Originally posted at The White Mist.
The señor was discussing appropriate wedding costume with his groomsmaid Miss Golightly when a friend of hers suggested the señor wear a kilt to the wedding.
This is not as unusual as it might initially seem in an international context. Kilts for ceremonial occasions are close to commonplace in the South Island. More than half of the señor’s family are of Scots descent, some only one or two generations out from the Auld Country. And, given how so many of the “traditions” of the modern wedding date from the later nineteenth century, it seems at least synchronous to include another tradition of a similar age.
I have some first- and second-hand experience of kilts myself, thanks not only to a number of years of Highland Dancing as a child and teenager but also the wearing of the kilt as the most-sizes-fit-all uniform of a state secondary education in New Zealand. More recently, harvestdad joined a pipe band in his retirement, all of whom have outfitted themselves for public performance. It is from the most recent of these bekiltings that I have observed some of the difficulty in getting one to fit an adult really well. The cut of the thing adds bulk to the areas of the thighs and lower torso that may be well-padded already, at the same time as threatening not to stay up around the waist unless worn really tightly.
What I’d really like, said the señor, is to wear a Hawaiian shirt. (It should be noted that this is typical recreational dress for him.) Why not, I said: a good quality fabric, bright colours, well ironed, with a charcoal-coloured suit. Given my own plans to be an untypically-clad bride, a Hawaiian shirt seems as true and quirky a choice as any, and saves the hours of alteration a kilt would demand. (There is, of course, the other tradition associated with the wearing of the kilt that might prove problematic on a roistering occasion at which cameras and alcohol are present. Bike shorts would be one solution, says the señor, but my hunch on this is that a set of trousers would be even better.)
DandyID
Blogger
Flickr
last.fm
YouTube
Twitter
Vimeo
Twitpic
Tumblr
Facebook Pages
Linkedin
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I reckon an Hawaiian shirt plus a kilt would be about perfect.
Brilliant! Dare I say it, but some rugby socks and roman sandals would make excellent accessories to this combination.
I see weddings mostly as opportunities to wear a kilt. The rest is detail, as they say. As you might expect, I disapprove of wearing anything less than the full kit, so I will hear no more of your variations. There! My fingers are in my ears (which makes typing a little tricky)>
Paul Litterick’s last post was The lucky country
Dare I say it, but some rugby socks and roman sandals would make excellent accessories to this combination.
And a fedora. I think the señor is taken care of.
Giovanni’s last post was 7 Grams
We will have to write the vows to match the outfit.
http://www.clanmatheson.org/tartans.htm both tartans could be matched to hawaiian shirts, I already have a couple in colours that are similar
Also the red one does suit my political leanings