Classic kilt style - as seen at large this summer in Scotland

[Troglodyte]

I see the rigoot of the three in the photo as being a reflection of our times - but maintaining the standards set by these boys, a-la-mode 150 years ago.

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[AngloCelt]

I see the rigoot of the three in the photo as being a reflection of our times - but maintaining the standards set by these boys, a-la-mode 150 years ago.

DSCF7036.jpg DSCF7038.jpg

Very dapper indeed!

[OC Richard]

It gets back to how one defines "traditional/classic" style versus "historical" style.

The Highlanders of Scotland captures the dress of the 1860s, in the heart of the Victorian era.

The history of Highland Dress exhibits long periods of stability punctuated by short periods of rapid change.

One of those periods of rapid change was the first quarter of the 19th century, after which Highland Dress remained fairly stable until the dawn of the 20th century, at which time it underwent a near-total transformation.

This being the case, the dress which emerged around World War One, which is still with us today, the dress I consider to be "traditional Highland Dress", saw the falling from use of a number of things which were part of Victorian Highland Dress.

A great window into the attitudes concerning "proper" (i.e., fashionable) Highland Dress in the early 20th century is The Kilt: A Manual of Scottish National Dress by Loudon MacQueen Douglas R.R.S.E., F.S.A. Scot. published in 1914.

He uses the term "Morning Dress" to refer to what was variously called "Field Dress", "Outdoor Dress", or "Day Dress" the latter term being the one that won out as the 20th century progressed. It's what a gent would wear to a Highland Games, a daytime wedding, or any other event happening prior to evening.

He says this about that form of dress:

Morning dress is a very simple affair and consists of Balmoral cap, tweed jacket and vest (sic) with plain horn buttons. The jacket and vest should be made of the lapel pattern with plain epaulettes on the shoulders.

The kilt should be made of heavier material that than worn for evening dress, but that is a matter of choice.

The sporran should be either of plain leather, or badger, but in any case be of the small round pattern.

Stockings should be of ordinary hose material, and should not be of tartan.

Picking up on his stockings comments, from around 1900 through the 1950s writers consistently state that daytime hose should be "self-coloured to match tweed jacket and vest" (1936) "plain in a shade to tone with the jacket" (1938) "plain, of a colour to tone with the kilt; tartan stockings are not correct with day dress" (late 1950s).

Throughout this period and well into the 21st century Day hose are being offered in Lovat Blue, Lovat Green, and Fawn, three popular traditional colours for tweed Day jackets.

Interesting that patterned hose, considered a faux pas in Day Dress for over a century, have recently returned to favour.

[Troglodyte]

Interesting that patterned hose, considered a faux pas in Day Dress for over a century, have recently returned to favour.

I'm not sure faux pas is correct here, but I get fully what you mean.

There was a great back-lash in the early years of the 20th century against the strictures of dress that generally prevailed (particularly in Britain) during the Victorian era. And Highland dress seems to have where the simpler forms were actively encouraged.

Myself, I was advised as a budding kilter that diced and tartan hose were the only 'correct' forms with the kilt, but that plainer versions were optional, according to occasion or activity. But that was by my Victorian grandparents, so make of that what you will!

The young princes (whose style we still try to follow) were gretly criticised at the time for their dressing-down fashions, but the outfits of the Prince of Wales and Duke of York (later Edward VIII and George VI) are now thought the quintessential style - and not just their Highland dress.

If we see these things in equivalent modern terms, the universal wearing of jeans, t-shirts and hoodies is given no thought, but their sartorial status equivalents of tweeds and cords are now considered dressing-up - no longer the rural workwear of the common man that they once were.

Personally, I generally wear single day-wear coloured hose, but, having a good selection of diced and tartan hose also (some of them quite old and inheritted), I have no qualms about wearing them during the day if I fancy. Mass-produced plain hose are fine, but diced to match your kilt gives you a sense or moral (or is that morale) advantage.

It's all part of the game.