Well, I"m FINALLY getting the opportunity to respond! I had actually started a response yesterday (27 May) morning, but then we had some figurative fires at work that took the rest of the day and I never got to post it.

Quote Originally Posted by davidlpope View Post
I guess the real question is whether you want to do this "correctly"[i.e. dress like a shopkeeper in London (or even a town in the Highlands) dressed at the time Charles Dickens was writing] or whether you want to wear a kilt. From the what I can glean on this subject, the two seem mutually exclusive.

Cordially,

David
I would say, sir, that you have neatly summed things up. This festival is only one of many that we attend as merchants every year, and is the only one that is Victorian-themed. My wife is reluctant to pour a lot of money (or even a medium-amount of money) outfitting ourselves with complete sets of correct clothing for a single two-day event that happens once a year. Most of our other "working clothes" are usable across a wider number of events (Renaissance festivals and Celtic music festivals/Highland games). I already happen to have an 1830's shawl collar vest in brown wool from Jas. Townsend and Sons, though I'm not entirely pleased with the way the collar lays when it's all buttoned up.

If I decide I need to be "correct", I may modify some existing clothing and maybe make a new waistcoat in brushed twill or canvas. That way the only "big" item I would need would be a coat, and I have several friends who are talented costumers who could certainly help me with that. Otherwise, I could be "somewhat-less-than-correct" and wear one of the wool kilts I'm planning on making (maybe in a tweed), then add to it a waistcoat and outer coat.

As you surmised, I was unlearned one way or the other as to the commonality of the kilt in Scotland during the Victorian Era, which is why I naturally asked on a kilt forum; if I could reasonably get away with wearing one, then I wanted to know what I should be wearing. I am not surprised to learn that the kilt was not at all common among the urbanites.

After reading everyone's opinion and thinking hard about this, what I may do is go ahead and be kilted anyway, in spite of the glaring error in period correctness. As was pointed out, this is not precisely a historical re-enactment event - I've seen a few of the merchants out there wearing their renfair garb - and it would be easier to use a kilt at other shows that we do. One thing I need to keep in mind is the weather - last year was bitterly cold. (In fact, the "period-esque" clothing we did wear last year was mostly covered up by a canvas Carhart chore coat on me and a dark blue peacoat on my wife. Nobody batted an eye.)

I'm looking at the paintings by MacLeay more for stylistic ideas than to copy verbatim. Simple band-collared white shirt with appropriate neckwear, waistcoat with matching (short) jacket, a hat of some kind, and sporran. Somebody mentioned going the Steampunk route, and, honestly, I had considered that. Those costumer friends of mine also do the Steampunk-thing, and I'm sure they would be delighted to help me. Though, really, a pair of goggles and some extra brass bits and gears added to the outfit somewhere would probably be sufficient for that! Plus it would give me something to wear if we decide to do any sci-fi or Steampunk conventions.

I'll be sure to post photos of the end result, whatever it might be.
~Ken