“a sutte of black which will always be of use to you”: Expressions of Difference and Similarity in the Clothing Choices of the Scottish Male Elite Travelling in Europe, 1550–1750

: Some of the Scottish soldiers who fought for Gustavus Adolphus during the Thirty Years ’ War wore their national dress. While very distinctive, their clothing was not representative of that chosen by many of the Scottish men living in Europe. Having left their homeland for reasons of trade, education, leisure, or exile, their fashionable clothing was carefully selected to ensure that they integrated into the societies they visited. Taking the fashion advice of Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun and the letters and accounts of Robert, lord Kerr of Newbattle and his younger brother William as two small case studies, this article explores how elite Scottish men used black clothing, as a staple component of their travel wardrobe, because black was socially acceptable throughout Europe. Their choices abroad will be contextualized by their choices at home, those made by English men, and the guidance offered by Baldassare Castiglione that transcended national boundaries.