Dress Codes

[McMurdo]

Of course you could buy an old sea fort like Sealand
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Sealand

[Father Bill]

Good grief!

The reason that any language works at all is mostly that nobody defines it too closely.

Get it?

[Newfoundlander]

The Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) holds a few parties each year for exchange students. The dress code on the invitation is: semi-formal / national costume

What would you wear? The VC is not available for comment and his representatives at CUHK are not well versed in interpreting dress codes...

Here are pictures from one of these events held earlier this year showing the actual range of formality. Unfortunately, no kilts at this one but I'm changing that at the next one!
http://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/events...il.php?id=14&s

I'll play the devil's advocate here and note that (at least in the post) the invitation didn't specify your own national costume

[CMcG]

If a region were to declare top hats part of their national dress would everyone else be suddenly improper to wear one at an event? I don't think so. That Scotland has passed a motion declaring the kilt its national dress has no bearing on me nor my heritage and when given the opportunity to dress culturally (including an invitation to "National Dress") I am within my purview to wear the kilt.

They have never done that, have they? I thought this came up a while back, and I was under that same mistaken impression. I was told that there is no official statement from government or any other authoritative body which declares the kilt as Scotland's national dress. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong again...

This again takes us back to the question of "what is national dress"? Who makes it such?

That is an interesting question! Does the kilt have official government recognition as the national dress of Scotland?

For all the insistence in this thread on privileging the legal citizenship status for wearers of kilts as national attire, it seems there must be a law about it?!? If it is just custom, then I can imagine that a native Gaelic speaker in Nova Scotia might also make some pretty strong claims to the kilt as their national attire because of longstanding traditions.

Other Canadians (like Xman or I) think of the kilt more as the national attire of their ancestors, despite the confusion that might create for others. There are some official government statements on the subject though.


The aforementioned Multiculturalism Act:
http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-18.7/page-1.html

Here is one about dress codes, with a section for national attire at the bottom:
http://pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/prtcl/vest-eng.cfm

And a statement on when it is appropriate to wear the Maple Leaf tartan that mentions kilts:
http://pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/symbl/o6-eng.cfm#q2

[CMcG]

I'll play the devil's advocate here and note that (at least in the post) the invitation didn't specify your own national costume

Again the question of heritage or citizenship... or are you suggesting the wearing of any old national attire, including one to that is completely unrelated

I wore the kilt as the national attire of my ancestors, so that meant my clan tartan. If I wanted to reduce people's confusion about a Canadian wearing the kilt under such circumstances, I should really have been wearing the Maple Leaf tartan, though I know most people don't recognize tartans that well...

Now this is giving me some ideas Next time, I need a Maple Leaf (non-tartan) kilt, beaver fur sporran, and a civilian version of the red Mounties kilt jacket

[kc8ufv]

Again the question of heritage or citizenship... or are you suggesting the wearing of any old national attire, including one to that is completely unrelated

I wore the kilt as the national attire of my ancestors, so that meant my clan tartan. If I wanted to reduce people's confusion about a Canadian wearing the kilt under such circumstances, I should really have been wearing the Maple Leaf tartan, though I know most people don't recognize tartans that well...

Now this is giving me some ideas Next time, I need a Maple Leaf (non-tartan) kilt, beaver fur sporran, and a civilian version of the red Mounties kilt jacket

Hmmm, guess that means I gotta come up with a stars and stripes kilt (now to figure out a way to make it burgee shaped ), with deer sporran...

[ThistleDown]

Now this is giving me some ideas Next time, I need a Maple Leaf (non-tartan) kilt, beaver fur sporran, and a civilian version of the red Mounties kilt jacket

Or this combination?

[CMcG]

Or this combination?

Very nice sir! Highland attire cum Canadiana

I listed the Maple Leaf Flag kilt more as a joke but a Maple Leaf tartan kilt would be better. The RCMP pipers jacket, with appropriate conversions for civilian wear, is actually an interesting idea though... anyone tried it?

[Tobus]

Hmmm, guess that means I gotta come up with a stars and stripes kilt (now to figure out a way to make it burgee shaped ), with deer sporran...

If we're on the subject of rules and laws and such, you might want to read this:

http://www.usflag.org/uscode36.html#176

Basically, it's against the rules to use the US flag for apparel. This rule is (obviously) not enforced. But if we're talking about national dress, and pertinent codes that would allow or restrict it, this seems to be one that would most definitely restrict it.

For all the insistence in this thread on privileging the legal citizenship status for wearers of kilts as national attire, it seems there must be a law about it?!? If it is just custom, then I can imagine that a native Gaelic speaker in Nova Scotia might also make some pretty strong claims to the kilt as their national attire because of longstanding traditions.

Aye, there's the rub! To my knowledge, there is no law proclaiming the kilt as anyone's national dress. This seems to be just a custom. And of course, there is no doubt that the kilt is originally distinctly Scottish. But one has to ask the question whether that means it is restricted to Scotland as a national dress, or whether other countries that were populated by the diaspora may also (by custom) wear it as their national dress.

Good grief!

The reason that any language works at all is mostly that nobody defines it too closely.

Get it?

Absolutely. But the same may also be said of culture, right?

[Father Bill]

Absolutely. But the same may also be said of culture, right?

Exactly! What words (language) do we use to define culture? There are some folks here making a mighty and futile attempt to do so. Others with a great sense of humour seem to be just enjoying the futility that the others are demonstrating.

Sorry folks - I do find some of it rather silly, only because it will never really be successful.