My mother is a MacFarlane, and I have to agree with you that the MacFarlane tartan would make a dashing formal kilt. And I have to also agree that the oranges of the Ancient MacFarlane don't really do the tartan justice.

I'd recommend that if you are going to spend the money to get an eight-yard traditional kilt made in MacFarlane, you get your hands on swatches from some of the mills that make it. There can be quite a variance in colors, and from what I see on my monitor, some are attractive and some are not. That doesn't mean much, except that there are enough differences in the tartan from different mills to seriously affect the way the kilt will look.