Two Telling comments? The Answer Perhaps?

[TenorClef]

In North Yorkshire the photo below is quite common, infact this photo was taken today on my lunch break from the office. Its a fairly regular occurence for Scots to invade South of the Border for a bit of busking. Pipers I assume can pull this off although on this occasion this chap transpired to be English and from a local pipe band!

[TenorClef]

You hardly ever just see a bloke in a kilt on the high street, I did see a chap (non piper) about six weeks ago in a kilt just heading from A to B in my town but that was unusual to say the least.

I reserve mine for special occasions, Burns, NYE or perhaps a wedding.

[cizinec]

if I donned a cowboy outfit in Texas I would show the same traits as visitors apparently do here.

That is extremely unlikely in either Texas or Oklahoma. I wear cowboy boots and hat a lot. I went to Oklahoma State and we had a Polish immigrant who always wore boots, jeans and hat (and declared in a very thick accent that he was from Oklahoma). You'd never know he wasn't a native until he opened his mouth. There was a time when city people would ask you where you left your horse. Those days are long gone. I've seen Vietnamese, Indians, Chinese, Koreans, English, Irish, Arabs, Serbs, Russians, Africans, Mexicans (who have their own awesome style), you name it, dressed in boots and a hat. That's just how you dress down here.

In Wyoming there is currently a minor dispute because one of the sheriffs declared that his deputies were no longer allowed to wear cowboy boots, as they are not conducive to the job. His days as sheriff are numbered.

If you walked into a shop, bought a pair of boots, jeans, belt with a big buckle, a pearl-snap cowboy cut shirt and a cowboy hat, you could walk out anywhere in Texas or Oklahoma and fit right in. My goddaughter's father is from Scotland, and he wears cowboy boots. I never thought to myself, "What a poseur, wearing cowboy boots and being from Scotland." He did lecture my 12 year-old on how he was not wearing his kilt "properly."

If I saw somebody in London walking around in western wear I wouldn't see it as someone wearing my traditional national dress or costume. The person would just be wearing normal clothes that happen to be more normal for my part of the world. If they had a Brit accent, I'd probably buy whoever it was a beer for having such good taste.

From what I can tell from this discussion, it seems to me that Scots are defensive and WAY too concerned about "fitting in" with the rest of "modern" UK and EU.

We have songs about what we'll do to somebody telling us to take off our cowboy hats. Ask a Texan why they are wearing boots and you're liable to get punched. They don't feel the need to explain how they dress to anybody. The way they dress is sort of a symbol or code for that message. Scots seem to have a book of apologies when asked why they are wearing a kilt. Why? I would think they'd be a little more fighting mad for insinuating that their culture is inferior, that to be a "modern, sophisticated" man, you have to wear trousers.

Maybe that's the difference between a Scot wearing western wear in Texas and a Texan wearing a kilt in Scotland. Maybe it's because we see Texas as an open culture that can be joined by anyone from anywhere and it makes complete sense to us that you would want to participate in and increase how awesome we are. Maybe the Scots in general believe the kilt is only to show ethnic identity and closed to outsiders. I'm not saying that for members of this board or for all Scots, but that seems to be the general tone.

I always thought the Scots were more like the Texans of the UK: no excuses, no apologies, lots of pride. We're not super fond of Yankees telling us how to live and I reckon Scots don't like being told what to do by folks down south. Now I'm beginning to think a lot of Scots are more like the bad Okies: "Well, I'm FROM Oklahoma, but I'm not anything like the other people there. Watch how sophisticated I can be by talking down my own people."

I've never been to Scotland, but this discussion makes me want to pack up my boots and hat and go. If anyone in trousers asks me, "Why are you dressed like a cowboy?" I'd ask them, "Why are you dressed like you're English?"

[frank_a]

This whole debate is becoming somewhat academic to me. Wearing the kilt is a heritage thing for me, as a number of my ancestors were Scot. It's a good thing I get involved in Scottish activities here, as I highly doubt I will ever get to Scotland. At 62, retirement is around the corner, and it's just hard for me to conceive that I might at any time between now and whenever have the resources to visit Scotland. I would not be visiting Scotland to have an opportunity to wear the kilt; rather, I might bring it to wear as my salute to my heritage.

From here, the money is on me wearing the kilt to Scottish events in the area. Scotland seems very, very far away...

Frank

[Jock Scot]

Cizinec.

I am sorry if I have upset you, but if you care to read my post more carefully you will see that I was floating a supposition and based on what I have discovered over the last few months I think it is not an unreasonable train of thought.

However, I thought my example of a cowboy outfit in Texas was a not unreasonable example and I could have chosen a Cossack outfit, or some such instead . Anyway, my apologies to you, cowboys and Texas if I have caused an unintended upset.

[Liam]

Cizinec..
Just please don't attempt to mix Scottish and Western wear, as in western boots or hat with a kilt. I have seen a few examples on the internet, and it looks very strange indeed. In fact at my son's wedding one of the bride's brothers wore a black stetson with his kilt throughout the reception. Southern Alberta has a old ranching history and one does encounter genuine "cowboys", but here in Calgary there are far more "urban" cowboys.
Cheers....

[cizinec]

ROFLOL. Upset? Talking about Texas? I think not! I actually think the comparison was really thought provoking.

The young guys in Texas of all types wear western clothes, eat Texas bbq and Texmex and listen to Texas and red dirt music. They are really into Texas culture, which changes every day.

It's just funny to think about because you'd get a different reaction going to Ukraine and dressing like a Cossack. I don't think it would be the same thing at all. I've been to Slovakia and they have traditional costumes they wear to folklore dances and I have no interest in wearing it. My son has a Slovak costume he never wears because we don't live where they have dances. You would never wear it anywhere else. He does wear his kilt everywhere.

Jaroslav Pelikan compared tradition to traditionalism. Tradition, he said, is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. This could be applied to many traditions including "traditional highland dress."

I think that was the real question: why don't Scots wear kilts daily? It seems like, perhaps, the kilt got formalized to such an extent that it lost relevance to daily life. It became traditionalist instead of a living tradition. Whereas "western American culture" stayed alive and relevant in Texas, even when everyone bought cars and moved to the city. That's why I think you wouldn't feel out of place wearing western wear in Texas. It's the predominant style.

The first time I wore a kilt was to a Tough Mudder in Texas Hill Country. Not a formal event. I saw A LOT of kilts there. To me, the kilt is relevant to daily life. There are jeans equivalent kilts, kilts for sports, kilts for business and kilts for black tie. There are different types of each of these. That, to me, is a sign of a healthy tradition. But I'm in the US, not Scotland, so that doesn't say much for the health of THD in the Highlands.

I hope that Scotland keeps its traditions relevant and not stuck in the past. I hope the kilt isn't relegated to piping or some other "costume" status. I hope that the Scots become proud enough that the kilt will be as ubiquitous as boots in Texas. I hope. I'm not holding my breath.

In the meantime, I'll keep wearing my kilts in Texas and Oklahoma. Who knows where that tradition will lead, if anywhere. I'm pretty sure it won't lead to cowboy boots and a kilt, but who knows.

[Jock Scot]

I think Scotland's kilted traditions are safe and well and have every confidence that the Scots of the future will preserve the kilt in whatever form that will take in their own way. And here is the point, the Scots wear the kilt in their own way in their own time and whilst the rest of the world may not understand why they choose to do it that way, the Scots do. It suits us and if it didn't we would change it and it appears that Harry and some of Harry's generation are making the point that they will wear the kilt when they want to and not when others outwith Scotland want them to.

I think, from my observations and discussions, it is this continued, incessant and I think on the whole completely unintentional, international drip, drip, drip, style of expectation, wish(need?) that the Scots should wear the kilt 24/7 like some Disneyland theme park that has eventually started to wear thin. Frankly, in my view and now that I think about it rather more seriously than I did, I am not surprised.

[Liam]

Jock... What I learned from my wife's Grandfather, was that Scots wear their kilts as their "Sunday best". Their other clothes were working clothes and they couldn't afford more than one set of "dress up" attire. When he retired from being a stone mason contractor, he chose to wear his kilt most of the time as opposed to his "working" clothes. I had an old bachelor Great Uncle in Saskatchewan who always wore a suit and tie after he retired and sold his farm.
Slainte...

[Grouse Claw]

My oh my , think we should all burn this great garment , spit in our parents eye , and say sod the kilt . But my parents are proud of me for doing so . So sod the rest of the world , I am a son of Scottish Ma and Pa , and for special times I will celebrate by wearing the kilt ,I only wish I was a true born Scot , not a sassenach as my Dad always says .

I'm a true born Scot, and pleased to be so endowed. When I was a wee boy, in Clydebank, I was taken to an outfitter and measured up for a kilt. That was about 64 years ago. Scots boys were still wearing kilts to school then. I wore mine to the Wolf Cubs and Church. A couple of years ago I faced the fact that I was a true born Scot and got another kilt. I live in New Zealand. Many comment favourably. People ask why I do it. I tell them a story that begins, "I'm a Scot..." We're I ever again to travel in Scotland I would wear the kilt for the same reason, and say so. I might actually ask the Scots why they are so coy. Then I could report the facts to this fellowship.