The little details

I was just over at XMarkstheScot, I'm a mod over there so spend a lot of time. Anyway one of the members brought up pocket squares. I always wear a white pocket square, I find it is a classic look and one of those little details that sets one outfit above another. It has been brought up already about wearing pocket squares that match part of your outfit, for me though I find a white hankie works great. One other thing about hankies, I always or almost always have 3 with me, one for me, one for my wife, and one for my pocket.

Scottish Studies Foundation Boat Cruise

Catherine and I went on the Scottish Studies Foundation Boat Cruise yesterday. This was my third year on the cruise and Catherine's first. It was a great time, and it was nice to see some old friends and meet new ones as well. Besides getting far too much sun, and Catherine having a headache for most of the day it was another great cruise around the Toronto islands . The Sunday of Labour Day long weekend is not just the cruise, but also the air show at the Canadian National Exhibition, being on the Empire Sandy gives you an interesting vantage point of the planes as they go by. It really was a great day, after the cruise we were invited by some friends to go to dinner with them, we all went to the Old Spaghetti Factory for a late lunch/early dinner.

Goodbye Red

Today is the Memorial Service for a friend, as he lived in Arizona I will be unable to attend. I wish I could be there. Today I wore my MacDonald of Sleat as Craig's nick name was Retro Red, with a black shirt, black hose and red ties. When I came home I changed into a Red T-Shirt and Red Hose, just for Red. Here's to you Red you're missed already.

A nice compliment

Today I was out all day I wore the Royal Stewart by Barb Tewksbury, my Freelander sporran, Hawick Argyll top hose from Redshanks Scotland and my Stewart shirt from the Scottish Tartan Museum. I changed when I got home but had to go out again, as it was a hot day this evening I went out in the following outfit, my MacDonald of Sleat from Matt Newsome, Freelander sporran, Check top hose again from Hawick Hose co. and a white short sleeve shirt. I did not wear a belt this evening and find it's probably not needed in the summer months.


The other day I got a Private Message on XMarkstheScot from a new member basically saying it was my photos and blog that help build his interest in kilts. It was amazing to me that my blog was the main reason for someone else to start kilting. Anyway I asked him if I could share his message with my readers and he agreed. I was just so excited to see that someone felt that passionate about it. Anyway here are his comments:

It was your blog mainly, but also the 10 photos from casual to white tie layout, that kept building my interest in kilts. My father's family is Welsh, but my mother's family is mostly Scots with a little Irish. I always wanted a kilt, but never got one until they designed the Welsh family tartans. Once I had it, I wore it only to formal events, which wasn't nearly enough. I loved wearing it, and I hated to have such a wonderful garment that mostly sat around gathering dust. I added a Sport Kilt, which is great for the Alabama weather and for getting dirty, but it's nowhere near the same feeling as a nice heavy kilt. I have now added two more kilts, and I'm not ashamed now to say that I selected the tartans based 100% on fashion - I like wearing deep blues and greens, so I got a blue one and a green one, after agonizing for weeks over WHICH blue and WHICH green. I've worn the two new ones only once each, and I'm already looking at tartans (and tweeds) again!

I've noticed some things from everyone's pictures that I'm probably doing "wrong". By that I mean only "differently", really, because that's something else you have helped me see - there is no "wrong". I ordered the 5-yard kilts a little short because I apparently like the top of my kilts a little lower than most seem to. I also apparently like my hose a little higher than most, and I tend to leave more of the ends of the traditional garter ties exposed than most.

So... thanks for showing me the way!

Fergus 09

Andrew and me

Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series with me and the Saltire
Me out front of our clan tent


We went up to the Fergus Highland games this year to do the MacKinnon Clan tent, my wife (I still get butterflies when I say that.) is a MacKinnon and on the board of directors. This was my first time at a Clan Tent, I must say it is a different experience being in a clan tent. We decided to bake shortbread for the visitors to our tent, they were very well received.

We arrived Friday as we had weekend passes, however we were the only clan there at the time, and had to wait as the staff for the games were making last minute preparations. It was decided to go see Pete from Canadian Casual Kilts and Robert from RKilts. It was at this point that I scared Pete by coming into his booth when his back was turned, He turned faster than I've ever seen him move with a raised fist, when he realized who it was he dropped his hand and we both caught our breath.

Shortly after we made our way back over to the Avenue of the Clans or in this case the clan, on the way we stopped to watch some of the Heavy Events that were already underway.

Saturday we lined up for the march and there was some confusion as they decided to do the march in a reverse alphabetical order. As were standing in line we were hit with the smell of cigarette smoke, now for me this is nothing more than a minor annoyance, however Catherine suffers from asthma as such we were unable to do the clan march. I can not fathom how you are supposed to represent your clan while smoking, it is one thing to smoke outdoors, however smoking in a line when you know the smoke is drifting into others faces is something else entirely.

The rain was moving in and both Catherine and myself came down with migraine headaches, it was a good thing we left when we did as I had to stop half way home so that Catherine could take over driving, I could not do it any longer.

Dancing in the Park week 2

Last Tuesday was week two of dancing in the park, this week however it did not rain, so the dancing went on, it was great to get back to it, I've missed it so much. Thanks to Catherine for the photos.

First night of Dancing in the Park cancelled

Tuesday was the first night of Dancing in the Park, it was to start at 7:00 however about 6:00 or 6:30 the clouds rolled in and with that the rain, the band could not set up under such conditions and it was decided to cancel the evening. The good news is that there are 5 weeks of Dancing in the Park and it is always a fun night even if it's rained out. Dancing in the Park takes place at Edwards Garden.

Seasick Sailors at Grossman's Tavern

Friday night our friends Mark and Joan invited us down to Grossman's Tavern to watch Mark's band The Seasick Sailors, it was a fun night as always with them even though Joan had a wee fall and broke her ankle before going and really should have gone to hospital. Above is me trying to look serious, I could not hold it long. Below is a video of the Seasick Sailors singing Drinking.

10 of 10

#10 White Tie



Notes: Here I've gone up from Black Tie to White Tie Highland attire, I am wearing my Montrose Doublet with jabot and cuffs. I am also still wearing my diced hose and Dress Sgian Dubh with it, however I've changed the ghillie brogues to buckle brogues, with my dress belt. I would feel perfectly fine wearing this to a Burns Supper or a Ball, anytime I'm attending a White tie event. In fact I prefer this level of formality to the Black tie and thus I end up wearing it for either.

Look 9 of 10

#9 Black Tie




Notes: Here I am in my Prince Charlie jacket, I would say I am wearing it more traditionally than Jamie does, though I do not see that much to quibble about our differences, I would much rather celebrate our similarities than argue our differences. I am wearing my Sealskin sporran I am also wearing a dress sgian dubh and diced hose, as well as this I am still wearing the ghillie brogues and a self tie bow tie. I would wear this to a Scottish Country Dance ball, Burns Supper or any other Black Tie event I may be attending. The wonderful thing about owning a P.C. is that you never feel out of place at a black tie event. I'd also like to note that I can and have worn my buckle brogues with the prince Charlie outfit, I chose not too for the purpose of this thread.

Look 8 of 10 Semi Formal

8 of 10 Semi Formal

Notes: Here I've changed the tie to red also notice I am wearing Charcoal hose to match with the jacket and waistcoat. This outfit would work most anywhere, unless it was a black or white tie event. I often wear something like this to the office, except for this outfit I'm wearing my Sealskin sporran, to me that brings this outfit up a notch, though it may not be strictly proper to wear it during the day, it to my mind depends on the occasion. Anytime I have worn this outfit, I've had nothing but compliments on it. I've decided to bring this outfit together with the colour red, notice how the red tie and flashes all go together with the Royal Stewart tartan. Again I'm wearing Ghillie Brogues and a Dress Sgain Dubh.

7 of 10

#7 Dressy

Notes: To make sure it is a seamless transition notice the sporran, I chose to wear one that is appropriate from day wear to evening wear. Again this is a Ferguson Britt sporran, this one is a skunk sporran. I am also wearing a dress sgain dubh instead of a day wear all of this elevates the outfit, and make it versatile enough for both day wear and evening. I am also wearing Ghillie Brogues and traditional garter ties, these could be either flashes or ties but I prefer garter ties.

6 of 10

#6 Smart Day Wear

Notes: This look or close to it is about the most versatile, to my mind. I have worn something close to this for weddings, funerals and everything in between. This outfit can go from day to night so long as the night event is not formal. It would be easy to dress this up a bit with another dressier sporran, or perhaps diced hose depending on the venue. However the jacket and waistcoat are very appropriate for any number of functions.

5 looks of 10 looks

#5 Day Wear
Notes: I have worn this outfit to work, I would equate it to a sport coat and jeans. I have also worn something similar to the Highland Games when it's not too hot. I would not hesitate to wear something like this to a day time wedding as a guest. I've found that many people look upon an outfit such as this as being proper. I know some kilt wearers really like the Crail style cuffs, I have however become accustomed to having the Argyll style cuffs, this jacket is in Harris Tweed and I found it at a local Tartan shop for sale on consignment. I really like the look to me it hearkens back to an earlier time, not to say I am wearing this as a costume because I am not, it is simply that I am comfortable with this style of jacket. Notice that I have matched the colour of my tie with my hose, Green is also a secondary colour in the tartan, thus bringing it all together.

Look 4 of 10

#4 Dressy Highland Games Wear



Notes: I have worn an outfit like this to the Highland Games I find an outfit like this is perfect for the March of the Clans, or if you just want to elevate your outfit a wee bit. I was wearing an outfit almost exactly like this at last years Fergus games a couple of Japanese tourist said I was the most Scottish looking person there. I am wearing a Braemar Jacket in the Burns Check, with a green tie as there is green as a secondary colour in the tartan, I am also wearing Hawick hose green with Argyll tops. I am wearing my Balmoral which has been shaped to my head by soaking it and letting it sit all night, it has also been kicked down the street a bit helping to work it in a we bit, one thing I've learned over my time on X-Marks the older the Balmoral the better. I am wearing Brown leathers with this outfit and again I made the belt. I am wearing a shirt with French cuffs the cufflinks I chose were my late Uncle's pair that are decorated with a thistle. The sporran is one of my Ferguson Britt sporrans this one in brown elk hide and muskrat fur.

Look 3 of 10

#3 Casual Highland Games Wear


Notes: I would wear this outfit at a Highland Games as I'm wearing a golf shirt with the Stewart buckler, I would also wear it to a pub or for an afternoon get together with friends, the difference from this outfit and the last are the hose and shirt, again a very classic look that really looks like an outfit anyone else might wear, save the kilt of course. An outfit like this I think shows that the kilt is not a costume but a normal clothing option, I wear this outfit or something similar for quite a bit of the summer months up here. With this outfit flashes could be worn if you wanted to, to me it really just depends on my mood for the day.

Look 2 of 10

#2 Sporty



Notes: I wore an outfit almost exactly like this to a Toronto FC game last year, I've also worn it out to the pub and would wear it shopping or just to do errands, a look like this with a rugby shirt works wonderfully for a myriad of events, a casual look like this simply works. I am wearing a Canadian Rugby Shirt, again with the Freelander Sporran the belt is one I made myself, I generally leave the Dress Belt for dressier outfits though many do wear the waist plate style belt and buckle combination with this type of outfit. I would say if a jacket is to be worn a denim, leather, or other casual style jacket would work very well. Again flashes are an option I tend to forgo for this type of outfit. 

1 Kilt 10 looks-Look 1 of 10

Not too long ago a new member to X Marks the Scot.com posted a question about the levels of formality in highland attire. The two of us each thought that the best way to illustrate this was to dig up various previously posted photos and offer them as guide to these various stages or levels of formality as we saw them. 

We got to thinking about how often this question comes up, especially for the North Americans on our forum. The world we live in is far more casual than the one of our grandparents' day and children are not generally taught about, or familiar with, expected levels of dress as they grow up. 

We thought it would be a useful project for each of us to take a single tartan kilt and come up with ten different outfits that ranged from the utmost casual to white tie formal. This would also be a chance to show how truly versatile the kilt is. To make this as helpful as possible, to the most people, I chose the red-based Royal Stewart tartan and Jamie chose the green-based Black Watch tartan for their kilts. These are universal tartans that many own and most are familiar with. Both kilts are traditionally made and of traditional wool tartan cloth. 

Using what we have learned on XMTS over the last couple of years and combining it with our own personal sense of style we present this visual guide to help others better understand how to dress up or dress down a kilted outfit. 

I have decided to post my photos from this little project here with my explaination of each, I will start withthe first outfit being casual and move up to White Tie.

#1 Very Casual

Notes: Here would be a typical hiking outfit for me in spring or fall, the hose can be rolled down and if it gets too hot I'm wearing a shirt under the sweater. I could just as easily wear a Rugby shirt or a T-Shirt with this outfit depending on the weather. I tend to forgo head wear unless necessary. Even though it is a simple hiking outfit, there is no reason to be sloppy, so I have ensured that the hose and sweater match, thus if I feel like going out after the hike to the local pub to watch a game I'll fit in as well as kilted guy ever does in a Canadian pub. For the most part recently with our climate I've been wearing an outfit much like this one, so much so that my twin brother who is very much used to seeing me in a kilt is now threatening to call me sweater guy. I am wearing a Freelander Sporran that seems to work well with the Hiking Boots, notice no flashes are really needed for hiking.

1915 Waltham Pocket Watch

A while ago there was quite a bit of talk about Pocket Watches on XMarkstheScot. I decided to go onto ebay and see what I could find. I thought instead of one of those new chrome pocket watches, or the type that costs about $10.00 I would pick up the best one I could afford. Well I found a Waltham from 1915 that was running and won it. My only problem was that I did not have a watch chain for it, again I started looking for a vintage chain, I found one after some searching that was not quite the same vintage the chain is from the 1960 or 1970's. The Chain came in yesterday morning, and I finally got the entire thing together, I'm really happy with it, now it feels like the waistcoat is complete.

Last Night with The Seasick Sailors

Last night I was invited to Mark and Joan's house, I met them last year when we were out for a kilt night and they really are wonderful people. Mark has started up a band called The Seasick Sailors and had planned to do a photo shoot with kilts, the only problem is that Mark was the only one with a kilt. He asked if I would come over with a few. Anyway I brought over 7 kilts a bunch of sporrans and a bag full of hose, two of the three guys didn't want to take off the kilts after the shoot. I got in for a few shots but here is one that I got with my camera. All but one kilt was mine, all the sporrans were from me, the photographer hastily wrapped a tartan blanket around himself. It was a really fun night.

Kilt Night with wee stumpy Nate

Well last night we went out for a kilt night in Oakville. It was decided to go somewhere new as they are getting tired of us everywhere else :p. So we started the night at the King's Arms. Never having been there before, I have to say I found the waitresses to be very nice and the food to be good, I had the Noting Hill Curry Chicken, hot, and all was good with the world. David who was there with me had the same but in medium and seemed to enjoy it. When Dick and "Wee Stumpy Nate" showed up Dick got the same dish and also got the hot. The service was good, and a few of the patrons had to come up and ask us about the kilts, nothing new there.

After a time and because Nate had forgotten his ID at home, we decided to go to the Moonshine Cafe. Now the Moonshine holds a special place in the heart of all SOKS who have been around for a while, for this was the spot for our first kilt night. When we got there it was crowded and loud, we then decided to make our way back to the Queen's Head, would we drive the one kilometer? No not us hearty stock, although the temperature was a chilly -10 degrees celcius. Thankfully we found a roaring fire upon entering the Queen's Head in in a few minutes we could feel our knees again, one of the patrons again had to make a few comments and ask a few questions, but there are strength in numbers, so "wee Jimmy" as we were calling him did not stay long.  

After a time in the Queens Head it was the long walk back to the Moonshine Cafe and our vehicles, I kept warm by regaling my comrades with the works of Robert Burns, much to the enjoyment of a couple in a nearby parking lot. All in all it was another great night with friends, and the Cohiba's direct from Cuba that David was handing out did not hurt either, thanks again David.  

I think we should visit the Kings Arms again it was a nice wee place with a great atmosphere.

Laird's/Day Plaid my take on it

There has been some talk of late about Laird's/Day Plaids on X-MarkstheScot, a look I find very interesting though I'd never tried it before. Now this is not a look that I would try out everyday though it was fun to try it out. For myself I found essentially wearing a blanket on your shoulder can be rather cumbersome, I also find it a tad theatrical, there are times when theatrical is fine though. I can see the utilitarian nature of a Lairds Plaid, I think I prefer wearing my Inverness Cape for the soggy days we've been having here. Anyway here is my take on a Laird's/Day Plaid.

A wee walk this afternoon

I did have to go out this morning to get a few things figured out, so I thought since I was back home I'd get a few pictures. Most of our snow has melted with more expected later in the week, today the tempratures are up at 10 degrees celcius so it was very comfortable kilt wearing weather, not quite warm enough for a box pleat but it's getting there. However I'm sure it will not last. I took the opportunity to walk a bit out back and get these shots. 

For those interested the kilt is my Isle of Skye from the Scottish Company, the hose are Hawick hose and that I also got at the Scottish Company, the sgain dubh and tie are also from there. The Sporran is my Muskrat Ferguson Britt from the Scottish Tartan Museum the garter ties are also from the Sottish Tartan Museum, the Argyll I purchased at the Wee Tartan Shop and the Crommach was a purchase I made at the Fergus Highland Games last summer.

At my Parents and other things

Today I went out to my parents place it was nice to see them, as I was there I got a few photos of the lake. After that I stopped at the mall to pick up a few things and this family had to have a picture with me. It was a good day all in all. It was a bit cool and windy by the lake but I was OK in my Royal Naval Association Kilt by Barb Tewksbury. I just love way people treat me when I'm out in my kilt.

My day out

So today I had to go out to do some shopping, and I decided to go get a few photos as I've not updated the blog recently. I figured I'd go over to Edwards Gardens and get a few shots. I stopped at my local Supermarket and ended up talking to a wee Scottish woman about kilts and all things Scottish, it was a good day so far. The samples lady even asked me how Catherine was doing, as we were in the supermarket once a few weeks ago when Catherine was up here I guess she left an impression. 

The wee squirrel came right up to me and posed, then when he saw I didn't have any nuts for him he ran off.

Kilted in the Snow

Today on X-Marks someone asked about pictures of kilts in the snow, as I was going up to Burnett's and Struth and the Scottish Company anyway, I went ahead and took a few photos. It was a good trip up to Burnett's, they are great up there, and well worth the drive.  I was up last weekend with Catherine, the first thing they did ask me how she was doing, they really are great people.

Burns Night

Our Burns Night was on Friday the 23rd, it was a great night with good friends. I'm so glad that everyone had a good time, my friend Catherine came up from NC for it, and to check out Toronto, as well we had some other guests that I'd never met in person. All in all it was a good night. The photo is of Catherine and myself at the Scottish Rite where we hold our Burns Night. Here are the videos.

The Address to the Haggis 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us8BMVp142w 

The toast to the SOKS 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klHC4gx2bxk 

The Twa Lands 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJvZmRKHTSE 

Me reciting Tam O'Shanter, with some history on the poem 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwbJECEosHk 

The Immortal Memory 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJcb5CYnofk 

The Response from the Lasses 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtf561az8QM 

The Response from the Lasses part 2 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn1SvdRnQ4Q 

Finally the Closing Remarks from Kevin 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gd--9xiuQU 

I know it sort of looks like the McMurdo's Dinner, however I did ask others for help however nobody else wanted to do the Address to a Haggis, and our Immortal Memory speaker came down with the flu so with an hours preparation we came up with ours. 
I hope you enjoy the videos and photos.