One kilt, several looks. A canny Scot's take.

[Calgacus]

A minor point, you might notice that I fasten all the buttons on my waistcoat. I believe that is the done thing with highland attire, and besides, I'm not a corpulent prince. The Kinloch Anderson chap above seems to have forgotten to button his...

[creagdhubh]

By the way, McMurdo and I were talking and he reminded me where I'd seen similar style hose in the past. On the very smart Pipe Major John D. Burgess.

That's precisely who I thought of when I saw Calgacus' hose. P/M Burgess, always well turned out.

[Calgacus]

Thanks for sharing. Very sharp indeed.

A few observations:

Those diamond patterned hose are quite unique! Not diced and not tartan. Not really picking up colours from the tartan either. They certainly stand out!

The fly front, lay down collar, french cuff tuxedo shirt is almost impossible to find here. Wing collar pleated front tuxedo shirts with studs are by far the most common for sale here followed by lay down pleated front shirts with studs. I do like the concealed placket and the overall look of this shirt. Perhaps they will become more available here in time.

How much more rare would you say a Glengarry bonnet is as compared to a Balmoral aside from among soldiers and pipers?

Final question: Many on this forum have expressed the view that the semi-dress sporran which is sold specifically to be worn with the Black Argyll (morning dress) is neither fish nor fowl and therefore undesirable. I notice you have chosen an evening sporran with this look while I've also seen a simple (usually black) day sporran pressed into service for this level of dress.

I wonder whether there a difference regarding when one would choose one over the other given the context of the occasion or if it's a simple coin toss that goes to personal taste.

Again, thank you for sharing your pics and your comments.

Hi Nathan, thanks for the compliment! I extend that thanks to all those others who have done likewise.

The hose were in an end-of-line sale at my kilt maker's shop. There were only two pairs and both were the same bottle green & cream. They were heavily reduced so I bought both pairs. I know they don't match anything but I do think they work. I'd love a pair of diced or tartan hose, but they are rather expensive, so the compromise was made!

The shirt is my preferred style and came from Slaters, a UK wide chain store. It is of moderate quality but does the job. I'm surprised that it's hard to find elsewhere. I'm not keen on frills, pleats, or even studs, so that is the style I chose.

The Glengarry is indeed a rare beast. Bonnets in general are rare here, as indeed are most forms of headgear, though I see a slight trend for more hats being worn than in years gone by. Kilted gentlemen in Scotland are rare enough, those wearing something on their head rarer still, and those in a Glengarry even more so! You could say that the sample size is too small to draw any statistical conclusions. You are quite right to say that the Glen is nowadays almost uniquely the preserve of pipers and the military. I do play smallpipes (badly) so I suppose I have that in my favour, but I prefer a diced bonnet and some observers might assume I have a military background, which I do not. It's a bit of a tricky one really, I know it has been discussed here how the diced Glengarry originated as civilian attire, but it's not always viewed that way. Maybe that's why I shy away from wearing it. Maybe I should become a one-man campaign to restore the diced Glen to its rightful place on the civilian pate?

I am not a fan of the semi-dress sporran. It screams 'rental!' as it is primarily marketed by kilt hire shops as a 'Jack of all trades' when it is of course a master of none. Looking at it objectively, it could be considered an appropriate choice, a sort of less ostentatious dress sporran just right for formal daywear, however the unfortunate association with the 'rental look' rules it out for me in much the same way as cream hose and ruche ties. A plain black leather sporran would not be out of place, but I don't happen to own one!

The black barathea Argyll & five button waistcoat combination is, if playing by the rules, formal daywear but the occasions that demand that are few and far between. I know it is contentious, but I personally think that it works as a suitable level of dress when black tie is too much, but tweed is not quite enough. Sort of the equivalent of the saxon 'dark suit'. Now I'm going to shoot down my own argument and suggest that possibly a charcoal tweed Argyll is the ideal choice here, though that would logically suggest a plain leather sporran. I'd like to hear others' opinions.

Anyway, I tend not to play entirely by the rules. Sometimes I lean more towards the Pirates' Code

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6kgS_AwuH0

*Edit* I think that's what I'm (hopefully) doing with the hose & Glengarry. Bending the rules, but not too much, just gently. If that is what I'm doing, it is subconscious.

[Leonhardt]

Looking sharp

[gazbot]

Brilliant thread. My kind of style. Interesting point regarding bottom button on waistcoats I have always left mine open. Nice to know that the option is up for opinion when in highland dress. If The Duke of Rothesay can change his mind then its good enough for me.

Looking good folks.