traditional vs. classic

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

As MacLowlife has pointed out, these things go under a variety of names; in the 1950s and 60s the common civilian styles were:

Prince Charlie coatee;
Sheriffmuir coat;
Regulation (or Standard) Doublet;
Montrose Doublet;
Kenmore Doublet (a single breasted version of the Montrose);
Dress Argyll Jacket (called a Dress Kilt jacket if made without cuffs, etc.).

Obviously there was room for a lot of variation, and styling touches, from the various tailors and Highland outfitters, and some of these variations were assigned proprietary names.

As far as day wear jackets are concerned, I remember going into Chalmers of Oban back in the sixties to buy a kilt jacket and being asked by the lady behind the counter if I wanted a plain one or fancy one. No nonsense, and no fancy names. If the coat had flaps and cuffs it was fancy; if not, it was plain.

My, but how things have changed.

[CMcG]

"Classic" in fashion to me means those things that have stood the test of time, they are timeless garments that look as good today as they did when they first originated.

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In the end my current "eye" for what's traditional/classic is formed by those four influences: "tradtitional Highland Dress" as it was known in the 1970's, books on the history of Highland Dress, The Highlanders of Scotland, and vintage photos.

My guidance came from one kilt wearing father, six kilt wearing uncles, and a kilt wearing grandfather and the kilt wearing experiance goes back further than that too. Plus, over 60 years of kilt wearing for me.

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What I see as traditional are the materials used in the making of kilts, jackets, etc...
What I see as classic is the style in which these garments are made.

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If you take a broader view of all men's Western fashion (from the 1960's onward) I should think that the trend has been toward simpler, more casual, and more standardized garb for men.

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I believe we bring with us to the kilt wearing world the same sensibilities we have otherwise.

Where we really begin to grow, though, is when we can look at something popular and say " I can do better than that."

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My, but how things have changed.

Things have indeed changed, hence my desire to elicit reflections on the situation. Though I realize things evolve and so there aren't often hard lines, I've long been puzzled by what appears to be a somewhat fuzzy line between historical and traditional style in kiltwear...

I'm coming to realize that, MacLowlife's problematization of the word "classic" notwithstanding, my sense of classic is rather influenced by Saxonwear and more general trends towards simpler clothing . There are some things (like lace jabots or the tartan doublets mentioned by Panache) that may be traditional but just seem too over-the-top to be classic. To my eye they look rather historical.

These are things I still need to ponder...

I hope in snipping out some choice quotes from this thread so far, I haven't misrepresented anyone. Some have had to seek out a sense of Highland attire while some have been born into it, though sometimes they have ended up in the same place!

With all due consideration for personal taste, heritage, free market economics, transnationalism, etc, what is (or should be) the relationship of historical modes of dress to an evolving tradition in the 21st century?

Or am I just getting convoluted in my own head here?