culture and so I feel a responsibility to accurately reflect that. But hey, maybe that's just me...