formal evening dress: vest or no?

[creagdhubh]

Nice photos, especially the last one of my Chief, Sir William Macpherson of Cluny! Yes, he does not wear a waistcoat with his regulation doublet. Instead he wears a black leather belt, with a silver buckle that has his arms engraved into it-I have inspected the buckle very closely whilst I was with Cluny in 2008. He used to wear a waistcoat all the time with his evening wear, sometimes in red, sometimes in dress Macpherson tartan cut on the bias, but more often than not it was in black barathea. He likes the more easy-going and comfortable look now. Cheers on a great photo of my beloved Cluny!