A Question of Taste...

[davidlpope]

Horsehair sporrans...label the wearer a wannabe piper/drummer.
<snip>
Tartan waistcoats ... are a good way of demonstrating your heritage/affiliation when you have to wear trousers;They should never be worn with the kilt.

These three photos show your above statements to be ill-informed:

The Earl of Caithness:


The Duke of Argyll:


P/M John D. Burgess (who was definitely not a wannabe...)

[SlackerDrummer]

These three photos show your above statements to be ill-informed:

The Earl of Caithness:


The Duke of Argyll:


P/M John D. Burgess (who was definitely not a wannabe...)

I believe the first and last photos are of goat hair rather than horse.

[JSFMACLJR]

I believe the first and last photos are of goat hair rather than horse.

I've seen quite a lot of horse hair sporrans worn by those whose last thought is to be a "wannabe piper". Sheeesh.

You skate on awfully thin ice when you make blanket statements.

[SlackerDrummer]

I've seen quite a lot of horse hair sporrans worn by those whose last thought is to be a "wannabe piper". Sheeesh.

You skate on awfully thin ice when you make blanket statements.

I'm not sure I follow you, Sandy. I was pointing out that the sporrans in the first and last photos do not appear to be horse hair sporrans, but rather made of goat hair. Do you believe I am incorrect?

[Paul Henry]

I'm not sure I follow you, Sandy. I was pointing out that the sporrans in the first and last photos do not appear to be horse hair sporrans, but rather made of goat hair. Do you believe I am incorrect?

I have a feeling that JSFMACLJR was not directing his comment towards you , but rather towards robbiethepiper

[Mike_Oettle]

Jock Scot wrote: “Some Highland ladies wear their tartan as a pair of trousers (pants are underwear over here) particularly during the winter and during midgie time.”

We really are divided by a common language! In South Africa, trousers generally refers to what men wear, while women’s bifurcated garments are pants (although the word trousers is occasionally also applied to these). When I was a boy, they were called slacks, but I rarely hear that word nowadays. Women’s underwear is referred to as panties.

And I was intrigued at your remark “I have to confess that I very much like it when she wears my tartan (as a married lady she does not wear her own) . . .”

Since I have read that under Scottish law, a woman keeps her maiden surname when married (or widowed), I imagined that women would also wear their own family tartan.
I have much to learn . . .

Incidentally, I would not categorise horse hair sporrans as being solely for bandsmen’s use, but I am not enamoured of them either (a holdover from my regimental days, when officers wore them, and the men did not). Goat hair, on the other hand, catches my eye.
Regards,
Mike

[JSFMACLJR]

I have a feeling that JSFMACLJR was not directing his comment towards you , but rather towards robbiethepiper

I was! Thanks Paul.

I'm so sorry if I caused any confusion.

[Jock Scot]

Actually Mike I don't know the Scots legal state of play, these days on whether the Scots wives keep their maiden names, but for sure Scots wives wear their husbands' tartans, well my Grand mother did and my Mother certainly did and I am pretty sure all the wives that I know who wear tartan do too. Not that it really matters and it is a long story that I do not propose to enter in to, but Mr and Mrs Jock were married in England under English law.

[MacLowlife]

I keep thinking about the difference between "traditional" and "conservative". Traditional is a flannel sportcoat with metal buttons. A conservative one is navy blue, but a bright red, yellow, or green one can still traditional, even one made from patches of madras or tartan. Somehow, I do not think of a black one as being either, no matter how sleek and sober it might be...

And this connects directly to my own evolving taste in highland dress, which is mostly traditional. Before XMTS, I based most of my kiltwear decisions on Charles Thompson's SO YOU'RE GOING TO WEAR THE KILT, on personal observation, and on sound personal advice. That led to a few actions I regret, such as buying and wearing a ( MoD Issue) piper's (bandsman's) jacket for civilian black tie. It really didn't look bad, but then neither did Bertie's white mess jacket, I expect. It is heavy and it is hot as the devil, though.

I have enjoyed seeing the broad range of kiltwear displayed on XMTS, but I can't say that I have changed many ideas. I have just learned to keep my mouth shut about the ones that are less universally held in these parts. Some of what I have learned here I also keep to myself elsewhere. I didn't need a lot of convincing about white hose, but I am not going to bother most of my kilted friends who still wear them, or fly plaids, or funny shoes that do not look like MY funny shoes.

Think back to a childhood time before you traveled. You had ideas about things and you had a wardrobe, whether or not you spent a lot of time and energy on it. At some point, you traveled farther, maybe to study or to work. As money and availability allowed, you got more clothes. If you were like me, you bought a few things that turned out not to be as cool as you first thought and you may even have wanted something for a long time, then changed your mind before you actually got it.

Chances are, if our tastes didn't evolve, we'd all still be wearing sailor suits and cowboy boots. ( But then, a lot of people DO wear cowboy boots and at least bell bottomed trousers.)

I wonder, as I type this, what effect adding a pipe major to the Village People might have.

Somebody already pointed out the shift from costume to attire. I guess that is the single biggest step I have taken and the one I would most heartily recommend.

Thanks one and all for this great post and the great contributions.

as aye,

M'll

[Teufel Hunden]

How would you define your taste in kilt attire?

I like to go for "Tasteful, but noticeable." When I'm in a suit, for example, I might go for a classic look, but wear a tie that's just a bit louder than everyone else's. So in a room full of men in suits, someone might scan the room and notice mine specifically, in a positive way. "These business meetings are so boring.... oh hey, nice tie."

Highland wear is generally the same when I'm just out and about, though I generally avoid tweed and all the standard materials used.

Formal wear, it just depends on what the event is, and is my most favorite of all kilted outings. I think your standard faire men's black/white tie is incredibly dull and almost dreary, with all the men wearing the same thing... but simply picking a kilt to wear changes all that. I like to stand out a bit more for formal things. I might replace a jabot with a cravat, or something along those lines, or find another way to be a bit unique in an otherwise uniformed room.

What is/are your main influence(s)? Have they changed over time?

I like classic style mixed with a bit of modern flare. Old photos from the 40s, 50s, and 60s are big influences for me, as well as some of the old black and white pics, of which this site is full. I like to take some of these older looks and ad a touch of my own modern tastes. Back to the suit example, I might be the only guy my age in a room wearing a 3 piece with a pocket watch, but I'll have a Psycho Bunny tie on, or something similar.

My influences have changed greatly over the last decade or so... back in the day, while I could certainly dress well if I had to, I didn't go out of my way to do it like I do now. Back then I had few influences and my tastes were defined by what could be had at the closest store that looked decent on me.

How has Xmarks contributed to how you approach the kilt?

XMarks has shot me down on a couple ill fated ideas, steered me in the right direction on some good ideas, and all around filled my head with more info than I can process. My only regret is I only found this forum a couple years ago and not when it was first created.