I completely agree with what you've said Jock. It seems there are a lot of people, and not just on this forum, who seek out the anomolies to justify their point of view. And your point of view is greatly appreciated. It's good to know what a highland Scot thinks of highland dress.

However, I also don't necessarily want to dress like a highland Scot. I'm an old farm boy from southern Illinois who happens to have a bit of Scottish ancestry. And not even a lot of that; I'm mostly of English and German extraction.

The more formal I dress, the closer I stick to what you describe as the "Scottish way of doing things." But, as I get more casual, I tend to just use items from the traditional apparel and combine them with not so traditional items. I will do this for different reasons: climate, occasion, and yes sometimes whim.

BUT, I do recognize that this is departing from a traditional perspective. I think that is the real crux of the matter.