Two Telling comments? The Answer Perhaps?

[The Wizard of BC]

As a bit of an interesting insight this last week - we outfitted three wedding parties where Scots had flown over to participate.

When the parties were in the shop I had time to ask the Scots about kilt wearing in Scotland v.s. in Victoria.

In each case, and that is by 8 resident Scots, I was told, very strongly, that White Hose with Ghillie Brogues, Prince Charlie with vest and Dirk Belt, Ruche Tie, and White Rabbit dress sporrans were the preferred manner of dress in Scotland for all events, even a beach wedding as these were.

As I have no White hose in my shop and carry no White Rabbit sporrans two of the Scots had decided to bring their own.

One party was outfitted with White hose that were purchased in Scotland and brought over by one of the guys.

In one party the Scots insisted on Dirk Belts with vests so everyone else had to be outfitted with them too.

And one party who had originally planned their beach wedding to be comfortable with the Groom in a white dress shirt with long tie but no jacket, and the groomsmen to wear off-white Jacobite shirts, changed at the last moment to Prince Charlie Coatees when told by the Scots that it is the only proper way for a wedding.

I'm sorry but these wedding parties ended up looking just like they had stepped out of the ubiquitous Scottish website.

I found it very strange and in direct opposition to what the Scots here tell us. The Scots in these parties said to me that they do not own a kilt and would only hire outfits when needed.

And one of gentlemen in his mid 50's told me that this standard cookie cutter look was how you told a real Scot from a tourist. He said that only a tourist would wear a kilt casually with a street shirt or colored hose. He told me that a colored Tweed Argyle was a dead give-away that the person was a tourist. He also said that anyone who owned their own kilt and wore it for anything other than a wedding or footie game was strange.