formal evening dress: vest or no?

[CMcG]

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While you, or anyone, should certainly take the advice, opinions, and/or photographic evidence from members of this forum into consideration when thinking about your Highlandwear choices, let them help you to make YOUR choices about YOUR personal style, not dictate them. Let the examples here be your guides, not your gospel. Like Jock said, it would be no fun if we all dressed alike.

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I can't be the only one on here who bows to a higher authority when it comes to sartorial colour clashes in public, even if it is traditional to ignore them when you're wearing the kilt.

I like to ask for opinions both on this forum and off it but usually also ask for a justification. That's why I greatly appreciate when people explain how they hold a given view, whether it be based on aesthetics, convention, whim, or anything else. Asking for explanations also usually sparks a better debate than a "yes or no" question and I greatly enjoy a good debate

I also find photographic examples from the rabble to be a great help. The internet is full of images from rental/retailers that might make one think white hose, ruche ties, and ghillie brogues were the height of Highland style!

While in the end I always follow my own personal style, I prefer to inform it with sage advice from those more knowledgeable than I. For street wear I'm less concerned about outside opinions (except from my lass), when kilted amongst the ignorant and bifurcated I just need to look good, but if I were to wear my kilt to a formal, Scottish event I believe being as informed as possible about tradition becomes a matter of respect.

As for the higher authority that sfb mentions, mine has weighed in on the discussion and says she likes the waistcoat because it adds another layer of interest to the ensemble that a belt cannot achieve.