Hi Guys!

Well, what can I say?! I believe you think too highly of me ...... there are plenty of people better qualified than I am to undertake such a task. Although, I have to hide my head and admit that I was approached by a publisher last year (?) to do something similar. I'm happy to give advice based on my own experience of over 54 years of kilt-wearing, when asked for it, but as for writing a book........

Whilst on the subject: I've recently been away in Edinburgh and have returned to a mass of e-mails mostly asking for my opinions or for advice, and mostly from complete strangers. My time is currently limited (hence my infrequent appearances here) and it will take me a while to answer all of those enquiries. If anyone here has written to me, please be patient - I will get round to you, I promise.

As for Thompson's book: I paid £5.99 (US$10.80) for my 2003 reprint of the Third Edition earlier this year. It came from LangSyne Publishing in Scotland. However, a word of WARNING: Thompson admits that he wrote the book for the North American market - not the Scottish. As I have said before, many of the things he suggests you would NEVER see in Scotland in this day and age, and I fear he has quite a lot to answer for. Of course, the book is now rather dated which might have something to do with it, but it is only a rough guide - it is NOT a Bible.

There are no (or only a few) hard-and-fast rules attached to kilt wearing, and they will mostly apply to the full evening dress outfits. For general day and casual wear, the important thing is that the wearer be comfortable - both physically and visually - and that he should exercise good taste in how he accessorises his kilt. One of the first calls, if you don't already have it, is to develop a sense of colour - colour co-ordination is all-important for kilt wearers. Without it you can so easily look a mess, and look a mess and you'll be treated as such by those who see you.

It is, of course, vitally important to dress for yourself, as I said - to be comfortable, but it's equally important to consider how others will see you. Take a pride in your appearance, no matter how casually you are dressing.

Oooops! I've begun to write a book here! So I'll stop whilst the going is good.