Matchy-Matchy or Contrast in highland attire? Psst... here is the secret

**Tobus** · 25th February 13, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by Cygnus

I agree with much of what Panache said, though I tend to be a traditionalist like OC Richard.

As a traditionalist, I've struggled a bit to get a "look" that I like. Part of the problem, I think, is the tartan that I wear; the MacQueen tartan is very bright and lacks the more subdued blues and greens common to many other tartans. The result of most of my forays into "mismatching" have been rather disastrous, as everything comes out looking like this picture posted previously:

...

The jacket and tie would be fine with a more subdued tartan, but the purple, light blue, and shockingly vibrant red and yellow scream "circus" more than class.

This is one of my first attempts to introduce more colours into my Highland attire; though it's better than the purple jacket above, something about it just doesn't feel right. The mustard hose and kilt together are too loud, in my opinion, and, in addition to competing with one another as the focal point, overpower the blue and make it seem even more out of place.

If the tartan used a claret rather than bright red, I think this look would work quite a bit better.

Yes, one must be careful when exercising the art of mismatching or contrasting. Very loud colours tend to call attention to it, especially when they're primary colours like reds and yellows. Unfortunately, at least here in America, bold displays of red and yellow together tend to scream "Ronald McDonald" (the clown of hamburger fame) to most people, thanks to generations of advertising with those colours. That likely explains the "circus" reference that came to your mind.

Personally, I think this concept much better employed with subdued earthy colours, like those you find in tweeds. An occasional loud colour won't be a problem as long as it's not competing with other loud colours. Your bright red tartan, for example, might be better with ancient green hose, your Lovat blue jacket, and a bold-patterned tattersal shirt with regimental tie. The patterns in the shirt and tie help draw the eye away solely from the red tartan, while still allowing the red to be dominant (i.e. not competing with yellow).

Of course, everyone will have a different concept of what looks good. But I do agree that your example of bright red, yellow, and blue together is a bit much on the eye. Let one colour do the talking instead of making them all try to yell over one another.