I'm as willing to laugh at "the other bugger" as the next man is. That said, when someone asks for advice, I usually try to steer them away from doing something that will make them the object of other men's mirth.

If one follows the advice of William Morris ("Own nothing that is not practical and beautiful.") then one doesn't subscribe to the idea that one should do as they wish, even if it doesn't look right.

Of course styles of fashion come and go, quite often due to matters of practicality brought on by technological changes in society. Heaters in motorcars have rendered the wearing of heavy wool overcoats unnecessary when out for a spin in the dead of winter, just as modern fabrics have pretty much confined the heavy wool overcoat to the back of the closet.

The wristwatch has all but supplanted the pocket watch as an item of general apparel, but because the functionality of both are equal, the choosing of one over the other is merely a matter of style.

Puttees, on the other hand, have been rendered superfluous by the advent of superior leg protection. That they owe their existence to 19th century military niggardliness (they were cheaper than proper boots for the troops) would certainly mitigate against their acceptance as an item of general, or even casual, civilian wear better than a century later.

Hence, when asked for an opinion regarding whether or not puttees should be worn with the kilt, my answer was a resounding NO WAY!

I should point out that I'd say the same thing about cowboy boots with the kilt, or knee high fish net stockings, or clown shoes, for that matter.

People are, of course, free to do as they please. But before embarking on the seas of personal expression, they would do well to remember the old adage:

Laugh, and the world laughs with you, cry and you are probably the person they are laughing at.