You know, speaking as someone who wears my kilt for comfort and for family heritage and as someone who has done a lot of study on this, the old highlanders kinda did like fluff. It was a status symbol to have more colourful tartan and shiny buttons etc.
Yes, they did like to be practical and were sensible people, but it doesn't mean they didn't like to dress up because lots of these new 'Traditional' parts of the outfit were invented.

Just my two pence.