The Rules and Exceptions Thereunto.

[bubba]

I gotta say something here. Rules are for show. You can't possibly believe the highlanders originally wore kilts according to rules. It was a functional garment for daily wear. It was the English that created rules for it. I wear my kilts in the same spirit the old highlanders did, to protect the body from the elements and in modern terms to avoid arrest for indecent exposure. I'm old. I don't have to care about rules. ;)

[prattw]

And conventions vary from place to place. Personally I prefer to match my hose to a color in my tartan, which means Lovat Green or Lovat blue with my dress-up kilt in Grant Ancient, bottle green or navy blue with my cheaper kilts in Grant Hunting (aka Blackwatch) for knocking about at the games in a temperature of 105F or so. Or I may go with gray or oatmeal.

HOWEVER, for an occasion formal enough to wear my PC and fly plaid, I wear off-white hose, because locally that's the custom and explaining why I'm wearing "casual" hose in a formal situation gets old in a hurry. Elsewhere I generally ask around, since off-white may be seen as gauche. (Given a choice, I think that black hose look great with a formal outfit.)

Another example, clan badge t-shirts with kilt have become virtually traditional for games and such in the US. This might be related to our much higher summer temps. I undertand that this would not be acceptable at games in Scotland. (Of course, given Scottish summer temps, I'd probably be wearing a t-shirt _under_ my longsleeved shirt, and keeping the waistcoat under my tweed jacket fully buttoned, anyway.)

Will Pratt

[Court]

All of this talk about "the rules" reminds me of when I was a boy and my American mother would be intructing me as to cut my food with fork in the left hand then switch the fork to the right to eat. When I protested that my Father didn't switch hands and held the fork "upside down", he replied with a wink, "You have to learn the rules before you are allowed to break them...".

I am still learning... and still breaking ;)
Court

[bjcustard]

If I needed rules, I'd wear pants... ;)

[Kilts_Knave]

I think the rules had changed and most people had made up their own rules based on their comfort level and fashion sense.

"Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months." Oscar Wilde

[Prester John]

One of my favorite quotes, from my boys, is

"Rules are for squares....like pants!"

True story, and we don't even have our kilts yet.

[Archangel]

Great Scotch, no rules.

wherever you go there, there you are. If it's to be formal, be formal. If it's semi, go semi, if it's informal, relax. It's not that complicated.

If you're worried about the "rules", get the Geoffrey(tailor) brochure and go by that. Rules are what separates "sport" from "game" and "play". I'm not into dressing competitions, larking about is more my way.

[Kilted Stuart]

Love the last few replies.
It shows that some are sticklers for old traditions and some are in it for fun.
My wife wore a Gordon mini hiphugger kilt on Sat to the Fergus games and to see Empty Flask at night. I didn't see one traditionalist male complain.

[Prester John]

I'm just in it for the fun, old rules. haha

[Riverkilt]

Sadly, many "rules" evolve from childhood...NEEDING to know what's right so maybe, just maybe we won't get hit, beat, yelled at, whatever for being wrong.

'tis anxiety that drives perfectionism and rules...

Most of the Ren Faires and games I've been to would drive a kilt rules embracer to a befuddled meltdown.

I do appreciate suggestions and knowing the old ways....but I'd rather wallow in the anarchy of kilts with tank tops and sandals, contemporary kilts, and (gasp) Norwegian sporrans

After just getting and reading a copy of Men in Skirts I'm amazed that there are any rules left for MUGs other than shattered pieces laying about.

Ron