Two Telling comments? The Answer Perhaps?

[Nathan]

Still an interesting thread, Jock. Thanks for starting it and for keeping it going.

[OC Richard]

My analogy with Western Wear was not about somebody who had relocated here to the USA, but a tourist dressing up like a cowboy. Yes when people relocate they tend to start dressing like the natives. I know a guy who moved here from Belfast and he walks around in cargo shorts and flip-flops like the locals do. Only when he talks do you know he's not from here.

I work at Disneyland and see tens of thousands of people every day, and the people in Western Wear aren't very common, and they're always from Texas or thereabouts, or ranchers, or horse people. Were a Japanese tourist to dress up like that and walk around Disneyland it would look odd. Besides, there's a clear visual difference between the everyday working Western Wear of the American rancher and "dressing up like a cowboy" outfits. I can't ever remember seeing a tourist dressed in Western Wear in my 26 years there.

I can imagine a native Scottish Highlander seeing a foreign tourist all dressed up in costume-y Highland Dress and thinking "oh here's another tourist!"

BTW I'm going to break from "I only wear kilts when I'm paid to" thing for the next few days, attending the USA Sevens in Las Vegas, supporting Scotland in kilts with pipes in hand.

[Nick Sweeney]

Very good thread, though I only read the first couple of pages. It answered a question I had about visiting Scotland and not wanting to look to much like a tourist. Thanks for putting it up and keeping it going.

[Kanati]

My father was in radio and television and worked all over the country. All I ever remember him wearing were cowboy boots. In particular the “roach killers” with the pointed toes. He only occasionally wore jeans and a pair of goofy white tennis shoes on the weekends. His only other non-work attire was camo and hunting boots. He viewed his boots and suit jacket look as his business attire and also a visual brand for himself.

Speaking to the tourist effect and local perceptions. In the early 70s my father had a gentleman from the London radio scene visit for the CMAs. It was his first visit to Nashville and the U.S. He stated that he had brought his boots and hat and he was surprised that everyone on the street in Nashville was not in cowboy hats and boots. My father was to meet with him for breakfast the next day and afterwards take him down to Music Row to be introduced to a few people. I saw my father as he was leaving the house dressed in his trademark boots and a cowboy hat. To top it off he had a western cut suit jacket. I had no idea he had that cowboy hat and jacket. He wore it just to make his guest enjoy his visit to Nashville. They remained in contact for many years and dad would occasionally do on-air interviews for him when some sort of music news was breaking in Nashville.

In this town nobody takes much notice of how a tourist is dressed. Sometimes it is better than some of the music biz folk. I have seen a full range of boots/hats/belt styles and normal street wear, not any boot/hat/belt/kilts yet but it would not surprise me to much.

[cizinec]

I can imagine a native Scottish Highlander seeing a foreign tourist all dressed up in costume-y Highland Dress and thinking "oh here's another tourist!"

I guess I will never understand the offense. If I see somebody from Japan in a cheesy cowboy hat, boots and shirt, my first thought is, "Let's take him out to Wormy Dog for a drink!" Of course, we don't see many tourists here and nobody who ain't an Okie wants to claim to be an Okie. I'm trying to imagine what I would do if a bunch of tourists from California and Oregon came to Oklahoma claiming to be descendants of Okies, swarming down on us, expecting us to dress in western wear and say "y'all" and "ain't" all the time . . .

Nope. I'm still not offended. I respect the fact that Scots don't want me wearing a kilt in Scotland, as I would be a tourist and that offends their je ne sais quoi. On second thought, I can stay right here in OKC and offend people by wearing a kilt. Why go all the way to Scotland to do it?

[Kanati]

My father was in radio and television and worked all over the country. All I ever remember him wearing were cowboy boots. In particular the “roach killers” with the pointed toes. He only occasionally wore jeans and a pair of goofy white tennis shoes on the weekends. His only other non-work attire was camo and hunting boots. He viewed his boots and suit jacket look as his business attire and also a visual brand for himself.

Speaking to the tourist effect and local perceptions. In the early 70s my father had a gentleman from the London radio scene visit for the CMAs. It was his first visit to Nashville and the U.S. He stated that he had brought his boots and hat and he was surprised that everyone on the street in Nashville was not in cowboy hats and boots. My father was to meet with him for breakfast the next day and afterwards take him down to Music Row to be introduced to a few people. I saw my father as he was leaving the house dressed in his trademark boots and a cowboy hat. To top it off he had a western cut suit jacket. I had no idea he had that cowboy hat and jacket. He wore it just to make his guest enjoy his visit to Nashville. They remained in contact for many years and dad would occasionally do on-air interviews for him when some sort of music news was breaking in Nashville.

In this town nobody takes much notice of how a tourist is dressed. Sometimes it is better than some of the music biz folk. I have seen a full range of boots/hats/belt styles and normal street wear, not any boot/hat/belt/kilts yet but it would not surprise me to much.

Then again maybe I will take note; It seems that the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models are in town for a few days.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/ente...ssue/23270677/

[cizinec]

Then again maybe I will take note; It seems that the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Models are in town for a few days.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/ente...ssue/23270677/

I always preferred Austin to Nashville. I'm rethinking that position.

Thinking of Austin and that OTHER style of music, I'm thinking of going to the Blue Door sans the western wear and kilted.

[The Q]

Having waded through the thread and read all the interesting remarks I Think it's time to put my oar in.
I would like to state that in no time in history old or recent has the kilt been worn by the majority or even a large amount of the population of Scotland.
Why?
1 50%+ are women !!!
2 There are two parts to the population of Scotland, the lowlanders (The majority) and the Gaels (Highlanders),.

The Feileadh Mhor / Beg became the dress of the Gaels, while the lowlanders who were of partly Welsh Ancestry from the Kingdom of Strathclyde, and Anglo Saxon ancestry from Kingdom of Northumbria which formed the other half of the lowlands (there are other ancestors I know), they did not wear the Feileadh but had gone with the development of trousers.
Many of the lowland Leadership of Scotland were of Norman ancestry not Gael or Scottish ie Robert the Bruce and John De Balliol, and style of dress tend to be that of whatever your popstar or Leige Lord likes (if you can afford it).

Even to My grandfathers generation (Born Glasgow 1901) would never have worn the kilt as it belonged to the Lairds and Highlanders, mind you he also wouldn't allow a Celtic supporter into the house either, but thats another story.

Having gone to school in the Outer Hebrides and Inverness, I can assure you that the Gaels hold lowlanders in only slightly less disregard than they do of the English and called them both Sassanachs. (Saxons). Those same school mates would not have been seen in a kilt they were only interested in the latest popstar or footballers style of dress.

By the time of Prohibition of the feileadh almost all Lowlanders would have been in trousers /trews or in country areas been in leggings and smock. I've still got a carpenters / boat builders Smock that I use one of the few places they are still used)
You can be sure when the cattle drovers came in to the lowlanders and sold up the often took back trousers for themselves and southern dresses for the ladies as the latest thing for the wife.

After the 1822 visit of King George IV when the Modern Kilt began its resurgence it became a Rich persons, special occasion clothing. Many Scots Males today don't own a suit let alone a hand made suit costing several hundred pounds so the chance of them Buying a kilt costing £300 to £1000 is very low.
Outside of the military, home made, hand kilts were just the preserve of the Gaels and today the rich or the enthusiast.

Until the mass produced Kilt probably of PV cloth becomes more accepted then the population will not spend £1000 for a kilt and correct kit, when they can be fully dressed in Primark (clothing store of cheap Indian / Pakistani / Bangladeshi manufacture of western clothes) for £50.

May be lidl is your friend?

I hope I haven't rambled on to much
The Q

[Mark Stephenson]

On my first visit to Scotland two years ago, I spent the first couple of days with a friend from X-marks. Who lived near my Clan’s ancestral lands. He encouraged me to bring a kilt. He made me feel comfortable when we dressed in THD for dinner. After a few days, I joined our tour group of 8 other Americans for a 2-week tour of the “highlands and islands”. I wore my kilt several times when we went to dinner and, as I expected, I was always the only one kilted. That said, I always felt comfortable. I was politely asked on more than one occasion where I was from – but I’m quite sure the locals knew full well I was an American tourist. I had my answer ready: “From the United States, of course; that’s why I’m wearing a kilt.” This never failed to get a good-natured laugh, and more often than not, an offer to buy me a drink. We’ll be visiting Aberdeenshire and Shetland this summer, but as the focus will be strictly wildlife photography, I’ll not be bringing a kilt this time.

[Domehead]

Jock... What I learned from my wife's Grandfather, was that Scots wear their kilts as their "Sunday best". Their other clothes were working clothes and they couldn't afford more than one set of "dress up" attire. When he retired from being a stone mason contractor, he chose to wear his kilt most of the time as opposed to his "working" clothes. I had an old bachelor Great Uncle in Saskatchewan who always wore a suit and tie after he retired and sold his farm.
Slainte...

This is exactly as I was taught by my family:

Lowland (Roxburgh): "I wouldn't wear it but it's only for special occasions" and
Highland (Blairgowrie): "Whenever you need a suit and tie"
with a smattering of Fife and a sprinkle of Westray for flavor.

Ryan