What is Traditional Highland Dress?

[Jock Scot]

CMcG.

I think it will help you "think traditional" and "see traditional" if you remove the military, bands(civilian bands too) and historical and re-enactment Highland attire from your minds eye. What I am about to say may sound like heresy to some with their undoubted enthusiasm and deep knowledge for pipe bands, the military, and military history. That is all fine and dandy, but they have,in fact, very little to do with ACTUAL CIVILIAN traditional Scottish Highland wear. Yes you can find common threads, of that there is no doubt, but it is not helpful and it is obviously confusing to many, to view all these pictures of pipe bands and Highland musicians as a guide to traditional CIVILIAN highland attire.

For me, when I look at a civilian clad in the Highland attire I dismiss him completely and instantly from the traditional civilian attire context if he is a member of a band(any band)or is a solo musician. With apologies to the musicians here, they are dressed as performers and are dressed as traditional Highland performers and very smart they are too, usually, but they are not dressed in TRADITIONAL CIVILIAN Highland attire, there is a difference, a subtle difference at times I grant you, nevertheless that key difference is there. I hope that this helps you identify the "apples from the pears" more easily.

Yes there are blurred edges, although not as blurred as you may think. The Regimental tie is civilian attire, not military issue. They do show a LEGITIMATE military connection though. Most Scots wear their clan tartan ,not their military(if they have one) one in civilian life. Yes, I wear my grandfather's military kilt pin and carry my uncle's Black Watch Sgian Dubh, but they are little or no different to many a civilian item and I am no different to many civilians in Scotland in doing so and is accepted practice here. It just makes financial sense and I doubt that we even think about it. If I may respectfully say so, you are falling into the trap of trying to compartmentalise things that won't ever fit a rule or convention and you are leaving no space in your mind for those inevitable "blurred edges".

With the greatest respect to all the non Scots here(my apologies to 98% of the members then!), it is many of you chaps that are muddying the waters by your penchant for wanting to wear military kit with your Highland Scots civilian attire and not understanding the, sometimes, subtle differences between band and civilian attire. Might I also add that the accepted Highland Scots(British too) practices are often, at worst, ignored and at best, not understood by those not from our shores. Through no fault, mostly, of anyone you are mixing your non Scots culture, with military(Scots mainly) culture, with Highland Scots civilian culture and it is not the least bit surprising to me that this confusion exists outside Scotland.