Prince Charlie Vest

[Chef]

Pardon my naivete, but it is inappropriate to remove your jacket at a formal function?

This is one of those times when what is common place and what is appropriate are not necessarily the same.

However, how formal an event is matters as to how much of a faux pas it is to remove your jacket. Certainly at a white tie event it would never be considered appropriate. At most black tie events it would also be crass to to remove the jacket however in hot weather it may be acceptable if you are wearing a full waistcoat.

Now that said the majority of people dress in formal attire only at weddings and while the rules still apply most people don't go by them. So what should you do...well I tend to go with this advice at a wedding follow the wedding party, it is certainly not appropriate to remove your jacket before they do. If they keep them on then so do you. Other formal events are dictated by the host, if it is quite warm the host should remove his jacket to signal others that it is appropriate to remoe theirs. If he keeps his on, so do you. This is particularly true if this is a business function. However when you get away from weddings and formal occaisions where there is dancing, expect to wear a jacket at all times.

[switchblade5984]

okay no one answerd my question! unless i missed it...

wearing another color vest under PC

black pc with green vest...

of red vest?

just to change it up!

[macwilkin]

okay no one answerd my question! unless i missed it...

wearing another color vest under PC

black pc with green vest...

of red vest?

just to change it up!

The only time I have ever seen another colour of waistcoats with formal wear is the tartan waistcoats cut on the bias, and worn with a Montrose style jacket, like this photo on the J. Higgins web site:

http://www.jhiggins.net/sf_proddetai...E4BMT07NIPU4DL

Since the PC is "less formal" than the Montrose and its ilk, I would keep it elegantly simple with a black waistcoat.

Regards,

Todd

[Bob C]

okay no one answerd my question! unless i missed it...

wearing another color vest under PC

black pc with green vest...

of red vest?

just to change it up!

Don't.

[McClef]

Once you put the tartan at a diagonal angle it gets very clashy, the same reason why tartan ties don't look good with a kilt.

[switchblade5984]

Once you put the tartan at a diagonal angle it gets very clashy, the same reason why tartan ties don't look good with a kilt.

yeah im not for that vest at all....

im talking solid color to accent the tartan!

i do like flashes cut at an angle

[macwilkin]

yeah im not for that vest at all....

im talking solid color to accent the tartan!

i do like flashes cut at an angle

If you re-read my post, you'll see I said that this was the only way I've seen a waistcoat in a different colour with Highland formal attire, and then not with a PC.

T.

[McClef]

My argument Cajun and Panache is to do with the angle the tartan ends up at when it goes from squares to diamonds so to speak.

On their own they can still look natty of course but aesthetically to me (and in the eyes of many sources I have read) the tartan of the kilt is square not diamond and disnae leuk richt

Now if ties and weskits were woven correctly I am sure they would then be properly complimentary

[macwilkin]

Once you put the tartan at a diagonal angle it gets very clashy, the same reason why tartan ties don't look good with a kilt.

I've seen it done in person, and depending on the tartan, it can look very natty...horses for courses, really. What might not look good to one looks pure dead brilliant to another.

Of course, the waistcoat should ideally be made at the same time and from the same fabric as the kilt, so the tartans "match" as much as possible. The problem with tartan ties are that many times, the tartan of tie does not match the tartan of the kilt.

T.

[Panache]

Once you put the tartan at a diagonal angle it gets very clashy, the same reason why tartan ties don't look good with a kilt.

Check out the kilt and matching tartan vest Matt Newsome is wearing on this page of his web site:

http://kilts.albanach.org/kiltmaker.html

I think it works pretty well.

Cheers