Flashes question

[Panache]

Nanook,

You wrote:

"Black and brown don't go together"

I respectfully disagree. I think that black and brown work if you do it carefully. Here is a picture from our last Bay Area Kilt Night:



I am wearing a brown and black patterned shirt, brown beret, a black belt, black sporran belt, a brown and black freelander, and (though you can't see it) brown hose, black flashes, and black shoes. I personally think this is a pretty neat combo. It may not be super traditional looking, but colorwise it works.

Cheers

[cavscout]

Marine Corps Service Uniforms incorporate Black with Brown (Olive)



Sharp, when done right.

[MacWage]

Marine Corps Service Uniforms incorporate Black with Brown (Olive)



Sharp, when done right.

EXACTLY!!!

When done RIGHT!

If not, it looks mis-matched. There needs to be a SPECIFIC rhyme and reason, so there is coordination. Otherwise, it looks like someone either doesn't know better or can't see. Ex-> brown shoes with an otherwise black suit.

Done well-> a black wool fedora with a brown leather band.

[Nanook]

Marine Corps Service Uniforms incorporate Black with Brown (Olive)



Sharp, when done right.

The uniforms are not brown but olive green which is a green and not a brown tone. They are also called, if I'm not mistaken, "Greens". Green, even olive, and black can go together. That is, however, not the urban, dress or ceremonial uniform. The "service uniform" is day wear where also brown shoes can be worn. That's also why the tone of such working uniforms has in the last 100+ years been selected from among earthy colours ranging from olive green to khaki.

The Marine Corp dress uniforms are blue.

Dress uniforms tend to use clean whites, crimsons, blues and yellows but rarely (I'm trying to think of one but can't) browns. Clothing with the colours of dirt and excrement might have some practical advantage in battlefields but hardly convey the semantics of a noble or well mannered gentleman. Brown shoes are fine (and I own quite a few pairs) but only in their context.

The only modern brown uniforms that come to mind are the brown shirts of fascists. They were (are) neither well mannered nor gentlemen. They were historically paramilitary formations and the clothing was for battle and to spit in the face of civil manners.

Etiquette is, of course, a strange beast. Even among formal occasions there is much more than just "Prince Charlie". Morning affairs or even formal tea calls for quite a different attire (and not day wear) from evening (where there are loads of sub-categories among black and white tie events). And even day wear is not always just day wear...

[cavscout]

I'm very aware of what the dress uniform of the Marine Corps is but I'm not sure what that has to do with the discussion.

Olive and Brown are close enough of a match for me to wear with black leathers.

As far as the original proposed outfit though, a picture of the vest would be very helpful to visualize the effect.

[Nanook]

I'm very aware of what the dress uniform of the Marine Corps is but I'm not sure what that has to do with the discussion.

We've sidetracked it a wee bit but the issue of colour coordination and semantics is not without significant relevance to the joys of a highland dandy :rolleyes:

Olive and Brown are close enough of a match for me to wear with black leathers.

Etiquette is also an issue of local custom. What works in Augusta does not always set well in Boston.

Many of the historical Confederate brown "butternut" uniforms of Georgia (to put things into local perspective) we see in the archives were not brown but a gray using dyes that did not stand well. They wore, however, mainly brown shoes so I guess the fading of Confederate gray was planned to match the homegrown butternut dyed uniforms in museum exhibits:rolleyes:

"Butternuts" did apparently also wear black shoes but most were, I've somewhere read, previously carried by Union feet.

Since we're on a side-step. Your sporran straps look quite spectacular (especially in brown tones for day wear). Here it is all about coordination since there is little chance, other than perhaps with black, that one can get a match. I suspect this might have been one of the reasons for chains in civilian garb--- although interestingly one of my day regimental sporrans has a matching chain and not a strap (predating much of the plastic straps). Black straps and a brown sporran? No thank you..

[David Dalglish]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, If your think that a combination of Brown & Black works , then wear it. I am only giving my opinion, & I would not wear that combination, as I think they clash

[Splash_4]

I quite like that look as well.

[David White]

I've got a question about flashes. Must the color of the flashes coordinate with the colors of the kilt, or can the match with another article of clothing?

My kilt is a SWK Nightstalker so I ussaully wear black flashes, but I've worn my kilt with a white shirt, and a brown, herringbone vest. So, if I wear the vest, can I also wear brown flashes?

This is with black shoes, black sporran, and black belt of course. I was thinking I'd match this up with off-white hose.

I got a pair of Matt N's traditional garters in black. They feel fantastic and
black looks good for all events....IMHO.

[cavscout]

flairball, another thing I played with a while ago was swapping out tassels on the sporran for other colored horse hair tassels. Have a look at these pics and see what you think. Throwing some brown or sorrel tassels on your sporran may help blend things together also. These are on my Black BK sporran.

Sorrel


White


Black


Here's what my brown BK looks like with the black: