[Tiny]

Ok so I wore my kilt to church last Sunday and no one batted an eye. (baptist church so had some concerns) Was a lil warm for the sweater vest but figured since Inow have enough kit I feel ok in semi formal gatherings I would post a pic here and get a review from the rabble. I doIntend on a propper jacket once I find one in my size. (who would have thought 52R would be so hard to find in seconda hand shops to convert) Look forward to reading how this look rates and anything I need to change.

[CMcG]

I like the outfit and that's great that your fellow church goers took it in stride. I especially commend you on the Argyle sweater vest, which to my eye looks smart as a contrasting pattern to the tartan of your kilt.

My only criticism is that you might want to show more knee... kilt too long or worn too low on your waist? Hose pulled up too high? Either way, a larger break between your hose and the bottom of your kilt will look more tidy.

[Tiny]

from the picture I expected the knee issue. I can say it drops to just about the top of my knee, maybe a hair under the top of the knee. being a gentlemen of substance and the angle of the camera does lend to the long kilt, high socks look.

[piperdbh]

If it were me, I'd skip the sweater and wear hose of a different color from the shirt. Thanks for posting the picture.

[Riverkilt]

Looks a bit busy to me with the tartan AND the diamonds going on - but it does work.

I'm a big guy too, and even my size off the rack won't fit since the jacket sleeves are too long if I buy off the rack for my belly. So, had some made to measure jackets sewn up at Lochcarron. Ordered through my kiltmaker. Sure is nice to have jackets that fit both my belly AND my arms.

[MacMillan's son]

Hopefully you will take all of the input you receive in stride (especially mine), and integrate or ignore any that you disagree with. What I have learned on this forum are options vs. rules. When I came here I was completely clueless, but now I have what I consider some variations that I can choose from based on my own tastes and what I find appealing. Good on ya for your desire to be flexible and learn.

I am absolutely no expert or authority on Highland attire, but here is my completely subjective input on your outfit:

I am not a fan of the patterned vest. I think its stark contrast in colors draws too much attention, and adds too much uncoordinated pattern to the outfit.

I am also not a fan of what I call the "tartan sandwich" wherein the shirt and hose are the same color with the tartan sandwiched in between them. I prefer a vertical coordinating flow of colors with very little, or no, matching. Matching shirt and hose is a common practice however, I just find it too matchy matchy and does not show much thought given to an outfit. Again, that's just my opinion and many others may/will disagree with me.

If you would like some photographic examples of an alternative look, the forums on here which include photos of His Royal Highness Prince Charles have been really helpful to me in regards to the use of coordinating colors and "non-matching" outfits.

For what it's worth, in you photo, you appear very comfortable in your own skin, which goes a long way in pulling off any outfit. It also aids in making others comfortable as well.

Best regards,

Brooke

[CMcG]

Originally Posted by Tiny

from the picture I expected the knee issue. I can say it drops to just about the top of my knee, maybe a hair under the top of the knee. being a gentlemen of substance and the angle of the camera does lend to the long kilt, high socks look.

Sounds like you know where it should all be! My earlier advice then should be addressed to your photographer; take the picture pointing the camera up instead of down!

[BBoykin]

Originally Posted by MacMillan's son

...

I am also not a fan of what I call the "tartan sandwich" wherein the shirt and hose are the same color with the tartan sandwiched in between them. I prefer a vertical coordinating flow of colors with very little, or no, matching. Matching shirt and hose is a common practice however, I just find it too matchy matchy and does not show much thought given to an outfit. Again, that's just my opinion and many others may/will disagree with me.

...

I like that point of view. But I'm also a fan of the matching hose and shirt look...So many possibilities!

I'm certainly no expert on kilt wear but I'd lose the Argyle sweater vest. It's taking all the attention away from your kilt and clashing to my eye. A solid color vest would work much better to me - or none at all, weather permitting. Otherwise I think you look quite smart!

[O'Callaghan]

You look very smart. The argyll pullover may be slight overkill, but that's OK.

We used to go to an Episcopal church when the wife was going through a religious phase. The vicar himself came back from a trip to Scotland with a kilt and sporran and wore them to church once or twice. He told his wife "Now I have my own purse" referring to the sporran! Of course, that is exactly what the word sporran means. He wore his kilt with a 'Jacobite' shirt, so you look far more conservative than he did.

Mind you, I don't think he wore a Jacobite shirt in the pulpit. I can't see how that would work with the 'dog collar'. I think he got changed after the service. I'm not sure whether you could tell if he was wearing a kilt when standing behind the pulpit and wearing a surplice over his clothes.

He also had one ear pierced, and one Christmas he read the sermon wearing an earring that resembled a Christmas tree bauble, which he received as a gift from one of the ladies in the congregation. Sadly, some people there thought that he was a bit too outlandish for their taste. I liked him, personally, and I'm not religious, but maybe that has something to do with it.

[Jock Scot]

If you like the look,then frankly, it does not matter one jot what I or anyone else thinks. Actually I don't think it looks too bad. I am not a church goer, but I really can't see that many can take exception to your outfit either and it seems that they don't.

OK having said that, if it were me, I think I would wear a plain pullover so that the eye is not taken away from the tartan. I think that you must agree that the combination of the tartan and the pullover you are wearing is quite a bit to take in------but it does work nevertheless. I suspect that you know what I am going to say next, don't get too wound up with this matching up business, it really is not a requirement that everything should match.

Finally, the kilt length. It does look as though the kilt is too low and the hose are too high and yes alright its the camera angle. Now assuming the camera man(I refuse to say person) was not 7 ft tall and stood on a ladder that is what he saw and so did the rest of the congregation! We/they are not going to get on our/their knees just to view YOUR knees and the height of your hose, from the correct angle! Well are they? So something for you to consider?

I still think your outfit does in fact work, but with a few tweaks here and there you will really cut a dash.