What to Wear in Scotland
A suitcase that needs packing can inspire terror in even the most intrepid of travellers. The latest in our series What to Wear, fashion editor Osman Ahmed answers our queries about what to wear during a trip to the Scottish Highlands aboard the Royal Scotsman train.
Above, from left BAG Givenchy. SHOES Louis Vuitton. BRACELET and RING Lily Gabriella. SCARF Suki Wang London. PENCIL JW Anderson. PEWTER FLASK from THE ROYAL SCOTSMAN. LIPSTICK Dior Beauty. Socks and comb, stylist’s own
The Scottish Highlands – dramatic, wind-carved, almost sculptural in their beauty – have long drawn artists, philosophers and aesthetes who understand that true chic whispers rather than shouts. Coco Chanel was one of them. Her time in Scotland yielded the sporting tweeds and cashmeres that would become cornerstones of her legendary fashion empire. Her dictum – “luxury is the opposite of vulgarity, not poverty” – could just as easily describe the Royal Scotsman, the grand sleeper train that departs Edinburgh to the sound of bagpipes and glides north into the wilderness.
On board, elegance is measured not in excess but in atmosphere. The wood-panelled carriages exude a kind of patrician ease: more country estate than gilded railway fantasy. The dress code, too, leans towards “cosy refinement”. Think superfine cashmere, jewel-rich hues, a hint of shearling and the quiet authority of Scottish staples – kilts, tweeds, the unmistakable geometry of tartan. You will find yourself stopping at storied distilleries and remote lochs, where wild swimming is not only possible but, for some, irresistible.
Above, from left KNITWEAR and PENCIL JW Anderson. BAG Givenchy. HAT CASE Louis Vuitton. PEWTER FLASK from THE ROYAL SCOTSMAN. GLOVES Paula Rowan. NECKLACE Patou. SHOES Louis Vuitton. RING Lily Gabriella. LIPSTICK Dior Beauty. Comb and camera case, stylist’s own.
Pack a swimsuit if you’re that way inclined – and something warm, enveloping and cosy to slip into afterwards as the train’s team brings you hot toddies and the most exquisite shortbread. Evenings on the train are glamorous in that specifically Scottish, Balmoral-adjacent way. Taffeta-skirted dresses. Black-tie kilts. A nod to local craftsmanship – long cashmere kilt socks, perhaps, or a sporran repurposed as the chicest of handbags – feels entirely right. And don’t forget oversized sunglasses for the following morning: keeping pace with the Scots when it comes to whisky is its own endurance sport, and the breakfast spread, generous and unmissable, arrives with unforgiving daylight.
Photography by Charlotte Robin
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