To stripe or sett?

[kiltimabar]

You're right about the lack of strictness or military requirement. My comment was too limited. What is required by EUSPBA is "Highland dress." The ideal is for a pipe band to be "uniform" in dress, if not IN uniform. Still, a good many pipe bands aim for as military a look as they can attain - ghillie brogues rather than plain black shoes; piper shirts, instead of plain white; matching tartans; matching pleating, etc... If you have two Grade 1 bands competing, sometimes their dress code may be the deciding factor.

I was unaware that "ghillie brogues rather than plain black shoes" was a military style--I should think rather the opposite.