Something that Hamish wrote years ago that stuck in my head

[bwat]

If you're genuinely at peace with yourself then you can wear pretty much anything and make critical observers question their own judgement instead of yours.

[Stitchwiz]

If you're genuinely at peace with yourself then you can wear pretty much anything and make critical observers question their own judgement instead of yours.

Oh so true, but I too prefer the KISS principal - Keep It Simple Simple.

[ThistleDown]

Sartorial tastes differ from person to person. What looks "right" to one person's eyes may seem unattractive to another person. I can't help but think, though, that a preference for the look above is strongly influenced (perhaps even subconsciously) by the ubiquity of such kilt-hire outfits.

If this is the way that one prefers to dress, de gustibus, etc. If one desires to consciously emulate the traditions of the Highlands of Scotland, though, one has to be a bit bolder...

Just my personal opinion and statement, of course, but to me the earlier example Alan posted is an advert for a kilt-hire costume as worn by an anonymous wedding attendant, right down to the bleachable sockies. This pic, on the other hand, is a personal statement by Burgess, a confident -- and quite accustomed-to-it -- kilt wearer. In KiltFitz' two examples, the first is of a kilt-wearer and the second of a band of costumed people. The women are unlikely to wear those dresses again, and the men definitely will return their uniforms to the shop the next day.

[Alan H]

You folks say "Kilt-Hire" like it's a BAD thing. And yet I bet most folks here would tell a young lad who didn't have much money, but needed to dress up for a special occasion, to patronize that exact same kilt-hire outfit. So either the kilt-hire places are bad-bad places, or they're not. Folks gotta make up their minds.

As an aside, if folks think that I look like I rented my kilt I don't really care. But that's just me. Other folks might be bothered by that.

BTW, I happen to think that the fellow ..is his name "Burgess"? ... Looks absolutely horrible in that outfit. It's an eyesore. There's too much tartan and the socks don't even vaguely go with the tartan. The sporran is completely outrageous and over-the-top. But that's just my opinion. I also think....who cares? If the man wants to wear that outfit, then he should go right ahead and wear it. He's not hurting me or anybody else by wearing it. If he likes it, more power to him. I'd buy him a beer.

[CMcG]

...
When you put on a tartan kilt with a lot of other stuff, the focus of your kit should be the kilt and the tartan. That's what Hamish wrote.

This makes perfectly good sense to me. I mean, you spend a bluidy lot of money on that thing, it only makes sense to let people SEE it. Hamish's point was actually about the tartan or solid tie question, but I think the principle carries over. At least, that's how I put the stuff on. I don't adorn myself with a bucketload of gewdygaw "stuff". Let the kilt be what it is, it's plenty "busy" enough as it is. Keep the rest of the outfit simple.

Words of wisdom, IMHO.

Wise words indeed. I started a thread a while back called Less Can Be More where I also advocated for a bit of restraint towards Highland attire. I can understand where people get excited about having acquired various kilt accessories and wanting to wear them when they get the chance, but it is easy to overdo it

That being said, it would be a shame for kilt-wearers to end up in the same old drab menswear box that many guys put themselves—apart from their kilt. There's plenty of room for personal expression without somehow overshadowing the tartan; some dudes are peacocks and more power to them!

There are also, as always, contextual factors.

If I'm just heading down to the pub for a casual evening:


Or heading to a black tie event with a bunch of Xmarkers:


Hamish himself is known to give it a little extra too, as at this Ferintosh Burn's Supper.


Or out tromping about:

...
To me it is the Tartan that we want to shine. We want our kilt to stand out. Why would you push the Tartan into the background? This is what you are doing when your entire color palette is based around the colors of your kilt.

Does anyone pick sock colors to match their pants? Nope.

...

I am a strong believer in the KISS Principal. Keep It Simple Stupid. Sure you can wear bright colors, but they should be small, accent pieces. I dislike hair sporrans for the same reason. The eye is drawn to the sporran and the kilt is just there, in the background, somewhere.
The extreme example of breaking the KISS Principal would be a drum major. I've seen many when you can't see the kilt at all.

While I agree that the dreaded "matchy-matchy" look comes off as contrived, there's nothing wrong with being colour coordinated i.e., choosing a palette that complements one's tartan.

As for sock colour and p@nts, people do it all the time. Perhaps not fretting over an exact colour match, but definitely making sure to wear dark socks with dark p@nts.

And yes, the KISS Principle is helpful. But context is still key. A drum major is in uniform, so their outfit isn't up to them. For civilians, hair sporrans are certainly a statement piece and will draw attention. But if that is the effect one wants, then there is nothing wrong with it. For example, an epic sporran can be just the thing if one is trying to stand out from a bunch of kilted guys with more subdued sporrans.

[Terry1948]

So for examples..... and I want to point out that this is ME (and possibly Hamish, too, but I can't speak for Hamish of course), this is what I PREFER. I'm not saying "this is wrong and that is right?" OK?

So.

I much prefer this:



and yes, I chose a photograph with white socks, because I LIKE white socks, especially in a more formal setting. However, I wouldn't grouse if the socks were, say, black or charcoal gray or a blue tone that's in the kilt.

over this:



combined with this



and this:



with this:



and this:



I'd throw in pictures of fly plaid pins and sgian dubhs and dagger/knife/fork/spoon sets, too, but I'll defer.

OK, again, I'm not saying that wearing all that kit is WRONG... eh? It's just my taste. I'm just saying that if I employ Hamish's principle and Steve's principle of KISS, then simple is good. Let the tartan and the kilt be what it is and don't drown it in a bazillion bits and bobs.

Alan, you are a man after my own heart! Keep on kilting!

[pbutts]

BTW, I happen to think that the fellow ..is his name "Burgess"? ... Looks absolutely horrible in that outfit. It's an eyesore. There's too much tartan and the socks don't even vaguely go with the tartan. The sporran is completely outrageous and over-the-top. But that's just my opinion. I also think....who cares? If the man wants to wear that outfit, then he should go right ahead and wear it. He's not hurting me or anybody else by wearing it. If he likes it, more power to him. I'd buy him a beer.

And damn could he play the pipes! He can dress any way he wants to!

[Alan H]

I would like to point out something in this picture.


1. It contains Hamish. Hamish. THE Hamish. Hamish the Kilted. Hamish the Kilt Collector, Hamish the sponsor of more kilted creations than any other single person. Hamish who knows all and is the ultimate authority of kilted style. Hamish, who does all that he can to assemble the most correct and most appropriate kilted "ensemble" for every situation. Hamish, who owns more kilts than anybody else in the world, and with it, more associated kit....pins, sporrans, jackets and so on...and who CERTAINLY owns a myriad assortment of kilt hose.

2. It contains two other fine gentlemen in kilts. One is a piper. Assuredly, none of the gentlemen in this photograph underwent the ultimate indignity of actually RENTING their kilt. They own the stuff.

-> And they're all wearing white socks.

So, go ahead, write it. Write it down, right here.... that Hamish.. THE HAMISH is a victim of "Kilt-Rental-Shop" mentality.....or worse, that THE HAMISH is a boring, style-less kilt-wearer. Tell us all how THE HAMISH is a cookie-cutter, bleached-socks poser who has been duped, though his own massive ignorance, into wearing a bland assortment of kilt-rental-castoff pseudo-finery.

[bwat]

-> And they're all wearing white socks.

So, go ahead, write it. Write it down, right here.... that Hamish.. THE HAMISH is a victim of "Kilt-Rental-Shop" mentality.....or worse, that THE HAMISH is a boring, style-less kilt-wearer. Tell us all how THE HAMISH is a cookie-cutter, bleached-socks poser who has been duped, though his own massive ignorance, into wearing a bland assortment of kilt-rental-castoff pseudo-finery.

See: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-1961-a-85958/
I counted five pairs of cream hose in that short film from 1961 and they looked like proper old-school kilt wearers to me.

[Alan H]

I don't mean to be a jerk, it's just that the response of ... "it's because the rental places have brainwashed everybody"... which has been written many, many times on XMTS always strikes me as a really elitist response. It always comes off, TO ME.....to MY way of reading it, as saying ... "Well, those stupid, ignorant people are duped by the money-grubbing rental companies into wearing cookie-cutter trash, but WE, the pure, the educated and the wealthy who can afford such kit, know better."

Now, I don't honestly believe that anybody actually means to say that, but honestly, that's what it sounds like at my end, and it really bugs me. Thus my rather over-the-top response above, with Hamish's photo.

In summary...if you don't like the look, whether it's the Prince Charlie/ghillies/white shirt/white hose look....or the Tartan vest/diced hose/huge sporran look, or whatever "it" is, then by all means just say so. Say "I don't like that". Fair game. "I don't like that" is not the same as "that is awful". Also... "I think that looks awful" is not the same as "that is awful". Everybody is entitles to an opinon. Declaring that your opinion is right and those other people are wrong, or are "low class because they rented"... kinda sucks. It's not the difference in taste here on XMTS that bothers me. It's how it's written that bothers me..

To ascribe some sort of educational low-ground to "those people" who happen to wear different kit from what you like, and claim that they're "ignorant" and they've been "duped"... is...well....

OK, that's more than enough ranting for one day.