Royal Regiment of Scotland

[Phil]

Take for example, the wearing of white tie by gentlemen from Perth. Not seen on everyone, of course, but see even less in other parts of the highlands.

I must say I have rarely seen a white tie with highland dress apart from graduation day at St. Andrews.

And my favourite, tartan jackets. Certainly they are not common, and one can usually find somebody wearing one almost anywhere, but you really do stand a greater chance of seeing one worn to a ball or party in the Western Highlands. I don't know why.

Tartan jackets are even less common and it may have a lot to do with the difficulty of obtaining one. None of the mainstream highland dress outlets seem to be interested in any type of "one-off" tailoring and, although I am fortunate here in Edinburgh there are really no proper tailors elsewhere in Scotland that I know of.

Jabots, too. I know you wear one. My friends, and my experience, tell me that they are much more in evidence in the Western Highlands.

Jabots. Well they were really the normal thing if I cast my mind back to my younger days. That was in the west of Scotland and I must say I rarely, if ever see one here. Again a lot must be down to the limited range highland outfitters are prepared to stock. I know Geoffrey Tailor stopped stocking buckle brogues a few years ago and the assistant there looked at me as if I had horns for even asking about them. I do see that jabots are coming back again although getting a collarless shirt is another matter. Stuart Christie stock them fortunately.

I wasn't really thinking of the more formal dress variations, though, but the daywear such as that of Jock's in his "What would the Victorians think" thread is virtually identical to what I would wear. As to the younger generation, even although they might accessorise with ankle boots, scrunched down socks and a rugby shirt, they will still wear a traditional, probably 8 yard, knife pleated kilt. It is that one item, I think, the kilt that defines to all the various kilt-wearers their Scottish tradition and is the one item, certainly here in Scotland at least and with very few exceptions, that does not vary between regions and generations.