Help Needed

[OC Richard]

I think it's a fantastic idea, the imagining of an alternate history of Highland Dress, as if the small kilt had never been invented.

Would the Great Kilt have undergone some other sort of evolution? A reduction in yardage, a change in fashion as to how it is worn? What changes would it have meant to the evolution of Scottish military dress? What would Utilikilts look like?

However this is all an imagined history, and not to be confused with the actual one. I don't have any trouble compartmentalizing the two concepts, and enjoying each for what it is.

[Father Bill]

*snip* However this is all an imagined history, and not to be confused with the actual one. I don't have any trouble compartmentalizing the two concepts, and enjoying each for what it is.

Absolutely right! What I think may be missed here is that the great kilt did indeed evolve, has been tracked, and is being worn today. It's called the small kilt, and it's the basis of this forum and all modern kilt-wearing.

In any evolution, there are many, many evolved offspring. Most of them die a natural death. The survivors go on to evolve again. In this case, the survivor is the philibeg / small kilt / walking kilt. Will it evolve again? Of course! It continues to do so. It's a living thing! Is it likely to revert to an earlier form? Nothing I can think of that evolves ever has.

Thus, an interesting concept to imagine what might have evolved, but I honestly think the answer to the question is hanging from your hips.

[Profane James]

I don't know the distinction between black tie and white tie LoL!
Pardon the hillbilly!

[Father Bill]

I don't know the distinction between black tie and white tie LoL!
Pardon the hillbilly!

No need to apologize. In typical simplified North American terms, "Black tie" = tuxedo. "White Tie" = top hat and tails.

[Profane James]

Understood...noted

[MacLowlife]

Seeing this thread reminded me of that staple of fin de 20eme siecle college life- the toga party.

There are three things to look for at any good toga party.
1) lip service to accuracy
2) creative adaptation
3) interesting and unintentional sidelines

All of these are usually filtered through the mechanism of fairly limited resources.

Never mind that a Great Kilt sort of resembles a toga. Just think about the way those three things are going to show up amongst GK wearers. People will try hard to do it right, but they will generally make some adjustment for some modern aspect they have to live with. And along the way, there will be plenty of inadvertant twists. And all of this gets shaped by the fact that none of us grew up strapping on the GK every day, or even watching the Old Man strap on the GK every day.

One thing this will mean is that the GK, like the toga, will be pushed and pulled into places the original wearers would never go, even if they had the chance- hence baseball caps, tennis shoes, smart phone pockets, safety pins and elastic, not to mention drawstrings and Velcro(R).

To quote that great toga partier in the sky,
Let the Wild Rumpus Begin

[Sir Didymous]

I think it's a fantastic idea, the imagining of an alternate history of Highland Dress, as if the small kilt had never been invented.

With due respect, though this is an interesting concept, it isn't quite what I'm going for. As Father Bill said, we know how the evolution occurred and we have the end result. It may be in part due to a limited imagination, but I can't think of any reason that the evolution would have went another way. But, none of this is what I'm going for.

One could argue that what I've been doing with my personal style has been an attempt to revive a dead article of clothing. Or at least being eccentric. Other than a drawstring, which may or may not be historical depending on who you ask, there will be no modern changes to the belted plaids used in the final thread. There will be modern articles worn with it, and modern conventions observed (such as kilt pins), but no attempt at modernizing of the kilt itself will be made. The only elastic, Velcro(R), or any other such things present will be in the form of the items worn with the great kilt.

As interesting an idea as the "great utili-kilt" may be, that's a topic for a different thread. One that I would love to see and post to.

Regards

[Sir Didymous]

Day one of the pictures is done. It's been a challenge juggling my schedule and the weather. Only four more "looks" to go.