The ideal time for the black argyll

[Liam]

A very well composed post, Nathan. I think you framed the choice of attire and the challenge of selecting appropriate articles of clothing in North America quite well.

Nathan... The one wedding "attire" that you failed to mention is one that is fairly popular in Western Canada - the "Cowboy" wedding.


Since I am not a cowboy, I'll continue to wear my kilt as a guest even to the "western" wedding. At my oldest son's wedding a number of years ago, one of the bride's brothers combined a cowboy hat and boots along with his rented kilt at the reception. Not a look that did much for me.

Cheers....Bill

[Phil]

Since I am not a cowboy, I'll continue to wear my kilt as a guest even to the "western" wedding. At my oldest son's wedding a number of years ago, one of the bride's brothers combined a cowboy hat and boots along with his rented kilt at the reception. Not a look that did much for me.
Cheers....Bill

What posts like this perhaps don't really address is the Western attitude towards dress codes. Men are men and Women wear skirts (kilts). In Scotland someone wearing a kilt is regarded as normal but this may not be the case in other cultures where the only people allowed to wear such garments are women and men doing so are immediately suspect. For this reason, and this reason alone, sticking to the accepted traditions of highland dress gives the people seeing the wearer the assurance that he is not a person to be regarded with suspicion simply because of the choice of clothing he wears. Hence the insistence upon "traditional highland dress". I mean if wild highlanders used to dress this way while pursuing manly things like fighting, murdering etc. then it must be OK.
Perhaps one day we will all become more relaxed about how people dress and less judgemental about those we consider unconventional. Just remember, what is conventional here in Scotland is pretty unconventional in Boston or Wisconsin.

[Nathan]

Nathan... The one wedding "attire" that you failed to mention is one that is fairly popular in Western Canada - the "Cowboy" wedding.


Since I am not a cowboy, I'll continue to wear my kilt as a guest even to the "western" wedding. At my oldest son's wedding a number of years ago, one of the bride's brothers combined a cowboy hat and boots along with his rented kilt at the reception. Not a look that did much for me.

Cheers....Bill

Fair point. I had never seen or heard of one of these before. Admittedly, I come from ceilidh country, not cowboy country...

Is it a real thing or a novelty idea like a Star Wars wedding? Pardon my ignorance.

[David Thorpe]

Phil brings up a good point. In the US there is some protection from ridicule afforded by strict adherence to TCHD. It provides a solid cultural context for one's attire. Other kilt wearers and MUGgles are rather more on their own.
Similar to the "cowboy wedding" attire illustrated above, there is a frequently-seen convention in Texas called the "Houston Tux", consisting of formal wear from the waist up with starched Wrangler jeans and western boots, and often with a fine felt Stetson or Resistol hat.

[TheOfficialBren]

Fair point. I had never seen or heard of one of these before. Admittedly, I come from ceilidh country, not cowboy country...

Is it a real thing or a novelty idea like a Star Wars wedding? Pardon my ignorance.

In short: yes. This is a thing. It occurs a lot here in my neck of the woods. When I lived in Los Angeles it was very rare and usually as a joke. I now live a hundred miles father North and can say that it is a pretty common mode of dress on such occasions. I don't dress like like that even when I am over at the ranch but to each their own.

[kilted scholar]

[

Nathan The same holds true for a funeral. Dark clothing is expected as a sign of mourning ... A funeral is not the time to create a teachable moment about the fashion conventions of Inverness, but rather it is a time to mourn the passing of a loved one respectfully or to give comfort to others.

Have I transgressed THCD conventions in this setting? I think not. They were never conceived for such a setting. And the reality is, if you're the only one in the room "doing it right", whether you like it or not, you're probably doing it wrong. Because my objective is to be a gracious guest at someone else's affair, while showing my pride as a Highland Gael.

Very well said!

[Deil the Yin]

Pardon my ingnorance here... but I caint figure out the "c" in THCD, Traditional Highland C? Dress?

[Downunder Kilt]

C = Civilian

[TheOfficialBren]

Never mind. Mike beat me to it.

[Downunder Kilt]

Snap OB