Quote Originally Posted by The Barry View Post
I don't agree that you shouldn't be noticed for your clothing. Maybe it's my vanity, maybe I'm just smooth and good looking. I could always wear the normal, black tie, white shirt, generic tux; or I could add some slight touches and make a couple of choices to really make my black tie outfit my own.

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So let us take this into account with a kilt. Go ahead, throw away that white shirt if you don't like it. Do you have a color in your tartan that needs to be emphasized? Maybe your tartan has black stripes in it, try a black shirt. Experiment with tie color. It's clothing, go ahead and make a statement. I promise, if you wear a not-white shirt with a kilt to a black tie event, nobody is going to mock you for your shirt. They are going to envy you for the way a kilt looks on a confident man who knows how to dress. By the way, a black shirt under a black waistcoat makes women weak in the knees! I kid you not.
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Just my two cents, not trying to ruffle feathers, just putting out some options based on personal experience.
Sorry, MacMillan is correct on white tie. He may be the only person here who has attended more events in white tie than I have and I completely agree with him. Frequently I am in the same position as Coemgen, where only performers or members of a dais are in white tie.

There is a huge difference be black tie and white tie. While "creative" black tie has become accepted thanks mostly to celebrities, "creative" white tie has not. Maybe because celebrities don't do white tie. Certainly showing up in highland dress white tie will set you apart, so it is very important to make sure the rest of your outfit meets expectations.

Let's also look at Coemgen's situation. He is not attending a ball; he will be a performer at what would likely be considered a conservative institution. He also had to ask for permission to wear his highland kit. SO this is definitely the time to do it right.

So Coemgen, follow MacMillan's advice and you will shine.