To plaid or not to plaid.....thats the question??

[Geoff Withnell]

Do you know, I rather think many would be much better spending their hard earned loot on properly fitting kilt attire, by that I mean more of a tailored look, than chasing round after this that and the other accessory and then adding it to the often ill fitting basics. Those in the past who cut a dash in a superbly fitted dinner jackets, like Spencer Tracy, Fred Astaire, Humphrey Bogart, Richard Todd, Cary Grant and others had style even when wearing the same sort of attire as others. Their trick was to have well fitting outfits and it really is something that kilt wearers ought to bear in mind more often and it may work out less expensive in the long run. It does not always mean that one must visit the most expensive tailor, but it does require more than a certain amount of know how with what is actually required with basic kilt attire, as opposed to making do, and then the help of some skilled person with a needle and thread.

I think another part of the formal style of the men in the past was their comfort in their clothes. Look at pictures of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis - the Rat Pack. Their tuxedos always fit well, as Jock notes, but they also were completely at home in them. At a lot of kilted events, it is easy to see some men, even in well made, obviously expensive kit, haven't worn it enough to feel comfortable with it.