Gents,

Please remember though, that some of us who do own "tailor-made" Highland attire saved long & hard for it. I sometimes think people assume that because someone owns "the best", we are all "moneybags". That's simply not the case; I know I'm certainly not.

My first PC was a converted tail jacket. I wore it until I had saved enough money to buy a "proper" one, and I passed my conversion along to someone else who needed it. That's a little trick I learned in CW reenacting, btw. Other items were presents from my parents, my mother-in-law and most especially, my wife. They're not hand-made, but they have just as much sentimental value to me because of who gave them to me as the items that were crafted by something.

I don't need instant gratification all of the time -- the anticipation is just as exciting. Besides, as my grandmother always said, true frugality is owning the "best" so you don't have to keep replacing it!

Regards,

Todd