Wearing another clans Tartan?

[McElmurry]

Valid questions.

I agree it is a valid question in philosophy but etiquette is more of a community standards issue like decency. You are never going to be 100 percent certain your actions won’t offend anybody. Some people are easier to offend than others and the same person might be easier to offend in the morning (before they have had their beverage of choice) than later in the day. Then there is the old what you inferred is not what I implied issue.

Most folks who start these threads are obviously considering limiting the potential for offense. If they want to significantly reduce the potential for offense they can follow the recommendations of Tobus. If they want to go to the next level and really get into the spirit of what it means to be a member of a clan and in so doing additionally limit the potential for offending someone they can follow Nathan’s recommendations.

I do not have a family history of kilt wearing. When I decided to wear a kilt I did a ridiculous amount of research and soul searching and ordered over a dozen swatches. My absolute favorite swatch at the time was MacDonald of Clanranald in HOE muted or better yet WoB colors. I ended up connecting McElmurry to Morrison and now wear Morrison Red. If I had decided to go with the MacDonald I suspect my kiltmaker (X. MacDonald) would have been gracious and said he would be pleased for me to wear MacDonald. What he would actually think about it I don’t know but I am glad I didn’t end up putting him in that position.

I am comfortable wearing one clan tartan. That is just the way I am wired and I would council like-minded individuals that they would likely find satisfaction doing the same. But I have been around long enough to recognize we are all not wired the same way and if someone else comes to a different conclusion for themselves I am not going to expend anywhere near the energy required to roll one’s eyes over it. We are all on journeys and that individual may eventually work his way around to my way of thinking or (gasp) I might find myself drifting toward his way of thinking.

[Father Bill]

Lovely comparison between "doing things right" and "doing the right thing."

[Jock Scot]

Rocky.

I think we agree that what people choose to do in their tartan choice is an individual thing.

As you "tend to veer slightly off the path" over the quetion of mixing, wearing, assorted tartans with assorted non kilt attire-------shirts, underpants etc.--- when "someone" is very particular over their kilt tartan choice. You seemed to think that many were not being consistent with their choices and perhaps they are, but, all I was pointing out that in my experience the Scots are far more particular and consistent over this by rejecting tartans other than their own---even down to shirts and underpants. To be clear, its "their tartan" and nothing else will do. So perhaps now that you are aware of this, you may "veer" rather less!