Putting together my kilted outfit

[Drac]

Good day all,

I just got my new kilt in.  Just in time for Highland Fling and RenDezvous.  I hadn't been able to get out to Scarby since my in-laws had been visiting from out of town this week.

I have a couple shots of the garb I normally wear with the new kilt.  The first is a casual and the second is with a doublet my wife made I've worn in past years.  I have been recommended to add a half belted plaid.  Beyond that what recommendations would you have to improve on this outfit.  I want to keep it more toward the noble end.

 

By the way here will be the pins I will be wearing to the RenDezvous -



Drac

[DonaCatalina]

Nice!
Lady Jacqueline and Lord Brian will probably want you to march with the Scots.
Is that black watch plaid?

[Zardoz]

Is that black watch plaid?

Don't say that too loud, that's the Lamont tartan,  modern colors. Like many, Clan Lamont (Lamit) has a "traditional issue" with the Campbells.

[Nighthawk]

Ditch the modern belt and sporran with sporran chain. A plain leather sporran strap is more accurate. Replace the sporran with a Rob Roy style. A belt with holes and a buckle like that on a baldric would be more appropriate than the modern kilt belt.  The boots are not even close. In the late Renaissance, they wore buckle brogues- especially if it's a noble type of persona. The hose are best being Argyle in the same tartan as your kilt. They would acually have simply used a length of tartan for socks, sewn together down the back side and tied up with garters, but what a pain in the weed puller!! What kind of pleats does the kilt have? Knife pleats didn't come into fashion until the Victorian period, which was also when kilt pins first made their appearance. The half belted plaid you're referring to is more easily found using search terms like piper's plaid or long plaid. Those are actually very appropriate for wear with a Ren period wee kilt. You also need a period Highland bonnet. The modern one you have on again is Victorian period. And feathers... Why does everyone and his brother think you have to wear feathers? A plant badge is much more appropriate.

So- honestly, you have a really good start- a great base to work from. What I have suggested are really just tweeks more than anything else. I was at rendezvous once, and this guy in totally modern Argyle jacket, white kilt hose, ghillie brogues, a modern dress sporran, and Glengary hat walked up and sat down at the fire with us. He thought that because his clothes were Scottish, that he was period! You're way ahead of that guy already! And one small aside... There is no rule that says your kilt has to be tartan. Just thought I would throw that out there!

Here are a few pictures from my living history group, Colorado's Renaissance Scots:



You'll notice that these 2 are wearing feathers. They are the chief and second of the clan.





We do a lot of live steel combat demonstration. The local SCA guys hate us. We kick their paychecks- regularly!



Also, no one says that Highlanders HAVE to wear kilts!



And sometimes, it's best not to! That forge gets hot! (The kid in there is my son, by the way. He's becoming quite the blacksmith.)

Hope this helps some!

[Poldugarian Warrior]

Nighthawk, I like the idea of the plant badge, if I remember correctly it was the Irish fighting the English, that used leeks pinned to their clothing to identify friend from foe. But, the Scots usually used the thistle as their badge. I think his boots are good enough, they look to be moccasins, which are still renaissance, but very primitive, maybe he's a Highlander  working as a scout and needs to be light footed. That'd could be his story for non-period foot wear. What about non-argyle socks would they do, and perhaps, just being white, with a tassle at the top.  The hat yes, he needs the bonnet, or even just a head wrap of some sorts looks fine. More pirate like, but is period and cheap. I know what you mean though, most people that see the highlander in his uniform, see the 19th century version and think that is what all Highlanders look like, not so. Highlanders kilts and clothing were for function, yet look quite good too, but there wasn't alot of ornamentation or as much Argyle/Tartan designs as seem to be used all the time now. In fact I would wear a kilt without a Tartan, because I'm Polish and I know that my family doesn't have a Tartan, and I don't want to be beat up from a clan just because I'm wearing the wrong Tartan. Nice pics. and good garb. Very non-typical.

[DonaCatalina]

Nighthawk, I like the idea of the plant badge, if I remember correctly it was the Irish fighting the English, that used leeks pinned to their clothing to identify friend from foe. But, the Scots usually used the thistle as their badge.

Some of that varied by clan, the Irvines used a holly sprig and the Forsythes used, surprise, a sprig of Forsythia.

[groomporter]

In the Thirty Years War there is evidence that plant badges were also used, but they could vary from battle to battle, not as a permanent thing. Some of the more detailed books on modern tartans mention plant badges specific to different clans.

The wearing of eagle feathers is associated with rank within modern Scottish clan societies. Here's something I wrote a while ago on the topic.
http://lists.topica.com/lists/celtic_history/read/message.html?mid=1720237887&sort=d&start=0

[groomporter]

In fact I would wear a kilt without a Tartan, because I'm Polish and I know that my family doesn't have a Tartan, and I don't want to be beat up from a clan just because I'm wearing the wrong Tartan.

Well, remember in period, there were no clan tartans. At most there were area tartans or area colors because of was available for local plant dyes and what the local weavers produced. It's only in the 1600's that we have the very first suggestions of clan purposefully starting to favor certain patterns. And there are plenty of generic tartans available these days. Even the state of Hawaii has it's own tartan now http://www.mauiceltic.com/hawaii-tartan.htm

Of course if guys don't want to wear a kilt there's always tartan trews. Back when I wasn't a greybeard:

[Poldugarian Warrior]

Didn't know all that. Thanks for clearing that up. The trews are like the pants the barbarians wear in my video game Praetorians, they give them different colors, but they're all checked like yours.

[groomporter]

Mine are more 17th/18th century styled

[Poldugarian Warrior]

Right on, 17th century stuff is pretty close though to the renaissance, so it works.