Online Shopping Spree

It’s winter break, which means that I should ardently working on my senior thesis. Yeah, that’s what I should be doing. But I’m not; well, not yet…

So far, I have spent quite a bit of my break relaxing and perusing online shops. Seriously, the amount of stuff I have ordered has been insane. I have packages coming in the mail everyday. At the same time, though, it’s not like I am frivolously spending money—well, not completely frivolously. Most of the things I have ordered so far I have need or had a genuine use for. For example, I ordered the things that I needed to complete my Highland wardrobe prior to the January show, including a vest, bow tie, sporran, and cap badge.

The style of my new cap badge. It matches my sporran.

I have also ordered a good amount of books on the Gaelics. Thanks to my boyfriend’s copious amounts of gift cards—he doesn’t believe in using them, so he gives them to me—I have bought two books on Gàidhlig, one on Gaelg, and a textbook on Sengoídelc. I think I may have a problem…

My new books!

Whilst doing all of this online shopping, I have become slight obsessed with the idea of adding more kilts and plaid to my small collection. They’d be wonderful for dancing and other formal occasions. I totally need to start a ‘Kilt and Accessories’ budget.

I am particularly obsessed with this kilt from Sport Kilt:

I really, really, really want one of these for Irish dance. Only I would have Kelley green in the pleats, and for extra security, I’d opt for the buckle option. I think that I may get this as a birthday present for myself, in about three months of course. I envision wearing it with a black dress shirt, black vest, matching green tie, and black hose. I really like the black with a shock of color idea.

After looking into my ancestry towards the beginning of break, I have realized that, while I have no detectable Gaelic blood in me, I do have a fair amount of Cornish ancestry. This of course has led me to discover Cornish tartans, and there’s a nice little store in Cornwall that supplies Cornish kilts: www.cornish-tartans.co.uk.

[As far as I can tell, a Cornish kilt is just a regular kilt in a Cornish tartan.]

Cornish tartans

If I ever get a new, or second, dance kilt, I think that I would get it in the St. Piran dress tartan—it’s one of the Cornish national tartans:

I really like the white and black dress tartans. I know they don’t stand out like the colored ones do, but with a black doublet, especially a Montrose jacket, I think black and white tartans can look quite dapper.

For now, though, I think that I will settle my desire for Cornish tartans with a Cornish national cummerbund and bow tie. They’d look nice with my black dress pants and a white tuxedo shirt.

Cornish National cummerbund from Cornovi

Also, if I ever get to choreographing something of Manx influence, I think that I’d really like a vest one of the Manx tartans. As I am discovering, you can never have too much plaid!

Isle of Man Cornaa tartan

 I have been doing some shopping on iTunes as well—thanks to an iTunes gift card from my mom. Thus far I have managed to find a couple of Manx and Cornish songs and tunes. I leave you, then, with a song from the Cornish group, Dalla:

Dean Younk a Gernow -- Dalla