Clan tartan ties, unforgivable sin?

[Laurentius]

I have been reading up on what you are supposed to and not supposed to wear, and it is all a bit conflicting. I have no problem with a bow tie being more appropriate for when you would wear one with saxon dress, but what of the daytime?

I have read that a clan tartan tie is a no no, because it probably won't match your kilt even if it is supposed to, and I have checked my tie, and discovered, yes the dyes are different, but will anyone really notice?

If I am wearing a tweed jacket generally I wear a woven woolen tie, in somewhat muted "country" colours, however the ties I generally wear would clash with my charcoal grey kilt jacket as much as any tartan tie, which at least has some connection with the kilt.

I am going to be wearing my kilt tomorrow and there are likely to be photographers present, I hope whatever I do will be forgiven if I post them later, as I am fairly new to wearing the full rig and whilst I am not afraid of breaking some traditional rules I don't want to put myself too far out on a limb.

[Dollander]

I'll just leave this here...

[Terry Searl]

I'll just leave this here...

Sometimes the kilt police on this site get a bit ahead of themselves.....but things are usually forgiven by almost everyone if you are an icon such as Mr Connery here .....I'm still in favour of doing what makes ya' happy as long as you do it with respect to the kilt....Tradition has to start someplace and as "the old guard" die off who knows maybe a new tradition will start with yourself.....just my opinion though

[Laurentius]

Sometimes the kilt police on this site get a bit ahead of themselves.....but things are usually forgiven by almost everyone if you are an icon though .....I'm still in favour of doing what makes ya' happy as long as you do it with respect to the kilt....Tradition has to start someplace and as "the old guard" die off who knows maybe a new tradition will start with yourself.....just my opinion though

I am not an icon though or anyone with the power to become one, I was
thinking biker boots and a kilt given the snow at the moment but I shall default to sensible shoes, the last thing I want to do is end up in the hospital for falling over on the ice.

[piperdbh]

Some folks say that wearing tartan above the waist detracts from the tartan worn below the waist. Others say wear whatever, whenever. I'd say dress in your kilt & tartan tie & take a picture, then switch the tie for a different one & take a picture, then compare the two to see which one you prefer.

[Father Bill]

Respectfully, which one we think looks better will not answer the question of which is more traditionally correct if that's part of your calculation.

[O'Callaghan]

Sometimes the kilt police on this site get a bit ahead of themselves.....but things are usually forgiven by almost everyone if you are an icon such as Mr Connery here .....I'm still in favour of doing what makes ya' happy as long as you do it with respect to the kilt....Tradition has to start someplace and as "the old guard" die off who knows maybe a new tradition will start with yourself.....just my opinion though

You have to realise that Sean Connery is an Edinburgh Scot of Irish extraction, and AFAIK has no clan, either Scottish or Irish. OTOH, he is a Scot, and if he wears a matching tie and kilt, however loosely the word matching is taken to mean, it can't be all bad.

[O'Callaghan]

Several have noted that Sean Connery is not a highlander. This was perhaps my point in noting that he came from Edinburgh, but I neglected to take into account that not everyone is knowledgeable about the geography.

[Bruce Scott]

You have to realise that Sean Connery is an Edinburgh Scot of Irish extraction, and AFAIK has no clan, either Scottish or Irish. OTOH, he is a Scot, and if he wears a matching tie and kilt, however loosely the word matching is taken to mean, it can't be all bad.

His mother was a Mclean and his paternal grandmother a McNab.

Much more here:
https://www.scottishroots.com/people/sean.php

[kingandrew]

I think the thread has provided ample proof that wearing a tartan necktie with your kilt is not an "unforgivable sin," but is not a popular practice with most X Marks members.

It seems disingenuous to argue that it's practice jarring to the traditions of highland dress. After all, looking at "Highlanders of Scotland" and any number of Victorian era portraits, we certainly see gentlemen wearing multiple matching tartan items at once: kilt, vest, jacket, plaid, hose. I will grant that most ties in that era seem to be black, but the idea that tartan accessories with a kilt is an innovation is clearly inaccurate. However, some might plausibly argue that such usage is more "historic" than "traditional" at this point, since the practice has become much less common since the Second World War.

I tend to favor historic looks myself, but I tend to be that way in Saxon dress as well. I was a "young fogey" until I got old enough to drop the "young" part. I got married in a frock coat and a top hat, carrying my great-great grandfather's walking stick. So I'm an outlier.

Although I own many straight ties, I almost always wear a bow tie instead. In addition to having a certain panache, they are more practical for me, in that I don't have to worry about whether they are too long and they won't fall out of my jacket and into anything if I bend over. I have certainly worn a tartan bow tie on occasion with my kilt, with no negative effects. However, any bow tie will benefit from the separation principle mentioned above, i.e. the tie won't be touching the kilt, but will have an expanse of shirt, vest, sweater between the two pieces of tartan. Most of the time, I wear a color that compliments the outfit as a whole.

Summary: It's not a sin, but not popular either. Do as you see fit with the outfit and occasion.

Andrew