Freedom in Tradition

[davidlpope]

For someone who already know the rules and has internalized them through experience, where does one find freedom within THCD?

I don't presume to put myself in this category, but it is a subject to which I've given some thought.

There are many threads here on Xmarks discussing the 'rules' of THCD; rules can be especially valuable in guiding a beginner through potentially very foreign sartorial territory. In my opinion, finding freedom within rules is where creativity lives...

How does one express oneself as an individual within tradition?

The enemy of creativity is not rules, the enemy of creativity is a willingness to buy the cheaply made and shoddy products that the Highland dress market is currently flooded with.

There is plenty of room for creativity and individuality. Creativity and individuality "live", though, in the small things that often get overlooked by new kilt-wearers. Almost every aspect of highland dress can be individualized.

For example, how many folks do you know who, having bought a kilt, buy a black Argyll jacket with chrome-colored buttons to wear with? I know many. Now, there is a time and place for the black Argyll with chrome-colored buttons. How much better, though, to purchase a well-made kilt jacket in a nice patterned tweed which will be one of a kind? That's creative and individual!

Consider kilt hose. How many folks buy a kilt and then make the "tartan sandwich", as Brooke has described it (white shirt, tartan kilt, white hose)? I know many. How much better to purchase a nice pair of hose in an interesting color? The salmon/pink hose that HG the Duke of Argyll wears may not be to your liking, but there's much room to be individual and creative: consider all the colors, patterned tops, handknit patterns, etc. available. For evening wear why settle for plain hose when there are Argyll and Diced hose available?

Likewise, instead of buying one of the solid color neckties sold by the tartan mills in order to purposely match the colors in your tartan, why not choose a nice repp stripe, club, or foulard tie? The same goes for shirts- why not country checks, bengal stripes, blues and pinks, instead of plain old white?

Or perhaps sporrans? Instead of the standard rabbit fur, chrome cantle "dress sporran" why not a traditional hair sporran or an animal mask? For daywear, why not a unique design in rich brown leather instead of the cheap black pasteboard variety that is often worn?

In all these things there is plenty of room to be creative and show individual tastes while maintaining a very traditional appearance.

Cordially,

David

[MacLowlife]

I'd like to add my faint echo of what has been said above. First, we may as well keep thinking of rules, even if they are mostly suggestions. Next, I believe the details are the thing:

Cut and color and texture do not have to be the same every time. Combination of patterns, individual twists like cufflinks and buttons ( I am getting a good covet on all over again for those salmon buttons) and overall confidence all work together to make this "free dress" individual and personal.

Finally, I suspect the answer is never going to be at the Rental Shops.

Here is a picture of two "gentlemen" in Highland dress. The one on the right is wearing a PC converted from a tailcoat in a great vintage doeskin. Note the pocket and pocket square. He is wearing a saxon formal vest in a jacquard silk. His tie is the stripe of the organization whose function he is attending. Next to him, a person of dubious character is wearing a made to measure red coatee. I have it on good authority that he wore his shirt to work all day. And yes, he is wearing a tartan bow tie. Both are wearing Stewart tartan kilts, one in Ancient hunting colo(u)rs and one in the Royal Stewart. Love it or hate it, it is pretty much Traditional Highland Dress as practiced in these parts:

http://picasaweb.google.com/MacLowlife/20101130#

[creagdhubh]

I don't presume to put myself in this category, but it is a subject to which I've given some thought.





The enemy of creativity is not rules, the enemy of creativity is a willingness to buy the cheaply made and shoddy products that the Highland dress market is currently flooded with.

There is plenty of room for creativity and individuality. Creativity and individuality "live", though, in the small things that often get overlooked by new kilt-wearers. Almost every aspect of highland dress can be individualized.

For example, how many folks do you know who, having bought a kilt, buy a black Argyll jacket with chrome-colored buttons to wear with? I know many. Now, there is a time and place for the black Argyll with chrome-colored buttons. How much better, though, to purchase a well-made kilt jacket in a nice patterned tweed which will be one of a kind? That's creative and individual!

Consider kilt hose. How many folks buy a kilt and then make the "tartan sandwich", as Brooke has described it (white shirt, tartan kilt, white hose)? I know many. How much better to purchase a nice pair of hose in an interesting color? The salmon/pink hose that HG the Duke of Argyll wears may not be to your liking, but there's much room to be individual and creative: consider all the colors, patterned tops, handknit patterns, etc. available. For evening wear why settle for plain hose when there are Argyll and Diced hose available?

Likewise, instead of buying one of the solid color neckties sold by the tartan mills in order to purposely match the colors in your tartan, why not choose a nice repp stripe, club, or foulard tie? The same goes for shirts- why not country checks, bengal stripes, blues and pinks, instead of plain old white?

Or perhaps sporrans? Instead of the standard rabbit fur, chrome cantle "dress sporran" why not a traditional hair sporran or an animal mask? For daywear, why not a unique design in rich brown leather instead of the cheap black pasteboard variety that is often worn?

In all these things there is plenty of room to be creative and show individual tastes while maintaining a very traditional appearance.

Cordially,

David

Hear hear David, I completely agree with you!!!

[creagdhubh]

I have enjoyed this topic immensely and agree with all of you - I especially liked Sandy's, Scott's, and David's comments. I feel fortunate to share your sentiments and approach to being traditional and creative with Highland attire. Well said gents, well said.

Yours aye,

[MacLowlife]

But here is an analogy...

We are dealing with something we might term Dinna Ken wha' or as our friend Robert calls it Je ne Sais Quoi....

That is to say, there ARE obvious things one can change to make one's dress individual, but the better part is in subtlety and style. Sure, you can wear a red doublet or a tartan waistcoat where others wear black, but the style that distinguishes need not be obvious.

Consider a room full of guys in navy blazers and khaki pants, or maybe navy blazers and grey flannels. If they are actually the exact same trousers and jackets, they may look very much alike, but if they are wearing the same COLOR jackets and trousers, the variation will be apparent, even if you can't quite put your finger on it- hence Dinna Ken. And what is so hard to put one's finger on is good tailoring, careful fitting, distinctive fabrics and the patina of age and quality. Look for the man who looks better than everybody else, even if he is dressed "the same" as everybody else.

For some people, tailoring accentuates the physique. For others, it is camouflage. In either case, it takes into account the shape of the wearer, not just the shape of a pattern in a factory. It is always worth what it costs.

Similarly, many of us can't afford to buy brand new, even off the rack brand new. A virtue of the necessity of cobbling together is the style that emerges from the process of tinkering and modifying and altering. I'd like to think that comes from paying attention, instead of just paying a lot of money.

It certainly comes from the good advice and kind example of many people in this thread. Thanks.

[Whidbey78]

But here is an analogy...

We are dealing with something we might term Dinna Ken wha' or as our friend Robert calls it Je ne Sais Quoi....

Similarly, many of us can't afford to buy brand new, even off the rack brand new. A virtue of the necessity of cobbling together is the style that emerges from the process of tinkering and modifying and altering. I'd like to think that comes from paying attention, instead of just paying a lot of money.

That's a very good point. The pics posted earlier illustrate it very well. The "PC" in the photo was fashioned from a used tailcoat. At a glance it looks like another PC but something is different, though it isn't immediately apparent. If the workmanship is good it is a one-of-a-kind peice that is unique in an understated way.

I wish I had known what I know now when we had our wedding. I wore my kilt, but skipped the PC and went with an Argyle (a rental no less)in black with white shirt and black tie. It's the exact same one we see in every rental shop, almost every company website, etc. The whole kit looked good, but didn't look "like me." If I had it to do over I would have picked up a tux jacket or tailcoat and went to work on it adding all those details I've come to love.

One thing that I also have noticed is that it's easy to spot the guys who are truly comfortable in a kilt--comfortable enough to "do their own thing". It took me wearing it frequently for months, as everyday clothing, before my own style started to show. In my case I had to get comfortable enough to see it as "just another article of clothing" before I could shake the idea that it has to be worn this way or that. Now I find myself mixing black and brown leathers(if HRH Prince Charles can do it, why can't I), wearing flashes or ties that aren't of a color in the tartan, wearing a grey jacket with the blue waistcoat I just got. My wife says I'm starting to look like I dress in the dark...after seeing a lot of pics, many being of royalty and aristocracy in Scotland(no offense intended), I take it as a compliment because that's what I though of them at first! I know better now--thanks in large part to the folks on this forum.

That could be one of the things leading some to see the guidlines as chisled in stone rules. Those who only wear a kilt for special occasions often have one or two "outfits" that fit withing the confines of what is often preached as "proper" and haven't spent enough time between the apron and pleats to be comfortable breaking out of the mold. Others seem to see it as a sacred thing and hence it must be done in an almost ritualistic way. That is how they are comfortable doing it, and that's perfectly fine. I'm not a kilt-kop. I noticed a long time ago that even in a wall of black suits the guy who wears a unique tie and shirt stands out--not because it's flashy or bright, but because he looks (and is) comfortable enough to let his persona show through.

[macwilkin]

That could be one of the things leading some to see the guidlines as chisled in stone rules. Those who only wear a kilt for special occasions often have one or two "outfits" that fit withing the confines of what is often preached as "proper" and haven't spent enough time between the apron and pleats to be comfortable breaking out of the mold. Others seem to see it as a sacred thing and hence it must be done in an almost ritualistic way. That is how they are comfortable doing it, and that's perfectly fine. I'm not a kilt-kop. I noticed a long time ago that even in a wall of black suits the guy who wears a unique tie and shirt stands out--not because it's flashy or bright, but because he looks (and is) comfortable enough to let his persona show through.

Ah, the old stereotype...those who only wear their kilts for "special occasions" are somehow not the kilties that the "full-timers" are.

I've been wearing a kilt since I was 18. Just because I choose not to wear my Highland attire on a daily basis does not mean that I haven't spent enough time between apron and pleats to break the mold.

If anything, I think those of us here who do not make a "cause" of kilts, save that of promoting tradition and heritage, are breaking the mold. I don't begrudge any FT-kiltie, but one doesn't have to make a daily thing of it to be a kiltie.

Enough with the stereotyping...horses for courses and all that.

T.

[fluter]

Ah, the old stereotype...those who only wear their kilts for "special occasions" ...

Ah, but first, he said:

... it's easy to spot the guys who are truly comfortable in a kilt--comfortable enough to "do their own thing".

Somehow, Todd, I think we'll "spot" you among them. Otherwise, we are in agreement about stereotypes.

[CMcG]

<snip>
We are dealing with something we might term Dinna Ken wha' or as our friend Robert calls it Je ne Sais Quoi....

That is to say, there ARE obvious things one can change to make one's dress individual, but the better part is in subtlety and style. Sure, you can wear a red doublet or a tartan waistcoat where others wear black, but the style that distinguishes need not be obvious....

...And what is so hard to put one's finger on is good tailoring, careful fitting, distinctive fabrics and the patina of age and quality. Look for the man who looks better than everybody else, even if he is dressed "the same" as everybody else.

While I agree that the subtle nuances of good tailoring and confidence are always important, I'm thinking of freedom more in terms of exploring the limits of tradition. Rather than looking the same but doing it better, how much room is there to look different?

Can we try to explore some examples? As always, pictures are most welcome

Let's imagine one has something like a really unique, "loud," or interesting sporran. Would it be better to build an equally idiosyncratic outfit around it or play it more conservative to let the sporran shine?

What about perspective? Is it possible to build an outfit that at a distance would have a standard sort of appearance but up close would reveal a wealth of individualized details? Would it be enough to make one look the same as a rented outfit in a line up but deeply different standing face-to-face and comparing the rental vs. individualist?

How far can one go? Is there anyone who is recognized as being a maverick of Highland attire, while also remaining traditional?

<snip>
Similarly, many of us can't afford to buy brand new, even off the rack brand new. A virtue of the necessity of cobbling together is the style that emerges from the process of tinkering and modifying and altering. I'd like to think that comes from paying attention, instead of just paying a lot of money.

That remark resembles me!

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

While I agree that the subtle nuances of good tailoring and confidence are always important, I'm thinking of freedom more in terms of exploring the limits of tradition. Rather than looking the same but doing it better, how much room is there to look different?

The danger of looking too different is that in doing so one can easily (and inadvertently) step over the line into parody.

Let's imagine one has something like a really unique, "loud," or interesting sporran. Would it be better to build an equally idiosyncratic outfit around it or play it more conservative to let the sporran shine?

The essence of being well dressed is that no single item of one's attire should "stand out" from the rest of the outfit. That being the case, one should have probably avoided buying the "loud or interesting" sporran in the first place. But suppose it is a family heirloom, a sporran made from the mane of a lion shot by Uncle Bulgaria whilst on safari in 1929, the cantle set with goose-egg sized moonstones? Well, in that instance one relegates the sporran to evening dress only and dresses as conservatively as possible (although a red waistcoat may help to divert some of the attention away from "Leo the Sporran"). And if asked about the sporran (and one will be asked) be prepared to have a damn good story to go with it!

What about perspective? Is it possible to build an outfit that at a distance would have a standard sort of appearance but up close would reveal a wealth of individualized details?

Of course. It's the details-- custom buttons, velvet trim to the collar, grosgrain silk lapels can all add individuality to ones attire. The key word is subtlety, which is the hallmark of being well dressed.

Would it be enough to make one look the same as a rented outfit in a line up but deeply different standing face-to-face and comparing the rental vs. individualist?

Certainly. It's the details that make the difference.

How far can one go? Is there anyone who is recognized as being a maverick of Highland attire, while also remaining traditional?

Well, "maverick" may not be quite the word, but both David Pope and Sandford MacLean dress with individual style (indeed, one could say with a great deal of flair) without transgressing the boundaries of traditional Highland attire. And with a little forethought, anyone can do the same.