My thoughts on THCD

[imbrius]

Let me first say that what you wear is entirely your own choice. However, I have are a few gentle suggestions to keep you more in line with traditional kilt attire guidelines if that is what you wish.

Thank you very much!

I think in general your take on traditional kilt attire is pretty good, however, I still think that you are still getting too wound up in this matching up of attire------leathers in particular---- and I think those dark coloured(apart from white) plain shirts need to go if you really want to be on the traditional road. Pale, very pale blue, for example, can work with THCD in some circumstances.

You've given me much greater confidence to wear my black brogues with my brown day sporran, especially for indoor events. I think I will stick with the brown Derbys for outdoor events, if only because they're a bit sturdier and have gripped soles. Perhaps someday I will get some sturdier black brogues and solve that problem.

Very pale blue sounds nice. I'll give it a try! My reasoning behind dark colours was that they have the effect of hiding my excess girth, but I'm not at all opposed to giving lighter colours another try.

Striped ties do seem a problem for some, particularly in North America, but they are absolutely acceptable, particularly if they have club, regimental, university, old school etc., connections. Particularly in those cases matching anything is not an issue.

Should I find a tie in my school's colours by happenstance (my school has no official tie as it was just the big, government-run university that doesn't go in for frills like ties or jackets), I will gladly wear it. My "club" would be Freemasonry, I guess, and Masonic ties are anything but subtle, generally plastered with large emblems (I'm omitting a rant about how it shouldn't be necessary to shout "I'M A MASON" to the world with one's tie).

Just something to be aware of, the kilt tweed jacket IS the kilt equivalent of a suit----------NOT as many think, particularly in North America, a sports jacket-------so anywhere you would wear a lounge/business suit then the tweed kilt jacket and accompanying attire will do nicely.

THIS is excellent advice! I did not know this and it is not intuitive to me. I was under the false impression that tweed jacket = sports jacket and barathea jacket = suit jacket. Now I know better!

Personally I think that many outwith the Highlands of Scotland who are wearing the kilt are standing out in the crowd anyway, so why not wear ALL the proper attire instead of going at it half-heartedly? I hope these observations will give a gentle nudge to your confidence to fully grasping THCD.

Absolutely! Thank you!