Too Traditional?

[CMcG]

OK, it's my turn to post some pics for the people following this thread to comment on. I'll try to give some context about the event, location, crowd, and my own perspective. All constructive criticism is welcome, especially as it pertains to whether or not anyone has been too traditional, traditional enough, or needing to be more traditional. Hopefully this will give us a chance to talk about people wearing the kilt "in the wild," who aren't chiefs, nobles, or acting as officials, even if not all the people in the following pics are native Scots.

Burn's Supper in Hong Kong this year with the Hong Kong Highlanders and their associated Scottish Country Dance group. This was a black tie event and the majority of the attendees were Scottish expats or visitors. On the other hand, we should bear in mind that not everyone can bring their whole kilt wardrobe to HK... I didn't bring diced hose, which would have jazzed up my formal wear nicely.



Judging by what everyone else was wearing, I think the following outfit might have been a bit "too traditional" for the crowd, especially if I had added my buckle ghillie brogues:


Here is a picture from the event I mentioned in the OP, the Vice Chancellor's Dinner at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The dress code was semi-formal or national costume, but the organizers encouraged us exchange students to wear our ethnic or heritage attire.

After the lion dance I changed into my kilt and was probably a bit over dressed because a tweed jacket would have been more appropriate. Space in my suitcase was at a premium though, so I could only afford to bring one jacket and had to make do. The lighting in the photo is bit off but my shirt is light blue and my hose are navy. I'm also wearing a CUHK school tie. Most students who weren't in national or ethnic attire mostly just wore a shirt (maybe a tie) and pants though a couple might have put on a suit, while professors and diplomats wore suits or blazers and pants.

On my left is an ex-pat Scot professor (who told me he doesn't own a kilt) and on my right is the VC. There was another Scottish professor there as well, but he said he left his kilt in Aberdeen:



In cold weather, one needs to dress warmly: multiple layers, a hat with ear flaps (in the pic the flaps or folded up inside the hat), kilt johns, etc. Here's a pic of me about to walk out to the pub to meet fellow Canadian Xmarker, NewGuise in Edmonton. At one point during the walk, I had to fold my hose up over my knees, but apart from that, I was OK.


At the pub, the shirt I'm wearing is a heavy wool. This place is pretty casual and a jacket and tie would have been overdressed:


Here are a few from the Toronto Tartan Day pub night last year. Normally, I wouldn't wear a tartan vest with a tweed jacket, but it was Tartan Day, so I decided to take it up a level. Also, I tried to follow the "no more than two pieces of tartan clothing at time" guideline and didn't wear my tartan tie. The shirt is tattersall and the hose are navy, though you can't really tell from this picture. You'll also see my buddy and a few Ontartio Xmarkers in these pics. Note that our piper (Andrew) took off his Glengarry when he put down the pipes: