Have the Dukes led me astray?

[mayberry]

My understanding is that the reason we think of neckerchiefs as "cowboy" wear is that the de-mobbed civil war vets who went west rather than going back to the farm had only their wool uniforms, and used a cotton kerchief to prevent chafing in the heat. It was also useful as a dustmask (and therefore the classic bad-guy disguise). Of course many of them would have been suffering from various war-caused disorders, as we think of them now, and that was why there were so many stories of violence and lawlessness. Nothing kilt-related, but it all goes into the understanding and appreciation of clothing as culture.
Cheers,
John

[Alan H]

Just as a completely tangential reply to this....

I HATE ascots.
With a kilt. Without a kilt. I hate them. My dad wore them. I hated them, then, too. To me, they look like the guy is trying to pretend that he's hoity-toity British aristocracy, out for a day at the races.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

OK, now that I've said that, sunburn is a problem and if you have to wear something to keep from getting burned, then do it. Hell, I've worn a sailbag over my head on a sailing race a number of years ago when I discovered that there was no hat, nor suncreen in my gear bag. Then again, sunscreen is great stuff.

[opositive]

i always carry a towel (and try not to panic)--even if it is just a bandana, which is very useful when camping. sam neill in jurassic park did one pretty cool, but i would not wear one instead of a tie.
[IMG][/IMG]

[Riverkilt]

I'm for the spray - or rubbing in the cream well. I do use a very large neckerchief, but to cover my knees when driving to keep them from getting sunburned where they poke out of the kilt. Also handy as a napkin to protect the kilt apron when eating and driving...once wore it to hike Utilikilted to Supai Village in the West Grand Canyon but wound up using it as a sling for a lady who slipped and broke her wrist.

Multiple uses, can't hurt to have them around.

[Tobus]

Multiple uses, can't hurt to have them around.

Amen to that. I always keep one on me when I'm hiking. I'll either wear it around my neck (wetted for coolness), or use it for wiping sweat off my face. In extremely hot weather (over 105 degrees F), I may even drape it from my hat to provide shade and cooling all around the back and sides of my head.

But it has many other uses as well, and is an all-around handy thing to have around!

[Pleater]

My kilt of DPM is often accessorised with a green and black shemarg, most often worn around the neck, but it is sometimes worn wrapped around as on heathland when the wind gets up it is often carrying sand, which is very unpleasant without protection.

A kerchief at the neck was an item of traditional costume here and is still seen - the style has been extended to dogs and even Princes, so it can be said to be truly universal. It is therefore most apt as an item to be worn with a kilt.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: