Short Sleeves

[MacInLaw]

I'm planning on wearing my beautiful, traditional, 8-yard kilt for the first time in the coming weeks at a few Highland games in the area.

Because I hope the weather will be nice, and I enjoy a bit of sun on the skin I'm hoping to wear a casual, short sleeve shirt and skip the tie, waistcoat, and jacket (all of which I like, just not for this occasion).

In most of the threads that discuss causal but traditional wear I see examples of button front shirts as opposed to polo style.

If I choose to wear a polo style shirt am I diverging too far from tradition so as to raise eyebrows when paired with the traditional kilt? I'm thinking more the classic cotton style polo as opposed to the tech-wear synthetic style seen on Golf courses and Tennis courts.

Any examples of polo shirt-wearing kilts would be appreciated.

[Steve Ashton]

In the 1 kilt - 10 looks thread both guys offer examples of short sleeved, polo shirt options.

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=46888

[Macman]

I do it often. It all depends on the weather and setting. Here is me at the Victoria Highland Games a few weekends ago.

[Manu]

I have yet to put such outfit together, but I do like the look, and I believe it could look like a dressed down traditional look. I wore collared button up shirt no tie my last two games, and I can tell you I'll be dress I n down to short sleeve collar shirt or polo next year for comfort reasons, it gets pretty hot and muggy down here in south florida.

[Tarheel]

I wore a short sleeved shirt a few weeks ago to an event that our member Roadkill sponsored in Tupelo Mississippi. Here is a photo of me, on the left, interviewing one of people benefiting from the charity. I was comfortable except for the shirt bunching up in front. Last year I wore a tie and vest to the same event.
I'm going for comfort most days except when I need to dress more formally for ceremony.

[OC Richard]

In most of the threads that discuss causal but traditional wear I see examples of button front shirts as opposed to polo style.

If I choose to wear a polo style shirt am I diverging too far from tradition...

You don't see polo shirts discussed in connexion with traditional kilt wear for the simple reason that they're a fairly recent invention, and don't come from the world of Highland Dress or traditional British country dress.

There's a lot of overlap between Highland Day Dress and British country dress and shooting attire: the tweed, the Tattersall shirts, the socks.

With the outfits worn for playing Polo, or Tennis, not so much.

The reason is obvious: traditional Highland Day Dress and traditional British country and shooting attire have both long been worn when tramping around in the country. You don't wear kilts playing tennis or polo, so there it is.

But heck this is America and guys wear any shirt they'd wear with jeans, with kilts: t-shirts, polo shirts, golf shirts, even Hawai'ian shirts. Is it in the Scottish Highland tradition? No. Is it done here? Of course it is, all the time.

Ditto hats, and shoes.

I do it sometimes. Here I am, in a t-shirt and baseball cap.



Nowadays I'll more likely dress like this. The hat and long sleeves give me the needed protection from the sun; the vest gives me four more pockets to carry things.



When I first saw the title of this thread I thought it was going to be about the Pipe Band thing of wearing short-sleeved shirts with waistcoats. It's a very common Pipe Band look, but many people hate it. It's not traditional of course, but you see it all the time.

[Taskr]

I wear short-sleeved shirts a lot in the summer. Most of my polo shirts have stripes or patterns, but would wear one if it didnt clash with the tartan.

[Tobus]

Short-sleeved shirts in general are not "traditional" in the Highlands because it seldom gets warm enough there to warrant such. Those of us in warmer climes have to make reasonable changes to our wardrobe.

When heat is a factor, my first preference is to wear a long-sleeved button-up shirt with sleeves rolled up two or three turns and open at the collar. After that, I'd wear a short-sleeved button-up shirt - again, open at the collar. Last choice would be a "polo" style shirt (I don't even like to wear these with trousers, as they're just not my favorite style). That said, if I do wear that style of pull-over shirt, I like the look of the type with double breast pockets. They sometimes have epaulets too, which I could take or leave. But the double pockets just seem like a better aesthetic with a kilt for some reason.

Here's a photo from about 6 years ago that includes some other details which I wouldn't do these days (shiny buckle, too much tail on my garter ties). Just focus on the shirt, eh?

[ShaunMaxwell]

I'm with Tobus on favoring the two-pocketed variety of short sleeve shirts for warm weather wear with a kilt, as in this photo taken a few years ago at the oh so muddy Grandfather Mountain games:



I tend to get them from Cabela's, and they just happen to be on sale now, if this is the type of thing you're looking for.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/cloth...lar/749218.uts

[Tobus]

I'm with Tobus on favoring the two-pocketed variety of short sleeve shirts for warm weather wear with a kilt, as in this photo taken a few years ago at the oh so muddy Grandfather Mountain games:

I'm glad you pointed out where you get those shirts, Shaun. I had been meaning to ask you, but I always forget. Remind me: does it have the rear vent placket with mesh underneath, like the popular fishing shirts? I seem to recall that it does, but their website didn't specifically mention it except to call it a "double-layer yoke back". Also, does the material on that shirt seem thicker and more substantial than the fishing shirts? Yours always looks neat and crisp compared to fishing shirts which always look wrinkled and crumpled.

I have a couple of those fishing shirts that I use when working outdoors, and the vents are nice when the breeze blows. One thing I'm not fond of with them, though, is the material. They are always a high blend of poly-something. And while I can appreciate that the fabric is thin, it just never seems to breathe very well on me. When I sweat, that material sticks to my skin and seems to trap the moisture in. Does your safari shirt seem to breathe well?

The breathability factor is why I've started favoring linen shirts in the heat. They have a more open weave that allows air to move through. And while the material is thicker and heavier than the light nylon/whatever that fishing shirts tend to use, linen just seems to dry faster and provide some evaporation cooling. But I'm always on the hunt for a better hot weather shirt. We get plenty of heat! The only downside with linen is that it wrinkles badly and always looks a bit disheveled.

My "go-to" linen shirt for kilt-wearing is this green one below. Ironically, Shaun is wearing that same khaki shirt in this photo as we were leaving the Kerr County Celtic Festival a couple of years ago.