I had a flash last nite and remembered an article I was reading while staying in a bothy in the Cairngorms
The article was in an old copy of a climbing and hill walking magazine and was discussing the "Ideal" wardrobe for Scottish winters.
Silk long john top
Worsted wool shirt
Cashmere crew neck
Shetland wool V-neck topped with a Mohair jumper for bulk warmth
Woollen breeches with wool long johns/ 2 or 3 pairs of socks and whether to use rubber soles boots or stay with nails
And of course a long discussion on which was the best outer layer, waxed cotton or plain proofed cotton
The only synthetic mentioned in the article was to say that a pair of proofed nylon pants as a hypothermia layer was valuable it it was going to be a long day.
I realise that I have accumulated most of this system over the years.
Not one mention of the benefits of separate windproof inner layers or what happens if you can't dry out each day
I read this at the time and noted that the article was already 10 years or so old, synthetic clothing was selling well in the shops and Goretex and Helly-Hansen/PeterStorm/Javelin pile had just hit the market but I'd guess that most of the people I met on the hills were still dressing as per the outdated article
The old system does work, in fact I still sometimes pack my old Mohair jumper, but new is so much lighter and much more efficient