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Modern United States clothing is a thin man's, or woman's, game, but this hasn't always been the case; it doesn't have to be the case that the fat are unfashion

Modern United States clothing is a thin man's, or woman's, game, but this hasn't always been the case; it doesn't have to be the case that the fat are unfashionable. European clothing as late as the 18th century, and especially in the 15th-16th centuries, was designed for a heavier average weight than the current one (and this is without beginning to discuss, for example, traditional Chinese clothing). I don't know if I'm really crazy enough to recommend that you try dressing like Henry VIII or Benjamin Franklin; but keep in mind that it's hypothetically possible, at least. (Then again, how much _could_ anyone do to you if you went out to dinner or got on a subway dressed in the best fashions of 250 years ago (other than the Scots Highland style of dress which requires a dagger tucked into the left stocking)? I could see certain sorts of people recommending it as a character- or determination-building exercise...) More seriously, though, I agree with the idea that Winston Churchill -- or G.K. Chesterton, legendarily overweight but positively dapper -- might be a good starting point.

semanticist 17y ago
Most people use a fake plastic knife to get around Scottish restrictions on carrying blades. A bigger concern is that most sporrans are made out of sealskin, which is effectively impossible to take into the US. The one time I looked at taking my kilt with me to the US I decided it would be much easier to buy an all-leather sporran, even though they don't look as nice. Here, at least, a full dress kilt is acceptable as 'black tie' in place of a tux.
jff 17y ago
Dress 250 years old and you'll probably look like a tool unless you take up EVERY attribute that was fashionable in that period. Are you going to wear a periwig? Sneakers don't go well with a tricorn hat. For example, there's a young CS student at my school who wears a long brown leather coat and a pirate-ish hat. The two problems are: Who over the age of 8 dresses up like a pirate? and he's bald-faced, sneaker-wearing, and has a t-shirt under the coat.

semanticist 17y ago

Most people use a fake plastic knife to get around Scottish restrictions on carrying blades. A bigger concern is that most sporrans are made out of sealskin, which is effectively impossible to take into the US. The one time I looked at taking my kilt with me to the US I decided it would be much easier to buy an all-leather sporran, even though they don't look as nice. Here, at least, a full dress kilt is acceptable as 'black tie' in place of a tux.

jff 17y ago

Dress 250 years old and you'll probably look like a tool unless you take up EVERY attribute that was fashionable in that period. Are you going to wear a periwig? Sneakers don't go well with a tricorn hat. For example, there's a young CS student at my school who wears a long brown leather coat and a pirate-ish hat. The two problems are: Who over the age of 8 dresses up like a pirate? and he's bald-faced, sneaker-wearing, and has a t-shirt under the coat.