LL-L "Attire" 2003.05.15 (10) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 15.MAY.2003 (10) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: globalmoose at t-online.de (Global Moose Translations)
Subject: LL-L "Gender" 2003.05.15 (07) [E]

Oh Sandy...
black mini, Scottish accent... what more could a woman want? This could
be
the beginning of a beautiful friendship, you know... :-)

Actually, I'm with Ron on the dress issue - I wish I were a man so I
could
wear one of two or three basic outfits for everything. It seems a lot
easier
to me if you're not expected to dress to "show off your assets" (yes, I
DID
put a "t" in that...).

When I was working at Intel in Hillsboro, Oregon, where the dress code
is
minimal to non-existent, there was a guy I sometimes saw in the
cafeteria
whom I found completely fascinating. He usually wore an ankle length
dress -
not a robe, a real dress - under a short military-style jacket. His head
was
shaved except for ten or twelve patches, where he had braids sticking
out
from his head every which way. It was fun to watch him in meetings and
serious conversations with all those conservatively dressed manager
types.
So - why not?

No hormone treatments please, we don't want to spoil all the fun.
All I really want is an excuse to drop all those silent "e"s in
French...

Gabriele Kahn

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From: Sandy Fleming [sandy at scotstext.org]
Subject: "Gender"

> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Gender
>
> Don't you get away with some measure of "improvisation" in England, or
> is there too great a danger of running into another Scottish person or
> into an English person that's too informed for their own good?  Why, you
> could always claim it's a local variant (and give them a
> Scottish-sounding fictitious place or clan name if they insist on
> details).  And, yes, how often *are* Scotsmen asked what they wear under
> their kilts, if anything?  (And inquiring minds do want to know.)

All the bloody time!

No, there's not really much scope for improvising either
amongst the English and Welsh or in Scottish families
without a tradition of wearing the kilt. It's one of
those subjects where a lot of nonsense is spoken for and
by people who aren't part of the tradition. Thus societies
which codify who should be wearing which tartan, for people
who don't know what they're about. It can be a lot easier
if you have a tradition because then you know which tartans
is right for you - you don't have to look up a specific
tartan in a book. Ultimately, however, the tartan doesn't
matter and you can always wear any one if you really fancy
it.

One thing I often get criticised for is removing my sporran
at dances, or wearing it on my hip. In fact the sporran is
an accessory and if you don't want to wear it then there's
no reason to.

The other thing is what to wear under it. The idea that
nothing's worn under it is an army tradition which makes
sense because army kilts are very heavy and get very hot,
and of course were worn in very hot countries. Nowadays,
though, we get people going around with nothing on under
their kilts because they've heard of this tradition and
don't know any better.

A good basic outfit is:

    o   a seventeen-yard kilt in good worsted (ordinary
        woollen kilts are available cheaply but they don't
        hang properly);

    o   a pin for weighting the kilt;

    o   a pair of men's knickers (these days men's briefs
        are fine);

    o   a pair of knee-length woollen socks;

    o   a pair of "flashers" (garters with a piece of ribbon
        hanging down) in a contrasting colour to the socks;

    o   a pair of brogues or plain shoes;

    o   a plain shirt in a colour which won't overpower or
        clash with the tartan (eg white) or these days even
        a teeshirt.

Anything beyond this is an accessory (sporran, dirk, waistcoat,
tie, jacket, tam o'shanter, belt).

For warmth you might wear a jersey over the shirt - traditional
Scottish knitting such as Arran jerseys or Fair Isle sweaters
are particularly appropriate. If you need to carry money and
suchlike, then a sporran - a simple leather sporran is better
for everyday wear.

Sandy
http://scotstext.org/

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Attire

Sandy, thanks a lot for giving us some exposure to the truth (above).  I
consider you a horse's mouth.

I will be happy to rub this information under someone's nose around
here, a person of (non-Ullans) Northern Irish birth with English speech
and manners who keeps giving me lectures about proper tartan choices,
implying that people without Scottish clan affiliation would meet some
horrible fate if they showed up wearing just any old tartan, that there
are only one or two neutral tartans (some military ones) that outsiders
may wear (and I forgot the names).

Anyway, I was wondering how Scottish people would react if a non-Scot
wore a kilt, say, one that is resident in Scotland.  Would there be a
difference if that man was British (English, Welsh, etc.) or
non-British, or if he was ?  What would happen if, for some weird
argument's sake, *I* showed up in a kilt in Sotland?  Sure, so I would
make a spectacle of myself (though I do have the legs for it, note!),
but would the reaction be negative or positive?  Would I be in danger of
getting a punch on the nose because it might be perceived as mockery,
such as Colin warned in his book about speaking Scots without
explanation?  Has it ever happened that severely Scotophile non-Scots
wore kilts in Scotland?  As I said, inquiring minds need to know, and
know from horses' mouths, and I feel there are lots of myths floating
around about things Scottish.

Thanks.
Reinhard/Ron

P.S.: A wird tae the wylie: Dinna tent the Global Moose (that sleeket,
cowran, ill-deedie beastie)!  *Onie* gadgie, chield or carle wi a
Scottish accent maks her hyte an bathered, an breeks, trews, mini or féil
e-beag maks no odds.

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