Mess jackets - questions

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

You may recall my recent troubles finding an appropriate kilt jacket to wear to my step-daughter's wedding next weekend.

Her spouse-to-be's father will be wearing his military dress blues, though, so I know that at least someone else is dressing up.

This past weekend I found my grandfather's USAF mess dress jackets (one black, one white). These are probably vintage 1960s-era jackets. I tried them on and they fit pretty darn well.

So I'm asking myself whether this would be suitable or appropriate for this wedding. Actually, I'm asking all of you!

One of the oft overlooked rules of wedding attire is that as a matter of mutual respect both the bride's family, and that of the groom, should be dressed to the same level of formality. That being the case it would be absolutely correct to wear a mess jacket with your kilt, provided you replaced the buttons and removed the shoulder board loops. However, before committing to wearing the mess jacket, make sure that it is long enough to cover the top of your kilt, with no shirt showing on the sides or back.

As has been already suggested you should be able to rent (or buy) a black three button vest at your local tux shop, along with a white dress shirt and black bow tie (avoid a wing collar shirt if you are aspiring to a less formal style). Round off the look with your hair sporran and you will have dressed to the same level of formality as the father of the groom.

[Newfoundlander]

One of the oft overlooked rules of wedding attire is that as a matter of mutual respect both the bride's family, and that of the groom, should be dressed to the same level of formality. That being the case it would be absolutely correct to wear a mess jacket with your kilt, provided you replaced the buttons and removed the shoulder board loops. However, before committing to wearing the mess jacket, make sure that it is long enough to cover the top of your kilt, with no shirt showing on the sides or back.

As has been already suggested you should be able to rent (or buy) a black three button vest at your local tux shop, along with a white dress shirt and black bow tie (avoid a wing collar shirt if you are aspiring to a less formal style). Round off the look with your hair sporran and you will have dressed to the same level of formality as the father of the groom.

I'll second MacMillian and say that a waistcoat can easily be hired from a shop and really would tip off your attire. That will your horsehair sporran would look smashing indeed. This level of dress in certainly on par with a classic Prince Charlie.

Two things to consider for the waistcoat rental is the length and colour. Some "modern" cut tux waistcoats come to the trouser waist nd not the natural waist and might look off with a kilt and extend past your jacket. A good tux shop should have both though. And black is not always black. Nothing looks worst than conflicting shades of black in a jacket and waistcoat pair. You could get lucky though. I wouldn't rule out other colours such as cream or off-white for your waistcoat. So long, of course, as the colour scheme doesn't look odd with your tartan.

What tartan is your kilt?

So after a little net research, I came across what sounds like a picture of your jacket here, about a third of the way down the page.

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/foru...howtopic=23190

If so, this is quite the smart looking jacket and I think would go wonderfully with a kilt. Luckily these era of jackets were meant for trousers that sat at the natural waist, unlike more contemporary mess jackets that sit at the trouser waist and require a cummerbund.

Many here are advising you to remove the buttons and replace them. May I ask those in the thread, why is that? In my humble opinion only of course, you have a great vintage jacket so why try and pass it off as a modern jacket by putting the square PC buttons on it? The older buttons look great in the pictures above, and since this jacket is no longer an active piece of uniform its ok to wear. Also, there's the aspect that this was Tobus' Grandfathers jacket and by wearing it, in my mind anyway, your honouring him and his service. Should someone say to you "those are neat buttons," you can then reply "thanks, this jacket belonged to my Grandfather, and I think it's fantastic." I'd love it if years down the road my grandson wore my old mess jacket =) I don't mean to harp on this, I'm just wondering why?

[Cygnus]

One of the oft overlooked rules of wedding attire is that as a matter of mutual respect both the bride's family, and that of the groom, should be dressed to the same level of formality. That being the case it would be absolutely correct to wear a mess jacket with your kilt, provided you replaced the buttons and removed the shoulder board loops. However, before committing to wearing the mess jacket, make sure that it is long enough to cover the top of your kilt, with no shirt showing on the sides or back.

As has been already suggested you should be able to rent (or buy) a black three button vest at your local tux shop, along with a white dress shirt and black bow tie (avoid a wing collar shirt if you are aspiring to a less formal style). Round off the look with your hair sporran and you will have dressed to the same level of formality as the father of the groom.

I think MoR and I made different assumptions about the uniform the groom's father would be wearing - as I'm not as familiar with military uniforms as MoR, I have little doubt that he is correct. It seems that MoR assumed that he would be wearing dinner dress blues (with lapels and bow tie) while I had envisioned service dress blues (with a high collar and that fastens all the way to the throat or that is worn with a four-in-hand tie).

If it is the former, then the look you have with the hair sporran is just about right; though to really do that lovely jacket justice I'd suggest a black bow tie and a shirt with shirt studs.

They are both lovely jackets, sometime in the future I hope to get a white mess jacket just like yours for fancier events in the desert heat.