American tourists in Scotland

[Zardoz]

I'm getting the urge to wear a kilt with a cowboy hat and boots!

Both in Scotland and in Texas!

Wait a minute - I already did about two weeks ago. But it was for an impromptu party and we were supposed to dress silly. It was the best I could do from what I had in my suitcase. (I will say I saw very few Texans wearing boots or cowboy hats, just like I've seen very few Scots wear a kilt.)

Let me say for the record I would not wear a kilt with cowboy hat or boots!

If I were to go to Scotland, I would wear the kilt and Highlandware as I saw fit, as I do here at home. And while I can't control whether or not anyone thinks I should be wearing it at all, I'd hope I can pull it off well enough to not offend the folks in the know.

You know, I see some compairisons with kilts and "cowboy" gear. William said (I guess on a trip to Texas) he saw very few Texans wearing boots or cowboy hats. I guess it depends on where you are, "cowboy" stuff is quite common in the southwest, I see it all the time around my area, as the daily wear of many folks. I do think though, that a lot of Texans, especially in the "big city", feel like that unless you are working a ranch, traditional cowboy stuff is a sort of costume to be brought out for certain kinds of events, like a lot of Scots seem to feel about their "traditonal" clothing.

The Houston rodeo is a good example, in the 4th largest city in the US we don't have a kilt shop, but there are dozens of western wear outlets. And they make most of their nut every February when Houstonians run out and gear up to go to the big rodeo. Just like I know there are plenty of kilt owners in Houston that only drag them out for the games or Burn's supper, you'll see all kinds of folks from local politicains and news readers to the guy at the gas station all cowboy'd up for a few weeks, then most of them hang up the "cowboy clothes" for another year.