"Throw Back Thursday" Kilt Photos

[Cardinal]

Your "youthfully ignorant" photos are a sight better than many of us in the diaspora look now! Educational as always, and a better attempt at black tie than most on the red carpet at the Academy Awards manage.

How did your classmates react to your being "that guy" in a kilt? It looks like you had much more fun at your prom than I had at mine.

Well done!

Best,
Patrick

[Texas4wheeler]

Got any pictures of your date??.. Lol.. Just kidding you looked great ,kids in high school should all have your self confidence and pride of heritage

[creagdhubh]

Your "youthfully ignorant" photos are a sight better than many of us in the diaspora look now! Educational as always, and a better attempt at black tie than most on the red carpet at the Academy Awards manage.

How did your classmates react to your being "that guy" in a kilt? It looks like you had much more fun at your prom than I had at mine.

Well done!

Best,
Patrick

Hahaha! Thank you for the kind words, Patrick. My classmates loved it! Of course, my close friends already knew that I wore Highland Dress on occasion, since my family has always been well aware of their Highland heritage, so it wasn't surprising to them. The school staff and administrators really had no idea what my Highland Dress was going to look like, even though I did describe it to them when I initially met with them in order to gain official permission to wear the kilt to prom. And then when I blossomed forth in my kilt and Prince Charlie, they were quite elated to see how well "put together" everything was. I guess they were concerned I was going to show up looking like Mel Gibson from Braveheart or something!

Cheers,

[Nathan]

I've posted these before, but I thought I'd share!

Here I am at my prom dressed much like Kyle at his. I had a Prince Charlie style evening seal skin sporran (EW7?) but I had ecru hose and ghillie brogues. Being a Cape Bretoner, I was raised with the adage that it was better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. It never occurred to me that this would be an issue and it wasn't. I wore my sgian dubh to the prom with no difficulties and nobody checked if I was Regimental though people would have assumed I was.



Here I am in my day wear of the time. This outfit, too, needed a little work.



Ah memories!

[creagdhubh]

Love those photos, Nathan. At least you had a sealskin sporran!

Slainte,

[Nathan]

Love those photos, Nathan. At least you had a sealskin sporran!

Slainte,

True but I only had the evening sgian dubh. I had silver buttons on my daywear tweed and wore a three button waist coat with it that day. Oh well, you live and you learn.

What tartan were you wearing back then? It doesn't look like MacPherson to me!

[creagdhubh]

True but I only had the evening sgian dubh. I had silver buttons on my daywear tweed and wore a three button waist coat with it that day. Oh well, you live and you learn.

What tartan were you wearing back then? It doesn't look like MacPherson to me!

Aye Nathan, that is definitely true...we live and learn.

I'm wearing the Gow Hunting tartan in modern colours from Strathmore. It's the only kilt that I have ever owned that was not of a Macpherson sett. It's also the only kilt that I have ever owned that was made from 13 ounce, medium-weight material. Even though I had a kilt in the Macpherson Hunting tartan at the time, my mother, who's surname is Smith (Gow originally; her ancestors emigrated from Perthshire near Dunkeld and anglicised Gow to Smith upon their arrival at Ellis Island), insisted I wear that particular tartan, since she has always adored the colours. So, what else could I do? It's not like I had a choice in the matter!

[MacRobert's Reply]

Kilt and sleeves too short creagdhubh? This was perfectly normal when and where I grew up. Lads invariably grew out of their clothes which was why they were often too large when originally purchased. "He'll grow into it" being the justification.

[creagdhubh]

Kilt and sleeves too short creagdhubh? This was perfectly normal when and where I grew up. Lads invariably grew out of their clothes which was why they were often too large when originally purchased. "He'll grow into it" being the justification.

Quite! Thinking back on it, that's more than likely what my parent's were thinking! Honestly at the time, I didn't really pay much attention to those wee details. At least not as much as I do now.