Dress code: Cocktail party attire; elegant but no black tie. Kilt equivalent?

[MacLowlife]

So much depends on your friends. I have been to cocktail parties where nobody wore a jacket and I have been to cocktail parties where all of the men were wearing jackets and ties.

Indoors, a tweed jacket might be pretty warm. Oddly enough, the hotter it is outside, the more comfortable you are likely to be indoors in a tweed jacket, because there will be AC. If it is cold outside, the hosts will be inclined to crank up the heat. Having said all of that, here is another opportunity for a subtly patterned worsted jacket, in the mode of the Duke of Rothesay. I vote for a quietly checked shirt, a figured bow tie, and the most colorful jacket you are comfortable in. This is a party, not a funeral or a bank meeting. If, by some odd chance, you have a tartan Argyll or crail jacket, here is a good opportunity to show it off. AND, just to stir the pot, if you insist on wearing a solid black jacket, why not a tartan bow tie in some sett or color way (ancient, hunting, dress, etc) other than your kilt?