Dress codes and changing trends

[OC Richard]

Molach, I believe ,means "furry".

Yes

molach adj rough, hairy

(Gaelic Dictionary by Malcolm MacLennan)

About the black Argyll, yes, the thing that strikes me when I look at The Highlanders Of Scotland and contemporary photos is the utter plainness of most of the jackets, often lacking one or more of the very things which define a 'kilt jacket' to us like special buttons, fancy cuffs, epaulettes, and perhaps Inverness skirts.

I finally got an old catalogue, Fraser Ross, which illustrates and describes the Dress Argyll. Note the white tie



Now, whenever I post a photo from an old catalogue somebody will say "but that's just an illustration in a catalogue. People didn't actually wear it." This is of course absurd, because the purpose of a catalogue is to sell things. Printing is expensive, catalogue space is valuable, and they're not going to take up space with items they don't sell a lot of. (It's like somebody in the future seeing our TV ads for cars and soap and medicines and thinking that none of these things were actually used.)

So for those doubters here are photos of the same thing, more or less



Now talk about your changing dress codes! Can you imagine somebody today showing up for an Evening function with all this weaponry? And us wringing our hands over sginean! Note his row of miniature medals, I wonder what for. Note that the jacket doesn't have metal buttons; they appear to be covered in matching cloth. Of great interest is the fact that he's moved his left hand during the long 1860s exposure time, blurring the plaid.