Highlanders Discuss Highland Attire

[JSFMACLJR]

There is an elderly gentleman living in the town where I work, he is actively involved in the church, provides guided tours of the town, a font of all historical knowledge both locally and nationally, served in the Argylls.
Now he wears his MacLean tartan often, ie, when is officiating at the church on a Sunday or at funerals/weddings/other church related functions, he wears his kilt, balmoral, hose hoisted up, never scrunched down, a crew neck sweater or shirt and tie tweed argyll style jacket, a proper sporran (his words, he doesn't like formal sporrans "you can't get your stuff in them") he carries his crommach everyday when he is offering his services as a towns tour guide or just walking the dog, he is oft stopped by tourists asking for photo's, he oblidges, but the next day you will see him wearing pants and tweed jacket, no real ryhmn nor reason to why and when, only in as much as it's how he feels on the day.

I expect like me, when he has worn the kilt all day, if he is going to just sit and relax in front of the TV in the evening, he will change out of his kilt into a comfortable pair of pants.

Chris,
I think I know who you mean!

[Redshank]

Chris,
I think I know who you mean!

Correct, that's Mr Niall Iain MacLean a very fine gentleman, an educated man, a living oracle, a good husband, proud taither, and extremely proud grandfaither, and someone I am pleased to call a friend.

[JSFMACLJR]

Correct, that's Mr Niall Iain MacLean a very fine gentleman, an educated man, a living oracle, a good husband, proud taither, and extremely proud grandfaither, and someone I am pleased to call a friend.

He is a very fine gentleman indeed.

[Redshank]

How about this:

A family of seven brothers all have kilts.

One is laird of the manor and spends his days selling souvenirs to tourists.

He would everyday, wear an 8 yard hand crafted kilt of his clan tartan, day sporran at all times, oxford brogue type shoes, a pair of argyle top hose , tweed jacket, tattershall shirt, woolen tie and relish the attention he gets never tire of photo requests.

The next one is estate manager. He deals with tradesmen and shooting outfitters

He would wear tweed jackets, pants and wellington boots, as daily wear, only wearing his kilt for special occassions

The next one is a clergyman, but he has started writing a memoir.

He would wear normal clegy attire at all times, keeping his kilt for the very odd special occassion

The next one is a lawyer in Glasgow.

He would wear a bespoke suit for everyday wear, again his kilt would be brought out on special occassions

The next one is a bank manager in the small village where his wife grew up.

As the lawyer

The next one is a gamekeeper, working for his mother's cousins

Moleskin trousers, Barbour jacket of the tweed variety, not waxed type, wears his kilt occassionaly and more often than the others with exception of the laird.

The next one owns a bar. He and the lawyer also have some rental properties in Edinburgh.

He wouldn't wear his kilt at all,

The youngest is a musician, a layabout, and a sensitive artiste. He is hoping to find work in the government if his artistic career doesn't work out. He lives with his next older brother's star barmaid. He has also begun work on a screenplay.

He would wear a contemporary kilt at all times, pouring scorn on the traditional, it's this person that secretly harbours a desire to cut down trees, to eat his lunch, and go to the lavat'ry, On Wednesdays he will go shopping and have buttered scones for tea


When do they wear their kilts?

Oh, and for extra credit, which one always wanted to be a lumberjack?


(Sorry if this duplicates Jock and Redshank a little- they posted as I typed...

How did I do

[davidlpope]

How did I do

Quite impressive...

[HarborSpringsPiper]

How did I do

Brilliant!

[mull]

I suppose with the highlands being in the main a rural community it does not lend itself to wearing the kilt in this modern day and age. We have already discussed deer stalking and rod and line fishing where the kilt is shunned for better alternatives and these days there are, of that there is no question. Forestry, shepherding, fish farms, sea fishing, road works, building, general farm work, the aluminium smelting works at Fort William, garage mechanics, lorry driving, heavy distillery work would also not really be conducive to working in the kilt. So a large part of the community will never be wearing the kilt during the day.

Jock,
We have come around again to the part where my understanding breaks down. The kilt comes from a rural tradition. It co-existed with pants then as it does now. Why is it such an inferior choice for outdoor activities now, unless it always was and the reasons for wearing it have more to do with identity than functionality?

Oh, and I do absolutely accept your position that crawling a mile in a kilt to stalk is way beyond what I would like to attempt kilted.

Joe

[ThistleDown]

How did I do

Two thumbs up, Chris. And we know them all.

Sorry I've not been in this discussion and really hesitate to put my 2p in at this late date, but: I wear a kilt every day and most often all day. I even wear it on the hills when the hills I will be on are in grass. I do not wear it when the snow is about or when the rains and wind are heavy. Because it is my usual attire, though, I have acquired many over the years, some of which I can still wear. Several were inherited. I enjoy our visitors who are kilted and often try to aid them through their discomfort; at other times I leave them alone to work it out for themselves.

I have no appreciation or tolerance whatsoever for those who wear Highland dress badly if they are natives and not much more if they are visitors and ignore what they see or have been told.

[turpin]

I expect like me, when he has worn the kilt all day, if he is going to just sit and relax in front of the TV in the evening, he will change out of his kilt into a comfortable pair of pants.

And I find that is exactly what I do. The kilt is fine and dandy and comfy to sit in at the office, but for lounging around the house after work I am in sweats or jeans or some such. (sorry, I know I'm not in Scotland. Just commenting on how a change of clothes itself provides a bit of relief at the end of a long day).

[Jock Scot]

Jock,
We have come around again to the part where my understanding breaks down. The kilt comes from a rural tradition. It co-existed with pants then as it does now. Why is it such an inferior choice for outdoor activities now, unless it always was and the reasons for wearing it have more to do with identity than functionality?

Oh, and I do absolutely accept your position that crawling a mile in a kilt to stalk is way beyond what I would like to attempt kilted.

Joe

The rural tradition is still there it just in the last century machinery is now in a countryside where a century ago it was not. Whirling cogs, umpteen horse power and flapping kilts are not a good mixture. Not only that, genuinely homespun cloth no longer exists and has not done for the best part of 150 years for the majority. If a length of cloth was bought at great expense would you go and muck the cows out, or shear the sheep, or gut the fish in your expensive cloth? Would you wear the kilt to do those jobs? Not likely!If you had a choice? Perhaps 400 years ago the kilt may have been standard attire because there was nothing else, I really don't know. Whatever and however that has not been the case since, well I don't know, but how about the middle of the industrial revolution.

Sorry, its time to take off those romantic rose tinted spectacles, I am afraid.