Fighting Objection From The Wife 2!

[New World Czech]

My wife has been very supportive since I became addicted to the wearing of kilts. As I have only been kilted for a little over a year I have come to value the tidbits of fashion presented on this forum. I feel that my overall appearance has been upgrade whether kilted or pantalooned.
Now for the rub. I have been rebuffed for attempting to wear any other patterned artical of clothing while wearing tartan. I am also frowned at and/or ordered to change if I try wearing anything outside the color pallet of the kilt I have chosen.:yes:
I have been told to pass on that when attempting to widen my options as stated above that I look like a kid playing dress up who needs Grranimal to dress himself.

[auld argonian]

Well, I always thought that the tartan was the centerpiece of the outfit and anything else patterned would be a distraction from it. Used to have an acquaintance that was a stand up comedienne that got a big laugh with a line about "mixing plaids"...certainly that would never happen with a member of Xmarks...though it might on a golf course or on a hipster.

Keep it plain and simple and let the tartan do the talking...ya' can't go wrong that way.

Best

AA

[New World Czech]

Well, I always thought that the tartan was the centerpiece of the outfit and anything else patterned would be a distraction from it. Used to have an acquaintance that was a stand up comedienne that got a big laugh with a line about "mixing plaids"...certainly that would never happen with a member of Xmarks...though it might on a golf course or on a hipster.

Keep it plain and simple and let the tartan do the talking...ya' can't go wrong that way.

Best

AA

I really have not problem with giving up the additional patterns (I'm not talking about multiple tartans but tattersall shirts or striped ties). I know I would be banned from the house if I tried to enter with Argyl or Diced hose for a formal look even before I tell her how much they cost. It really is all about colors, today I am wearing my new SWK Black Watch Economy with a light tan shirt and ancient green hose. As I left for work this morning she said she really liked the hose but a white shirt would look better. I am not wearing a jacket or tie. Tan and green work together don't they? I did not change the shirt, kissed her and left. I like how Matt puts an outfit together but if I tried some of the same she would never let me out of the house.

[Tartan Hiker]

I have to agree up to a point. I never owned a solid colored polo shirt or solid colored tie until I started down the slppery kilt-slope. Now I have a closet full.

[Mike in Dayton]

I have to agree up to a point. I never owned a solid colored polo shirt or solid colored tie until I started down the slppery kilt-slope. Now I have a closet full.

You and me both. Since my weight has stayed about the same through the years I have accumulated more shirts then I will ever wear. When I got into kilts I discovered out of the 100 or so shirts I have very few were solid color. All the shirts I have purchased in the last couple of years have been strictly for the kilts. They hang in a separate part of the closet. My goal for the next few months is to thin out the shirts I would not wear with kilts. I wear kilts about 50% of the time now so many of the old shirts are not worn anymore.

I don't want to "mix plaids".

Mike

[Baldybrown]

With your obviously fashion-challenged abilities, you need to look at yourself in the mirror and practice this phrase EVERY DAY!
"Yes dear." A hundred times a day should be enough to start.

[Alan H]

I think that your lady is pretty sensible.

The ONLY exception to this rule that doesn't make my eyes bleed is a tartan waistcoat, in the same tartan as the kilt and under a solid-colored jacket and honest to God, it took me a couple of years to not shudder at even that. Now I appreciate a nice tartan waistcoat, but....it....took....a.....while.

The flip side of this is that if you just really, really, really, really want to wear several different plaids at the same time like the Jacobite urge to mix and match tartans with no thought to modern concepts of color compatibility and so on...then dude ---> Go right ahead. I will stare, like the rest of the world. And your wife will recoil in horror. If she tells you that you're an eyesore, then she's right. But if she demands that you remove the clothing that you have chosen to wear and tries to prevent you from wearing it, or going of the house with it, then stand your ground.

You may look like a complete idiot, but it's your right to look like an idiot if you want to. It's NOT her right to demand that you kowtow to her vision of what you MUST look like. If she refuses to be seen with you, then that is her right, as well.

[English Bloke]

I think that your lady is pretty sensible...

Alan. Superb post. Still chucking now in fact.

[brewerpaul]

While I do make sure I wear a solid shirt with my tartans I do have a bit of leverage with a solid color kilt. I bought a saffron colour kilt for this reason. My favorite, old, comfy, cozy winter flannel shirts have the large plaid so I was sort of bumming at not really thinking they would go well with the tartans. They do go well done casual with the saffron kilt. Im sure even the Irish green or black would look nice but my cats shed to much for me to even think about black. Photo is proof.

Saffron Kilt with white and black plaid flannel shirt.





I sometimes do have to check with my gf about what colour skirt she may have on and if she is dressing up or not, but that is small issues with us. And yes tan or khaki would go well with your blackwatch, Id wear the same combo too.

[ForresterModern]

Scots have a propensity toward mixing patterned tweeds, tattersall shirts, regimental striped ties with the kilt with abandon, something many of us this side of the big pond find troubling, having been raised with certain rules of dress ingrained into us from childhood----no stripes with checks, no mixing checks/plaids, generally solids below the waist and patterns above, all things in moderation..... It becomes tough when kilted because the whole thought process is inverted and confused, with the kilt being the center of attention of your attire while also being treated as "just another pair of trousers or jeans". How often are your pants/trousers the center of your attire's focus?

Bearing that dissonant dichotomy in mind, I personally find limiting one's palette of colors to be preferred, with the majority of that palette starting with the kilt's primary and secondary colors, and a small array of supporting cast. I like relatively subtle patterns for for tweeds, like herringbone or windowpane, as they compete least with most tartans. Patterns can be brought into your dress shirt with tattersall, but I prefer more subtle and less conflicting pin stripe colored shirts or non-bright colored oxford cloth stripes (grey, navy, burgundy, olive) that look like a solid color from a few feet away but add color texture when seen up close. Personally, I have problems wearing regimental striped ties----just do not feel they look right on me----so I generally stick to relatively subtle patterns on solid background colors that usually pull something color wise from the kilt. Hose can be troubling, but I stick to solids mostly, usually pulling a color from the kilt, or a pattern top if the pattern colors do not clash with the kilt and the patterns are not too bold as to draw the eye from the kilt tartan. Diced and tartan hose I try to reserve for dressy occasions, and while tartan hose should match your kilt IMHO, diced hose may either match or contrast with the kilt colors, although personally I prefer those that match at least to some degree.

A few small tidbits: less is more, try mixing textures rather than colors or patterns (tweeds, silk tie, wool or cotton sweaters, patterned hose), solid color items can have patterns in them to add variety, remember that you will look best if YOU are comfortable and confident in what you are wearing----otherwise you are just posing, even to yourself. Lastly, I dress myself in clothes and color combos I choose myself, with little if any input from my better half, especially since she does not really like me kilted anyway. I trust my fashion judgement, although do take some advice from others whose style and thoughts I trust.

One man's thoughts of what works for me. Good luck,