Too Traditional?

[Jock Scot]

So you're saying the Scots invented a sartorial form of precursor to the Rubik's Cube, except they're trying to keep all of the squares from matching?

[dea3369]

For yourself Jock, as well as for others with a similar history, I can see how black shirts have very bad connotations and arguably the same goes for solid brown shirts. I respect where you are coming from as a military veteran and can certainly appreciate it as a veteran (of a very different war) myself.

Kindest regards,

I know this is off topic, but ...

As a Boy Scout leader here in Ohio, I have to tell younger folks - parents and scouts alike - that the reference to a uniformed scout or scouter as a "brown shirt" could elicit a terse reply, if not outright anger.

(now sitting down, shutting up, and back to coloring)

[CMcG]

So you're saying the Scots invented a sartorial form of precursor to the Rubik's Cube, except they're trying to keep all of the squares from matching?

I think you've figured it out!

Your example is certainly overdressed for the occasion, but in no way too traditional.

You can't be too traditional. You are either traditional or not traditional. In the same way you can't be too contemporary.

It's a pity you didn't write that at the beginning of this long and interesting conversation, so that you could have saved us the bother.

Sarcasm aside, I can see your point. The spirit of the discussion for the last 300 odd posts, however, has been to think of "too traditional" as the variety of possibilities that encompass efforts to dress correctly in a traditional way, but to go too far in some direction and thereby fail to get it right.

If one understands tradition as a living, dynamic reality the answer to the question is no.
If such tradition degenerates into traditionalism, which we can suppose to refer to the maintenance of a past practice - real or imagined - for its own sake, the answer would probably be yes.
Now we're at 300.

Woohoo! (My bold and font size added.)

[rmckay]

First off, let me say thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread, it is probably one of the best I have seen.

Now with that out of the way, let me ask all of you a question that just seems to go right over my head. For starters I get confused enough about sporrans that I only have one, a decent black leather one. Which sporrans would be considered correct for most day wear and which ones would you look at someone and say they are trying to hard?

Take my simple black leather sporran, its not a Rob Roy style or anything like that, if I was to wear it to a non-formal event at night would I be the guy not trying hard enough?

I really think I am starting to get the idea behind traditional and not going overboard with most things, but with the variety of sporrans available how they fit in the picture still just eludes me.

Hopefully everyone understands my question.

[Downunder Kilt]

For a non formal night out/event your black sporran sounds fine just as it would be for non formal daywear. In non formal situations a plain black sporran is most presentable. As you step up to more formal situations in is not unusual to see black leather sporrans with a white metal cantles or a range of head on sporrans, goathair/horsehair/sealskin sporrans. A head on sporran such as a muskrat/musquash one is equally presentable for non formal and formal events. Yes it's a minefield, but there are many knowledgeable people on this forum to help you out.

I wont get into brown leather sporrans, plain and with various styles of cantles, suffice to say that for daywear brown is always acceptable.

[creagdhubh]

Why do you allow yourself to get annoyed? Just ignore them.

I agree!

[creagdhubh]

An excellent distillation of 29 pages of enlightening discussion. Thank you for asking the question!

I agree!

[creagdhubh]

Here are a couple of photos taken of me at the 2012 Missouri Tartan Day over this past weekend. Despite the thunderstorms and the mud (wish I would have packed my wellys!), we had a superb time! Is my attire 'too traditional' I wonder? Hahaha! Honestly, I don't care if it is or not. This is how I choose to dress the majority of the time when wearing Highland day attire and I tend to think that in this particular case, the context was quite appropriate.

Being home in St. Louis just made me realise even more, how much I miss my family, friends and my home (same goes for my 'extended' family in Scotland, who I think about everyday). Enjoy.




Cheers,

[MacSpadger]

Is my attire 'too traditional' I wonder?

Kyle, you'd fit right in at any event over here, and would not stand out in the crowd, (except maybe the animal that makes up your sporran might be recognised as not coming from Auchtermuchty), so, mission accomplished.

[creagdhubh]

Kyle, you'd fit right in at any event over here, and would not stand out in the crowd, (except maybe the animal that makes up your sporran might be recognised as not coming from Auchtermuchty), so, mission accomplished.

Cheers, MacSpadger. You mean there are no Scottish Pine martens in Auchtermuchty? I thought Jimmy Shand wore these style of sporrans too. Hahaha, just kidding mate!

Kind regards,