Less Can Be More

[A Robertson]

When do your wear a pair of Levi's? What do you wear with Levi's? When is it appropriate to wear/not wear Levi's?
Same with a kilt.
Most of this site is frequented/posted to/read by North Americans - 'most' - not all.
Unfortunately, if you ever visit the UK, especially Scotland, it is rare you will see anyone in a kilt. They are reserved for special occassions. Weddings, parties, New Year, Burns Night and street parades. Most times at these events, you will see guys in kilts with a certain degree of dress sense or formailty - in the case of weddings etc, normally advised by the kilt hire shop.
These are the only occassions you will see guys in kilts.
Forget moving out the city to small villages, countryside or farming communities. You will not find quaint old guys having conversations next to a stone wall, leaning on a shepherds crutch, wearing tweed, mismatched or even matched tartans - or balmorals. Scotland has moved into the 21st century. Most people living in the countryside wear gortex and drive Landrovers.
It is only in North America that there is a difinitive set of rules - based on 100 year old ideals.
(There isnothing wrong with that. Fashion evolves and diversifies)
If you want to see a real Scots guy wearing a kilt, google image search 'tartan army' - Scottish National Football Fans.
Try and work out what set of rules they follow.
The answer to your questions are simple. There are no rules, no codes, if you feel good wearing whatever combination you have, then it's got to be ok. Same with Levi's.

[Jock Scot]

A Robertson.

Crumbs! Actually I do agree with much of what you say. However, would you wear a pair of Levi's to a "Black tie" occasion? You would? OK read no further. However, probably you would not, so whilst there are no rules there are conventions, traditions, aesthetics and a responsibility in some form or other, not to cause offence to others, thus an ability to conform is a requirement in a civilised world.

Now that may sound rather straight laced, but in reality it does give the individual huge freedoms to make choices. We in the UK, as you quite correctly point out, have "Dress"(white tie, black tie and morning[day] dress), "smart"(suits) and "casual" (anything from blazers, sports jackets to swimwear) and even in this day and age most of us in the UK can work with that. In passing the kilt hire trade have been responsible for the peddling as much misinformation about Scots attire and Scotland as have the Scots tourist trade, so please do not regard the "hire" industry in general as reliable in any way.

Those in the USA and probably in the rest of the world are having to re-learn some of these conventions particularly when it comes to kilt attire. To some it does not come easily, to others it is a tad more difficult and some-----as in the UK too-----find it impossible to conform even for a few hours.

Fair enough, each to their own, but with freedom of choice comes responsibility and one of those responsibilities is an ability to conform in all sorts of ways, including the choice of how we choose to dress. However whilst there are, as you quite rightly say, no rules, there are indeed other considerations to be taken into account on how we choose to dress. Even in this day and age.

[sailortats]

Jock, I must say that I agree with everything you are saying in the above post. Right on the mark I would say.
But it appears that I am in the minority when it comes to the last picture above in OCRichards last post. I really like the look of the all black with the gray tartan kilt. I would call that a very smart look.

[GG]

If somebody would ask me if I would ever wear a pair of tuxedo pants when walking in the street or in the woods or along the beach I should (of course) answer “NO, never ever.”
If anybody should ask me if I would wear some pants doing the same things, I should answer “but of course”.

The same it is with the kilt. If someone is of the opinion that the kilt is only for black tie or white tie and the like situations, then consequently the kilt should not be worn in a casual context.

Is the kilt, however, considered just an alternative to pants, it can of course also be worn casually (versatility arguments). Here you might also find the rationale for cheaper kilts of fewer yardages and perhaps another fabric than wool. The eight yard sublime kilt is for special occasions, the cheaper one for informal tasks. Nice pants versus jeans or shorts.

The conservative, traditional approach to kilt wearing versus a more liberal and open minded view.

As far as I know the kilt was once daily attire to a lot of people in the Highlands and not just for special occasions.

[AJBryant]

Y'all need to watch Monarch of the Glen. There's one guy there who never wears anything BUT a kilt -- formal, informal, hunting, working on the land, chopping wood... whatever. ;)

[David Thorpe]

Y'all need to watch Monarch of the Glen. There's one guy there who never wears anything BUT a kilt -- formal, informal, hunting, working on the land, chopping wood... whatever. ;)

That would be Duncan.

[Dale Seago]

Many superb examples, and this is another very educational thread. I definitely incline toward a "less is more/keep it simple" approach as already noted. In most "everyday" settings in which I might find myself, if I went totally THCD I would generally find myself not only the only man kilted but the only one wearing a tie or waistcoat unless I were in San Francisco's financial district, and even there waistcoats are not a terribly common sight among men wearing suits.

Similarly, going out to dinner at a nice restaurant no neckties would likely be seen. Here I am at dinner in a pricy Italian restaurant with some of my buyu ("martial friends") at the end of a day thrashing on each other outdoors in the Marin Headlands. My jacket preference is for no epaulettes:





I've noticed that tweed jackets and pullover jumpers are common for casual wear; but something I also like but have almost never seen others wearing is something along the lines of a "casual/outdoor" jacket like this dark navy wool bomber from Filson. (Pic taken in December in Kashiwa, Japan, hence the also nontraditional slip-on shoes: The latter just "work better" over there.)

Looking at this from a slightly different angle, when wearing a kilt I find I want to "fit in" with the level of attire of those around me. . .and perhaps rise just a little (but not too much!) above it. The pic below was taken at the theatre last night (Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts) as my SO and I were arriving for a play, an innovative musical based on Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest.

It gives a good sense of how most people dress for such events in this upscale northern California community. My own attire on such occasions is generally more like that in the second photo reposted above.

[GG]

... when wearing a kilt I find I want to "fit in" with the level of attire of those around me. . .and perhaps rise just a little (but not too much!) above it.

Exactly what I think, too.

[David Thorpe]

It is a balancing act. A healthy respect for tradition, appropriateness to the venue and occasion, avoidance of standing out too much, and a sense of personal style are all important elements.

As this thread is in the Traditional section, using either a proper kilt or a MUG as a replacement for jeans, cargo shorts, etc. should not even enter into this conversation, IMHO. There is another forum section for that.

[AJBryant]

That would be Duncan.

Yes, it would. I was hoping someone would chime in. Is there anything more scrumptious than Dawn Steele?