Less Can Be More

[CMcG]

I don't know how I managed to miss this thread for so long. But I wholeheartedly agree that "less is more" can be wonderful fashion advice. I would much rather wear a few understated items of high quality than adorn myself with every possible accessory in fancy patterns and designs head to toe.

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I think there is a tendency to go too far with this sort of emblem motif. If you go into some kilt shops or browse the booths at a Highland Games you'd think that in order for any Highland Dress accessory to be considered truly authentic it must feature 1) your clan crest, 2) your clan tartan, 3) the Scottish flag, 4) a thistle, or 5) celtic knotwork.

Don't get me wrong, any one of these items might make a nice touch to your ensemble. But when worn all together it gets to be a bit overwhelming. By contrast, patterns such as stripes and checks can be subtle and textured and run less risk of making you look like an Edinburgh tat shop mannequin.

Good post, Matt. I think the problem with overusing emblems and motifs on accessories stems from trying to symbolize Scottish identity, rather than embodying it. The former involves grasping at signs with conventional meanings, while the latter takes Highland style as an index pointing to one's heritage and/or values in a more subtle way.

One of my points in this thread has been to maintain the Highland type of pattern/colour mixing as a tasteful approach filtered through one's own personal style. If one replaces all the emblems and motifs with the idea of "mismatching" or wilfully clashing colours and patterns, they have switched one set of symbols for another equally contrived one...

I've always admired Matt's approach to Highland attire and I think he does a good job of balancing his stripes and checks against tartan. I've also drooled over some of his high quality sporrans or fancy kilt hose, though they might be a bit much for my personal style.