Ghillie boots?

[FossilHunter]

I had never heard of this fellow or his fashion line until reading this thread, so I don't want to assume anything about his knowledge or his background. However, just based on what I see, several things jump out at me.

Knowingly straying from the traditional is one thing, but I am at a loss to understand how a person who deals in fashion could possibly commit the faux pas of wearing a low-waist kilt with a jacket which is clearly meant for a high-waist kilt or high fish-tail trousers. The amount of white shirt showing there is garish, bordering on a sartorial obscenity (if I may be so bold). Even for a modern non-traditional look, if that were truly his intent, it just sort of assaults the senses. Do we really think he intentionally did that for artistic flair, or did he simply put components together without fully understanding the finer points of wearing these items? After all, being a fashion designer does not automatically equate to being an expert on evening dress or Highland dress. Again, without knowing much about the man, I'm genuinely asking. Is it possible he just made a rookie mistake with the jacket/kilt combination?

It does appear, however, that he didn't make his wardrobe choices completely uneducated. The glengarry worn at a jaunty angle with a feather in it, coupled with the choice of necktie and hair sporran, suggest that he took some inspiration from MacLeay's portraits of Highlanders in the 1800s. The sash and ghillie boots may have been an artistic fantasy addition of his own to create a personalised anachronistic retro-Highlander look with a pinch of Brigadoon for flavour.

The wearing of a feather in his cap, though, is treading on thin ice with respect to tradition and good taste. Either he was intentionally veering close to the edge there, or he simply didn't know better. I'd like to think it's the latter.

My first reaction to his ghillie boots was that they were indeed the Ren-faire type mentioned earlier in this thread. But upon closer inspection, they do seem to be more refined. Despite the fact that they are untraditional, and I don't care for the look much, I am curious where they came from. They must be custom.

*edited to add: As for Alan Cumming's outfit, I remember when that first happened and we discussed it here. I thought it was over-the-top at the time. Over the years, though, I've really come to appreciate the genius of it. If one is going to stray from the traditional and do it in style, that's how it's done!

From a quick google search, here is an example of Alexander McQueen's work:



I think it would be a safe assumption that even if he knew the ins and outs of highland fashion, he could easily not care and make decisions entirely with his artistic vision in mind. I mean we don't know what anyone is thinking just from a photo but his work is pretty extreme in some cases so knowing who he is now, I can't really judge his choices through a TCHD lens.

I think Alan Cumming's outfit works because it basically is traditional daywear. Or at least recent historical. Necktie, plain brown leather sporran. Even if tartan suits are uncommon, they are not unheard of and I personally like the ones in less flashy tartans (like McMurdo's wildcat tartan suit) and as I mentioned with the boots, while they may not be modern according to our resident Highlanders, they have a recent historical basis and plain black lend a conservative touch to the whole look. As Jock frequently points out, personal flair is an important aspect of Highland dress.