Clan Farquharson Gathering Photos

[creagdhubh]

On another note, if these gentlemen were carrying cromachs they wouldn't all be walking around with their hands clasped behind their backs!

Hahahahahaha!!!

[creagdhubh]

You, of all people, need a "Cluny" tweed jacket, if you don't have one already

Hahaha! Funny you should mention that, I do have one, yet it requires a wee bit of altering!

Here are a few more visual examples of "Cluny's Tweed," quite famous amongst the Clan Macpherson. Some of the photos feature my beloved Chief and personal friend, Sir William Alan Macpherson of Cluny and Blairgowrie, TD.











Cheers,

[creagdhubh]

There may well be something in that, David. William Donaldson, in his book "Pipers" says something along the lines of describing daywear solo pipers as resembling a meeting of bank managers, with their subdued greys and lovat greens and weathered tartans, rather than representing a cultural music.
I have attended a great many games and comps and I would agree that, in the main, no-one really wants to stand out. There may even be a self conciousness about the whole thing. There are always exceptions, of course, Gordon and John D being two, but that's far more to do with their personalities than anything else. Both of these men are ex-soldiers as well. There is a different set of traditions there. My own experiences are limited, TA and as a volunteer civilian in a TA pipe band. Dressing for the occasion has an entirely different set of rules from civvy street. I have dined from regimental silver in the mess on special occasions, and you can get snowblind from the flash of all the bling around you. Gordon and John D took that tradition onto the boards when playing, but remain part of a fairly small group that's done so. That's just my observations, of course, and anyone is free to disagree.

A good American friend of mine, now sadly deceased, used to delight in sending me pics from US games and gatherings that he knew would make my jaw drop. I can certainly say that, judging from those pics, there are kilt wearers in the US that wear clothing that would be seen as garish, attention seeking or even plain outlandish over here. Personally, if I was wearing clothes that I would feel uncomfortable going to the shops to buy a pint of milk in, I probably would not wear them as daywear. Of course, that also depends on where I was going to buy the milk; Ballater, yes, no problem; East End of Glasgow, no, I'd stick with breeks.
Often if someone is wearing bright colours or feather hackles or such at Scottish games, they are either tourists or landed gentry flown up overnight from Belgravia. Ironically for the tourists, they have often spent a fortune on those clothes assuming they will fit in, but it's the very thing that makes them stand out as being "not from around here".

Excellent points, MacSpadger.

Cheers,

[MacLowlife]

Kyle,

These are great. I notice in one of the closeups ( about halfway down in your last series) there is a gent in a glangarry with Farquarson "dicing". The rest of the bonnet seems to be black or navy. Does anyone know about this?

Thanks

m'll

[creagdhubh]

Kyle,

These are great. I notice in one of the closeups ( about halfway down in your last series) there is a gent in a glangarry with Farquarson "dicing". The rest of the bonnet seems to be black or navy. Does anyone know about this?

Thanks

m'll

I am unsure about the chap's particular style of Glengarry (I have never seen one before), but I am sure some Highland retailer sells them. To be honest, this style of Glengarry looks a bit 'costumey' or even 'touristy' to my eyes (the tartan neck tie doesn't help either). Just my opinion.

Cheers,

[JSFMACLJR]

Invercauld has always been an excellent example of a well-dressed Scot. He has his personal style and flair and wears things he likes in the way he likes them.

It brings a smile to my face when I remember that several years ago on this forum the general concensus was that Invercauld was a poorly dressed flake, much to my protests! O tempora o mores!

[JSFMACLJR]

A few more photos:

[creagdhubh]

Sandy,

Thanks for posting additional photos of Invercauld and his lovely, Lady Invercauld. As you can see from their 'younger' days, they have always been quite a smart looking couple. I recall seeing several photos of Invercauld as a younger man, especially when attending the Braemar Gathering and being with the Royal Family - it's great to see those particular photos once again. I love his tartan 'Argyll' jacket (BTW, Highland Clans of Argyllshire makes them)!

Here's another that comes to mind:

Invercauld is speaking with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and His Majesty King George VI. When comparing the more recent colour photos above, you can see how Invercauld's brilliant sense of traditional Highland style has changed little through the years.


Cheers Sandy,

[ThistleDown]

Yes, such a change in such a sort time, Sandy. Just within a three-year period we have gone from matchy-matchy to dislike of matching anything, from put-downs of chiefly attire as recently as '09 to praise for their independant thinking and adherance to traditional ways, from opposition to mixing checks with tartan to a booming tattersol industry (and someone even mentioned gingham).

XMarks membership needs to recognise its enormous educational growth in these years, and rightly attribute that to the constant contributions of "native" wearers of Highland dress such as you, Jock and a few others.

By the way, Kyle, I think you may be mixing up the late Lady Invercauld with the present.

[RAF]

Overall, I like everyones personal styles. Very smart looking I'd say. Only one picture stood out as missing something - the one where neither belt nor waistcoat was worn.
And one other thought comes to mind - am I the only one who thinks ties for highland (kilted) attire should be made shorter?
This would avoid the need for tucking the back (into the kilt or your shirt,) and it would also prevent the front from hanging too low for those who don't adjust tied length for high waisted kilt wearing.