Moslty black tartan: Nightstalker vs Glyndwr?

[Grunthos]

Top tip: if the only tartan you have a family connection with is Glyndwr then get that one. It'll end up as your favourite kilt. I hate to say it as it sounds overly romantic but it's true.

Good point. I left out my context in my original question. I have a strong Macfarlane connection on my father's side; the Welsh connection is just a second, more distant connection on my mother's side (but would still be fun to recognize).

I have 4 kilts already: a red Macfarlane Geoffrey Tailor "tank" that my father gave me, a green Macfarlane Sportkilt, and two contemporary/utility Stumptown kilts in sold black and solid grey.

If the connection to a particular tartan isn't strong and/or if you've got a lot of kilts in your future then personally I'd get one "black" and then go Buchanan. Your personal style will probably be somewhere in the middle so trying the extremes of colour will be help you find your point in the spectrum.

While I'm not new to kilts, you could indeed say that I am trying to find my point in the spectrum. For most of my life I have worn a kilt perhaps once or twice a year, to Highland Games and perhaps a family special occasion. But I started wearing a kilt much more often a year or so ago when I bought the black Stumptown kilt. Now I'm wearing a kilt at least twice a week, including to work (office cubicle), but it's always my black or grey Stumptown.

I think more than one black kilt is a bit of a waste and I'm not buying the idea that they are either:

a) more flexible than a colourful kilt, or,
b) more stylish than a colourful kilt.

You may well be right, but I may also just have to figure out the hard way what fits my style and taste, by trying things out and seeing what works for me.

I'm finding that wearing a kilt once a year is easy-- it doesn't matter if it feels a little "costumey". (Wearing a tuxedo felt costumey also, but it was only for a few hours, so it didn't matter.) But to wear a kilt every week, it has to feel like regular clothing to me. That's what I'm trying to figure out for myself right now.

I will also admit that my wife's opinion is a factor in this for me. She's quite supportive and tells me (sincerely) that I should wear what I want. But what she finds attractive is not something I ignore lightly (She told me the Nightstalker was "hot" and "bad-@$$", while the Black Watch looked more like "grandpa wear". We're in our 40's, so I'm not ready to appear to her like Grandpa yet. Fair or unfair, her opinion is what it is, and I don't mind trying to maximize the attraction factor )

In any case, it is certainly an interesting mental process to change my view of kilts from "special occasion" clothing to everyday clothing. Not sure where it will end up, but if I acquire a few more kilts in the process, it won't be the worst thing I've ever spent money on...

Thanks for everyone's feedback!