Colours combining with Black Watch kilt?

[sadkingbilly]

Thanks for the link, quite entertaining read in itself. After rethinking how my kilt fit I think it's more a question of not wanting to hike it up above navel than wanting to wear it low on the knee. I guess when my new (smaller) kilt arrives I'll have to hem it until it fits the way I want to (just below the navel) and see if I can get it right. I've never tried to resize anything as complicated as a kilt (mostly hemming jeans or shirt cuffs) so I'm not confident I'll get it right. Will search for tutorials here or buy a decent kilt making book.

Now on a mission to find a replacement for the horrible sporran chain that came with it. Looks too much like "bling bling" for me.

[Richrail]

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=46888

[OC Richard]

I'm very new to wearing a kilt and for the moment only have black watch.

black jacket... seems a bit somber and dark.

what colours can I use without giving people a headache?

In the old days (18th century) things hardly ever matched. Hose were usually some red & white pattern regardless of kilt. This originally civilian aesthetic was carried into the Army. It being the Army, red coats were used. So, both the jacket and the hose contrasted with the kilt completely.



Then in the 19th century some regiments went to red & black hose. To my eye, nothing looks quite as good with a Black Watch kilt as either red & white or red & black diced hose.

For plain hose, the Army has long used Lovat Green. Once again the Army kilt has both the jacket and hose not using any of the colours of the kilt itself.



I'm a supporter of NOT echoing the kilt's main colours in the hose etc. Were I to get a Black Watch kilt today, and put together an ensemble, I'd probably get a pale Lovat Green tweed jacket and Claret or red hose.

For Evening Dress, to avoid looking too dark, I might see how a Claret or red jacket looks with my kilt, just to brighten things up. I can imagine a red jacket and buff waistcoat looking smashing.

This mid-19th century portrait is, to me, one of the best examples of the brilliant use of contrast in a Highland costume: none of the kilt's colours appear in either the jacket or the hose. If I had a Black Watch kilt I'd be very tempted to get hose like this!

[Bill aka Mole]

My SWK heavy is in Black Watch and the first proper kilt hose I bought was in Oatmeal (tan) color. Even with a claret colored polo shirt it doesn't look exceptionally bad.

[Mike_Oettle]

Personally I would avoid wearing a khaki shirt with the kilt simply because that is precisely what I did wear when I was in my regiment. I don’t want to be mistaken for a serving member!
But there is certainly no clash between khaki and tartan, especially Black Watch or one of the setts derived from it (my regiment wore Graham of Montrose).
Red works well with these colours – in the regiment we (the men) wore khaki hose tops with red flashes. The officers had Argyle hose to match their kilts.
One can overdo matchy matchy, but having a bit of a match is no crime either.
Regards,
Mike

[sadkingbilly]

Thanks for your answers again, all! I just recieved a message that my kilt is on it's way again. I'll just try some shirts and sweaters I already have before buying anything new. I do want a new belt (just a regular but wide one) for day wear, and perhaps a new, dark brown sporran. Or I might look for an old couch and use the leather to make my own. Does anyone know what size (machine) needle I would need? Normally leather used for couches and chairs is fairly thin compared to leather coats or boots, isn't it?

[brewerpaul]

Thanks for your answers again, all! I just recieved a message that my kilt is on it's way again. I'll just try some shirts and sweaters I already have before buying anything new. I do want a new belt (just a regular but wide one) for day wear, and perhaps a new, dark brown sporran. Or I might look for an old couch and use the leather to make my own. Does anyone know what size (machine) needle I would need? Normally leather used for couches and chairs is fairly thin compared to leather coats or boots, isn't it?

Others more experienced than me can correct here but I think you just need needles for leather. They are shaped different than regular needles so as to cut through the leather rather than punch. Im in the process of sewing up a sporran and bought needles for leather yet I dont remember any specific guage, or size. Look around at your used clothing, Goodwill or Salvation Army thrift stores for leather coats. They are a good weight of leather for soft Rob Roy type sporrans or you can back it with heavier leather to give it some form. I just bought a brown leather jacket from shopgoodwill.com for all of 5 dollars.

[Mike_Oettle]

For what it’s worth, Sadkingbilly, I have been attacked both by my own wife and by a Scottish (but non-kilted) colleague about my kilts being worn “too high”.
I wear the kilt the way I was taught in my regiment, and I doubt you will find a more authoritative source than that – it should not come down over the knee, and it is perfectly all right for it to be above the navel.
It was a relief for me to see pictures posted recently of 19th-century Highlander sergeants wearing their kilts considerably above the navel, the explanation being that this protected the kidneys.
There seems to be a major mismatch between fashion-inspired notions about how the kilt should be worn and how it is actually worn, and the problem seems to be that these notions are derived from the way women wear skirts – which are not the same animal at all.
I have no problem with trendy guys who want to wear kilts that fit them around the hips, not the waist, but they must not pretend that this is the traditional manner. Nor should they be surprised if the kilt slips down during a day’s wearing, because it has nothing to anchor itself on.
Go ahead: make your kilt to fit around the hips. You will quickly discover that you need a new kilt that fits higher, because it works better.
Regards,
Mike

PS: The city I live in, Port Elizabeth, lies on Algoa Bay. In Afrikaans, that is Algoabaai, usually abbreviated to die Baai. So our greeting is: Groete uit die Baai.

[sadkingbilly]

De groeten terug en thanks for your words. My kilt is on its way to me again so I'll have to see how it fits me this time. I have to say my wife now has an "oh whatever" attitude where it was "no way in hell" before. So who knows. But I'm not counting on her dressing any different for occasions from now on. Perhaps when she'll find a tartan she likes?

[Mike_Oettle]

My wife also has gone from being cool to warming slightly with regard to my kilts. I long to see become enthusiastic – although it was quite a surprise when she said I should save up for a proper Scottish kilt.
Groete uit die Baai,
Mike