A Definition of the Term, T R A D I T I O N A L

[davedove]

MacMillan is right. Up until maybe 40-50 years ago, there was no concept of "casual" clothes. A person had work clothes and nice clothes. The only time you saw a person in work clothes is when they were either working or on their way to or from a job. They dressed up to go out in public.

People used to wear at least a jacket and tie just to go to the diner or to a ball game. And that's assuming they had any free time; many of the lower classes didn't. The only time you saw jeans on someone was when they were working at manual labor, or possibly a social outcast.

The main difference between the classes was that the commoners had the one set of good clothes and the well-to-do would have several of more expensive materials.

[Nighthawk]

Certainly in the case of Scottish painting and portraiture there are any number of examples of "the common folk" very accurately depicted. "A Highland Wedding" which is on view in the Historical Attire forum being one, of many examples. Certainly, beginning in the 1830s and with the introduction of photography, the mode of dress of the working class Highlanders was captured for posterity.

"How they dressed at labour" is an interesting question-- and the answer depends on several things. What were they doing, and when were they doing it? In other words, what is the historical context? An Argyll-shire plowman in 1740 or a Highland shoe maker in 1825? Work clothes would, and did, vary enormously from job to job and from place to place. By the very nature of their being both utilitarian and transient in nature work clothes never became traditional in the same way that a style of jacket or hat, both widely worn, would come to be regarded as traditional Highland attire.

What your question fails to take into consideration is that society used to be far more formal than it is today. Even the most humble farmer would have had his "Sunday best", and would have worn it when not engaged in labouring in the field. Casual, as we define it today (tee shirt, baseball cap, kilt) didn't exist until quite recently, and the very concept of "casual" -- as you might define it-- would have probably offended Mr. MacFarmer's sense of dignity. He might be a plowman, but he saw himself as being as much of a gentleman as the Laird whose land he tilled.

Since "casual" didn't exist until recently, I suppose that's why traditionalists tend to focus on the "Sunday best" aspect of Highland attire.

You are correct- I didn't think of it from that aspect. Thanks for that answer! It actually sums up my own attitudes towards nights out. I will be wearin at the very least a nice Van Heusen, nice shoes, hose up- and that's if I'm going to nothing so fancy as a pub.

[pdcorlis]

I hope this thread keeps going for a while - I am really enjoying it. I don't know that I have much of substance to offer but one lesson I think we can all learn from kilted gents from all parts of society is to make the most of what we have. No reason not to keep those pleats crisp, those shoes looking their best, and looking in the mirror before we walk out the door.

Please do carry on.

[bear]

Sounds pretty traditional to me... I'm not a fan of man-made fabrics, but unless you were making the kilt out of Naugahyde, I'd probably give it the Auld Crabbit seal of approval. When I was a young man living in Edinburgh my kiltmaker, Mr. Lannon, used to double fringe the right hand edge of the top apron on of all the kilts he made. Sadly these became hand-me-downs as I out grew them, but I always liked the look of the double fringe.

Interesting. I've seen the double edged right side of the apron. They seem to be popular around here. I always thought they gave an added bit of flash to the kilt.
I single fringe both the left and right side of the apron.
It looks more balanced to me. It's become a sort of a trademark of my kilts. I've been told of customers spotting a kilt I made across a busy street because of the double fringe.
I started doing two fringes because it was easier, (with PV), than trying to fold the left apron and 'pull' it into shape. With wool, it's not so tough but Marton Mills PV doesn't have the same ability to stretch as wool. It can be done, but it has to be done 'just right' or the first pleat will lay poorly. And 'just right' differs in each kilt and its wearer's measurements.

[bear]

One other thing I didn't mention that I think disqualifies this kilt as being called traditional.
It is machine stitched. I think hand stitching is necessary for a kilt to be called traditional.
In fact, I call hand stitched kilts ''Traditional' and machine stitched kilts of the same style 'Formal Cut' kilts.
I guess I thought of this topic a few years back, when it came time to name my different styles.

[Bugbear]

You are correct- I didn't think of it from that aspect. Thanks for that answer! It actually sums up my own attitudes towards nights out. I will be wearin at the very least a nice Van Heusen, nice shoes, hose up- and that's if I'm going to nothing so fancy as a pub.

Be careful Hawk, learning about traditional Highland attire is addictive.

They'll have you in a jabot, patent leather buckle shoes, and evening Argyle before long.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

One other thing I didn't mention that I think disqualifies this kilt as being called traditional.
It is machine stitched. I think hand stitching is necessary for a kilt to be called traditional.
In fact, I call hand stitched kilts ''Traditional' and machine stitched kilts of the same style 'Formal Cut' kilts.
I guess I thought of this topic a few years back, when it came time to name my different styles.

Hmm... I've never given much thought to the "machine stitched" thing. I suppose I view it in the same way I view off-the-peg suits. It's all down to how much a gentleman can afford to spend on his wardrobe. If you can afford a hand sewn tank, well then that's they way to go. But if you can't, then you shouldn't be ashamed to wear a machine stitched kilt. I don't think machine stitching, per se, makes it less traditional, provided that it is tailored exactly like a hand sewn. In my opinion it's the tailoring, not the fabric or method of construction, that makes a traditional kilt, traditional.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Matt has a fantastic article on his blog illustrating "working kilts" in the 19th century, but I can't find at the moment.

T.

See:
http://kiltmaker.blogspot.com/2005/1...h-century.html

This blog post features one of my favorite paintings by Richard Ansdell, "Sheep Washing in Glen Lyon."


What this fellow is wearing to wash his sheep in, while not formal by any means, is a far cry from what most of us consider "casual" today -- let alone "work clothes."

[JSFMACLJR]

Even the most humble farmer would have had his "Sunday best", and would have worn it when not engaged in labouring in the field. .

Many farmers and crofters and fisher folk on the Isle of Mull, prior to 1800, worked naked so that they wouldn't soil their only suit of clothes.

[Bugbear]

For a long time I had trouble understanding the term casual because I was thinking of that as somewhere between a polo shirt to a button down shirt, and without a jacket. However, everything below formal and semi-formal was being called casual.

So... I'm guessing that jacket waistcoat and tie is the minimum requirement here?