You will never stop posers and frauds (the bogus "Of that Ilk" crowd) from passing off. The world is full of fake Rolex watch wearers, people whose necks turn green from their gold chains, and those who strut around with turkey feathers in their bonnets at the local Highland Games. Often these are the same people who show up at Tartan Balls wearing more medals than Hermann Goering...

Of course, those entitled to feathers know who the fakers are and can spot them before they smell them. How's that? Well, it's simple, really. Those who are actually entitled to feathers rarely wear them. Feathers are worn on specific occasions, and just attending a Scottish gathering isn't enough to make one put on his feathers. But the social frauds don't know that, so they show up in feathers, invent preposterous stories, and are laughed at by those who know how the game is really played.

Feathers, in a sense, are like military medals. If you are not entitled to them, don't wear them. If you do, be advised that although the real armigers may not know who you are, they will definitely know what you are.