A gentleman should wear

[kilted redleg]

There's a great post today at the piping press website that may be of interest to the rabble {www.pipingpress.com}. Today's post centers on how competitors are not turning out for piping competitions in the proper highland garb. There is a picture of the late great John D. Burgess who is the immaculate standard that all in highland dress should emulate. He's doing a "Tobus" in tweed and like Tobus looks great in it. Perhaps the pros should read xmarks for dress advice.

[Baeau]

Can't wait for OC Richard to comment.

[Tobus]

He's doing a "Tobus" in tweed and like Tobus looks great in it.

I saw the photo to which you refer, but I must admit I don't get your meaning about "doing a Tobus in tweed". I'll take the compliment, though!

I don't play the pipes (don't have the lungs for it), but I do agree with the premise of the post. Piping competitions should be the one place that pipers dress the part. I think these days there is a culture of sloppy lackadaisical individualism, a sort of counter-culture that rejects the idea of being told how one should dress or behave, not just in the piping world but in all levels of society. The idea, if I understand it, is something along the lines of, "I'm not going to be a suck-up conformist just to win; I want to impress people by being who I want to be." This mindset is pervasive in our culture, with such popular slogans as "you be you" to support nonconformism.

The result is, of course, that all expectations of appropriate dress and manners are not only ignored - they are rejected outright as authoritarianism. This counter-culture views dressing nicely as an attempt at being ostentatious or snobby. It's the great leveling of social structure, where we should all reduce ourselves to the lowest common denominator so that we will feel equal.

There are some facets of old-world strict social expectations that do indeed deserve to die off. Dressing nicely in public, and especially when you are performing for an audience, is not one of them.

[FossilHunter]

Is this the article?

highland-dress-time-to-smarten-up-and-a-question-for-the-ladies

[kilted redleg]

Fossilhunter

Yes that's the post! Tobus - J.D. Burgess was the epitome of proper dress and deportment he also had a knack for "vintage"
Tweed. Glad you accepted the compliment it's well deserved.

[Tarheel]

A good article. I see the author's point for proper wear and connection to Scottish decorum during competition. I like that there was a mention and reason for changes in fashion without loosening standards for piper professionalism.

There wasn't an opinion on the introduction of pipes in modern music where clothes of the entertainers fit the mood and fashion sense of the crowd. But I agree that being slovenly attired loses appeal during a performance by some. I'd cheer louder for a rock group that offers a formally dressed piper as a member (indicating acceptance of the "old guard" to the new music genre).

[ShaunMaxwell]

I'd cheer louder for a rock group that offers a formally dressed piper as a member (indicating acceptance of the "old guard" to the new music genre).

You mean like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sUXMzkh-jI

[Allan Thomson]

A good article. I see the author's point for proper wear and connection to Scottish decorum during competition. I like that there was a mention and reason for changes in fashion without loosening standards for piper professionalism.

There wasn't an opinion on the introduction of pipes in modern music where clothes of the entertainers fit the mood and fashion sense of the crowd. But I agree that being slovenly attired loses appeal during a performance by some. I'd cheer louder for a rock group that offers a formally dressed piper as a member (indicating acceptance of the "old guard" to the new music genre).

From what I remember the piper in "You're the Voice" was in full attire, think there's a few other examples of properly dressed pipers but none come immediately to mind. Naturally the pipers performing in the BeeGees cover of Ellan Vannin too, but that was a guest appearance of the local pipe band so I'd expect that...

[Tarheel]

Shaun and Allen, that is exactly what I envisioned.

[Allan Thomson]

Just watched the Sabaton video of their song commemorating Bannockburn & the have pipers who are conventionally attired in it too...