Sartorial Bliss Points

[GRKilt]

The idea of sartorial bliss from the "Overdoing It" thread got me to thinking about the idea of bliss points from the food industry. The idea is that there is an optimal level of, say, sugar in Coke that will satisfy the consumer so that more would be too much. As I understand it, everyone has their own bliss point, which is why there are so many different sugary cereals out there: they target different tastes.

I wanted to explore that idea based on my 6 months of wearing kilts. I have tried several different looks, with different levels of satisfaction.

I started out with with the UT Kilts deluxe model. Since that was July, I just wore it in place of shorts for everything from cleaning the basement to playing with the dog.



I liked this look for a summer and utility purpose, but wanted to try out something a bit more traditional looking. So, I got a Sportkilt and started to try out a more formal look, with a button down shirt and a converted tweed jacket. I quickly decided that the Sportkilt was too light weight to use for anything other than a very casual look:



Then I moved on to a USA Kilts semi-traditional in the Murphy tartan, which paired nicely with the tweed jacket. For Christmas, my wife surprised me with a semi-traditional in the Scruffy Wallace tartan.

I wore the tweed jacket and waistcoat for several events during the holidays and decided the look was way over the top. So, I followed Jock Scott's advice and switched to a wool sweater. This hit the right mark, as it matches the level of formality I tend to see.



Based on my short experience, I can say it takes a lot of effort to find the bliss point. It seems at times like a moving target.I recognized I had a couple of preferences. I like boots. I do not like flashes, and will frequently scrunch down my hose. I will wear a sporran if I am going out, but not casually at home. I prefer button down collars, and will wear a flat cap. But, I am not going for the "THCD" look. The kilt is way out of the ordinary here, so I tone down some elements and try to mirror what other people are wearing.

The last three pictures get close to what I want to achieve (other than the blur). When I hit this point, my choices started to push back into my ordinary day wear, and I am wearing more sweaters and ties at work. That tells me I am hitting the right point.