I can't imagine ever being warm enough there to wear something sleeveless,
Ahem: while it's not appropriate to go sleeveless here in Edinburgh right now (there's a severe weather warning in effect and it's snowing heavily) most of the year I wear a tee-shirt. Probably not advisable in the highlands, but in the lowland cities it's fine (except when it's raining).
I am so not getting into the cultural appropriation mud-wrestling thing, but I will just take this opportunity to confuse the matter by noting that there's a certain type of American tourist you get around these parts who insists on wearing what they think is highland dress, kilt and all. This instantly flags them as (a) a tourist (because the only time most of the natives wear a kilt is for a wedding or formal occasion[*]), and (b) a bit of a joke (because the "highland dress" you see was invented out of whole cloth by the Victorians, who thought it was cute).
In other words? Cultural signifiers may not mean what you think they mean.
[*] "formal occasion" == "occasion for getting roaring drunk". Weddings, check. Likewise, some of the less friendly local football matches. In general, if you see a drunk in a kilt, they're a native; the sober ones are probably tourists.
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Date: 19 Jan 2009 11:43 am (UTC)Ahem: while it's not appropriate to go sleeveless here in Edinburgh right now (there's a severe weather warning in effect and it's snowing heavily) most of the year I wear a tee-shirt. Probably not advisable in the highlands, but in the lowland cities it's fine (except when it's raining).
I am so not getting into the cultural appropriation mud-wrestling thing, but I will just take this opportunity to confuse the matter by noting that there's a certain type of American tourist you get around these parts who insists on wearing what they think is highland dress, kilt and all. This instantly flags them as (a) a tourist (because the only time most of the natives wear a kilt is for a wedding or formal occasion[*]), and (b) a bit of a joke (because the "highland dress" you see was invented out of whole cloth by the Victorians, who thought it was cute).
In other words? Cultural signifiers may not mean what you think they mean.
[*] "formal occasion" == "occasion for getting roaring drunk". Weddings, check. Likewise, some of the less friendly local football matches. In general, if you see a drunk in a kilt, they're a native; the sober ones are probably tourists.