putting it on improperly

[jsrnephdoc]

Perhaps your eyes were tricked into thinking the sporran strap was part of the kilt strap?

Exactly that. Sorry. So, if one were crafting a story based on the photo, one might conclude he's been in the band for years and put on weight since being fitted for his kilt. But his waistcoat is also too short, and I doubt he's grown vertically during his tenure.

So, it might be that the band's budget is small. I would guess (with NO confidence) that' a HUGE obstacle for Grade 3-5 bands, because both the uniforms and the instruments are very expensive (unless the kilts come from Pakistan). OCR would, I'm sure have lots of useful information on just how bands manage to deal with those constraints.