The Kilt: A Manual of Scottish National Dress 1914

[McMurdo]

This is an interesting read. I find the detail of the advice rather funny almost like he is describing a uniform.

[figheadair]

It reminds me of Scotty Thompson's later So You're Going To Wear The Kilt. Lots of 'shoulds' and like Glen says, almost a uniform manual rather than advice and guidance.

Given the penchant for them by some today, I found this amusing but the scarlet vest is "more worn by men-servants than by others".

Richard, no mention of wearing a sgian dubh, or did you not include it?

[OC Richard]

Sorry, yes, I didn't include everything.

Under Evening Dress he also states

The Skean Dhu (sic) is a small dagger which should be placed under the garter of the right leg, being worn on the outside.

He has a third category of dress, Scottish National Dress for Levees.

The following are the directions issued by the Lord Chamberlain's Office, St James Palace, London for the Scottish National Dress for Levees.
Black silk velvet full dress Doublet. Silk lined.
Set of silver Celtic or crest buttons for Doublet.
Superfine tartan full dress kilt.
Short trews.
Full dress tartan stockings.
Full dress long shoulder plaid. (What we call a "pipers plaid" today.)
Full dress white hair sporran. Silver mounted, and tassels.
Patent leather and silver chain strap for sporran.
Full dress silver-mounted dirk with knife and fork.
Full dress silver-mounted skean dhu.
Patent leather shoulder-belt, silver-mounted.
Patent leather waist-belt, silver clasp.
Silver-mounted shoulder brooch.
Silver kilt pin.
Lace Jabot.
One pair of buckles for instep of shoes.
Once pair of small ankle buckles for shoes.
Full dress brogues.
Highland claymore.
Glengarry or Balmoral, crest or ornament.

[figheadair]

Sorry, yes, I didn't include everything.

Under Evening Dress he also states

The Skean Dhu (sic) is a small dagger which should be placed under the garter of the right leg, being worn on the outside.

Scotty Thompson said the same. I remember my father saying to him "bit what if I'm left-handed".

[OC Richard]

This is an interesting read. I find the detail of the advice rather funny almost like he is describing a uniform.

I'm often struck by how clothing, perhaps especially men's clothing, is more or less like a uniform.

In Highland Dress, I've been to Burns Suppers where every kilted gent is dressed in a black Prince Charlie, white hose and Ghillies sans buckles

I came across a photo, which I've lost somehow, of a Highland Games in Scotland in the 1940s or 1950s. It's a group photo of a dozen or so men, and every one is wearing a Lovat tweed jacket.

Outside of Highland Dress, one sees functions where every man is in a nearly identical tuxedo. Here, New York 1938



And it goes for non-formal attire oftentimes! I used to teach High School, and one day I saw four teenage guys I had in one of my classes, hanging outside chatting. They all were wearing plaid flannel shirts over black t-shirts, black jeans, and black shoes. I asked "Did you guys co-ordinate your outfits today?"

"We're not dressed alike." (Then they look at their outfits.) "Hey we ARE all dressed alike! No way!"

Seems most teenagers, in effect, wear uniforms. Each "fashion culture" declares what sort of music they listen to etc.

Back to Loudon MacQueen Douglas, here he is with the rest of his Scottish Society of Edinburgh mates. You can see that indeed they're pretty much identical in dress
-doublet
-lace jabot
-plaid with brooch
-white long hair sporran with two black tassels
-dirk
-tartan hose (one pair castellated)
-buckled brogues (our standard modern style with strap over the instep)
-sgian dubh

The gent with the castellated hose wears his dirk belt over his vest (sic).



His photo of himself in Day Dress isn't clear, but he might be wearing a sporran like this, but with a different tassel arrangement