Western Scotland

[Wompet]

For me it's not the outfit itself that doesn't work - it's the color combinations.
I think with a plain shirt and a vest that matched/blended with the saffron kilt oe brown shoes, it could work.

Looking at the pictures again (before I hit 'Submit') - the problem (at least to me) is that your upper and lower halves aren't 'tied' together. The shirt, vest and hat all work together; and the kilt, hose and garters all work together; but the two halves don't have any common colors to join them.

[csbdr]

For me it's not the outfit itself that doesn't work - it's the color combinations.
I think with a plain shirt and a vest that matched/blended with the saffron kilt oe brown shoes, it could work.

Looking at the pictures again (before I hit 'Submit') - the problem (at least to me) is that your upper and lower halves aren't 'tied' together. The shirt, vest and hat all work together; and the kilt, hose and garters all work together; but the two halves don't have any common colors to join them.

I agree that this is the problem. I think the colors are off. I am a BIG fan of western clothing style, and wear alot of native american jewelery, boots on a regular basis, etc. I think the concept is fine. I have also considered pairing a western brown leather waistcoat with kilts heavy on the browns/earthtones in the tartan, tooled belt with large silver and turquoise buckle, and lace-up pack boots, for a different look. ( I know, no belt with a vest/waistcoat....) But, as Wompet said, you really have to make sure the colors all hang together well. That's one thing I LOVE about tartan kilts. Makes you think a bit more about just what you are putting on yourself.

[SFCRick]

post those pics in the Kilt DON'TS thread

[cessna152towser]

The saffron kilt seems to work with that look, though I might have gone for a brown sporran and a brown hat.

[Derek Conley]

I think the idea has merit and bears further consideration. Kudos to you for attempting to think outside the box!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I think one has to tread lightly when attempting to mix clothing of two very different -- and very recognizable -- styles. One runs the risk of making the outfit look like a costume, and worse than that, a very mismatched costume.

In my opinion, two things are very important to consider -- restraint and context. By restraint, I mean that if one wants to give a "nod" to another culture or style when wearing Highland Dress, one should keep elements of that style to a minimum. In other words, it would be better to have a Highland outfit with a bit of Western flare than a hybrid half-Scottish/half-Western costume.

The other thing to consider is context. If I were at a Highland Games in Texas, I don't think it would look out of place at all to see a man in a kilt and a cowboy hat, or even cowboy boots. That same outfit in Michigan, or in Braemar, would look really out of place, and even run the risk of looking silly.

If you live in the American southwest and a western-style shirt is part of your typical wardrobe, then wearing a western shirt with your kilt probably wouldn't raise any eyebrows. On the other hand, if I were to wear a western-shirt with my kilt here in NC, it would look a bit odd, because people in my area don't normally wear western-shirts unless they are "dressing up" like a cowboy. So if I were to wear such a shirt with my kilt, I'd be wearing two unusual items of clothing which together don't really have anything to do with one another. I think the look would be incongruous and confusing to a lot of people. But, as I said, if I lived in an are where that style shirt was in the norm, it would be a completely different story.

[CDNSushi]

If you live in the American southwest and a western-style shirt is part of your typical wardrobe, then wearing a western shirt with your kilt probably wouldn't raise any eyebrows. On the other hand, if I were to wear a western-shirt with my kilt here in NC, it would look a bit odd

Very well put. I tend to feel the same way when it comes to kilts with Hawaiian shirts. Whether it "works" or not depends on several factors, geography being one of them.