What is Traditional Highland Dress?

[wildrover]

So why put the cutoff at the 80s? Were the 80s really so bad, that even kilts were affected?

HRH's style looks "traditional" to my eye, but with changes that reflect the constant evolution of style. If you look through the entire thread (like we're stalking the poor guy ) dedicated to his manner of kilted dress, you'll see that the changes over the years are very subtle, but just looking around the vendor selection, I'd say that his attire is on the leading edge of classic style.

-Sean

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

So why put the cutoff at the 80s? Were the 80s really so bad, that even kilts were affected?

Sean, I think the 80's were chosen because that's when the rent-a-kilt business really took off, with stores like Pro-Nuptia and Moss Bros. (both in the UK) cashing in on the kilted wedding business with the "cookie cutter" look, which soon became ubiquitous. This also coincides with the publication, in 1979, of "So You're Going To Wear The Kilt" which did as much (in the opinion of many traditionalists) to dumb down Highland attire as it did to promote the wearing of the same.

As with any "time line" the demarcation is always going to be somewhat arbitrary, but in this instance 1980 is probably as good a choice as any.

[OC Richard]

I think the 80's were chosen because that's when the rent-a-kilt business really took off... the kilted wedding business with the "cookie cutter" look, which soon became ubiquitous.

This also coincides with the publication, in 1979, of "So You're Going To Wear The Kilt" which did as much (in the opinion of many traditionalists) to dumb down Highland attire as it did to promote the wearing of the same.

Interesting food for thought there.

In the civilian Pipe Band world, change began in the 1970's, as far as I can determine.

As late as the 1960's bands were either wearing a civilian version of military Full Dress, or (stay with me here) one of the traditional modes of civilian Highland Dress: Day Dress or Evening Dress. Pipe band members in Evening Dress or Day Dress were, to all intents and purposes, indistinguishable from non-piping civilians in Highland Dress.

As far as I can see, in the 1970's pipe band dress began diverging from ordinary Highland Dress, first with the fad of wearing Prince Charlies with long neckties etc:



By the mid-1980's a new pipe band dress swept over the world, the black Argyll jacket/black Glengarry/white hose/ghillies look. All colour save for the kilt was banished (most bands wearing even black flashes).

[creagdhubh]

Keen observations Richard and you are so right! Thanks for sharing the photos-that is an interesting 'doublet' that gent is wearing-appears to be double breasted? Unique look indeed.