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

[Nathan]

Edit: sad face emoticon in post title was a typo. I meant to post a happy face.

I quite like this thread by Calgacus and since Richard and others have shared their preferences, I thought I'd follow suit.

Smart casual Jumper and open collar for a smart casual occasion, a tie can be added to take this up a notch. Solid hose and a simple leather sporran are best for this look.



Day wear - much like Calgacus' take on daywear. This is either a sports coat or lounge suit (business suit) equivalent. Keys to this look are a tweed Argyll jacket cut for the kilt, a day sporran and solid coloured hose. A waist belt is optional but if worn, a simple buckle style like Calgacus and I have chosen is preferable to a silver coloured plate style buckle as those are better suited to formal wear. A tattersall shirt is in keeping with the country gentleman appearance that tweed wear evokes.



Smart day wear - For a slightly dressier look, I've gotten rid of the waist belt and added a waistcoat, pocket watch and patterned hose tops. This is personal flare and the simpler look would be an equivalent level of formality.



Day wear - Highland Games - Scottish Festival Although either of the other daywear looks are perfectly appropriate, I would add a bonnet and cromach for a classic march of the clans or Highland Games look. In this picture, I've added a day plaid which some love and others hate. It is viewed as either classic or over the top depending who you ask. I am also wearing a full mask sporran which is a traditional yet controversial choice. This was a classic 20th Century look in the Highlands, but fewer people wear the bonnet or plaids nowadays. I will wear this outfit (minus the plaid) to most Highland Games this summer. I look forward to my brass cantled leather sporran to finish this outfit off and likely retire the fox. McMurdo is wearing a great Highland Games outfit here with a fine harris tweed Argyll, no plaid, a belt rather than a waistcoat and a fine Ferguson Brit sporran.



Daywear (dark less is more) I like to wear this charcoal suiting wool Argyll jacket for events where a dark suit would be worn in NA such as at this Remembrance Day concert. This is not necessary, any tweed would do as would the black barrathea Argyll. I have a simple sporran and solid hose here for an understated look. I've chosen a white shirt here.



Morning Dress/non formal evening wear

As Calgacus showed, the black barathea Argyll with a long tie is perfect for these occasions. I wear mine here with a simple black day sporran but sporran choice with this outfit is more open as discussed earlier in the thread. Although I am still in my tattersall shirt from the photo with my tweed, I would most likely choose a crisp white shirt, probably with French cuffs, if I was wearing this as a morning suit equivalent.



Black Tie/Formal evening wear 1
The same black Argyll with a tartan waistcoat and black bow tie - as per Calgacus a three button black barrathea waistcoat is great (perhaps more traditional) with this also. A 5 button black barathea or 3 or 5 button bias cut tartan waistcoat would also work. Black tie and up requires an evening/dress sporran which is fur and generally has a white metal cantle although gilt is sometimes used. This is the level at which I switch my antler handled day sgian dubh to the more ornate evening variety in black with silver mountings and a cairngorm mounted on the pommel. I wear that sgian for black tie and up.



Black Tie/Formal evening wear 2 Prince Charlie coatee and waistcoat. Plain, solid coloured hose and polished oxfords are great for a less fancy black tie event, whether the jacket you choose is an Argyll, PC or even the doublets that work with black tie. Let the women's attire be your clue. Ghillie brogues are an option so long as they have thin, leather soles and are high quality and are not the chunky, rubber soled pipe band ghillie brogues. If you don't already own ghillie brogues, there's not much advantage to spending money on a pair as polished cap toed oxfords or brogued oxfords serve equally well in the eyes of most and better in the eyes of some.



Black Tie/Formal evening wear 3 My green barathea Argyll can be worn open with a black bowtie for a great black tie look. Close the doublet with the belt over the doublet for a more formal look. Same idea about hose and shoes applies as mentioned in the Prince Charlie notes. I would note that for hose colour with black tie I avoid earth tones as they evoke day wear for me but that is perhaps a question of taste. I also avoid white hose as I have options and there are those that feel it evokes a rental look.



White tie/formal ball Any evening doublet with diced or tartan hose and buckle brogues is my preference. A jabot or bow tie can be worn here. Orionson also has a nice white tie look with his Prince Charlie Coatee in my opinion. This is the level of dress where I wish I had a sporran like Richard's goat hair above, as I think it fits perfectly with very formal and ornate attire.

[Nathan]

White tie/formal ball 2 - As mentioned above, a bow tie works for this level as well as a jabot and lace cuffs. With Highland attire, a black bow tie may be worn at a white tie level function. Here's a photo to demonstrate taken on my lunch break today after receiving my new tartan hose. This variation of the outfit could also be worn at a more formal black tie event.



For more looks and commentary on formality, read this sticky here if you haven't already done so:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-attire-46888/

[SeumasA]

Thanks to both Calgacus and Nathan for their efforts in this thread.

It's nice to see how my Clanranald kilt would look in a more formal setting.

[CMcG]

White tie/formal ball 2 - As mentioned above, a bow tie works for this level as well as a jabot and lace cuffs. With Highland attire, a black bow tie may be worn at a white tie level function. Here's a photo to demonstrate taken on my lunch break today after receiving my new tartan hose. This variation of the outfit could also be worn at a more formal black tie event.

Looking sharp there, buddy!

[Calgacus]

Thanks Nathan, great pics. Very much in line with my own tastes.

[Nathan]

Thanks Nathan, great pics. Very much in line with my own tastes.

Glad to hear it, I felt the same way about your pics.

I thought this list (with a few minor adjustments) from your other thread might be useful to people who stumble upon this one:

White tie equivalent:
Doublet, jabot & cuffs (or black bow tie with Highland attire)
(I think Orionson ably demonstrated that a properly worn coatee with white marcella waistcoat and white bow tie can also work for white tie but there may be some debate about this).
Tartan or diced hose
ornate fur sporran with (typically) a white metal cantle (or a sporran molach i.e., a long goat hair or horse hair sporran)
Buckled brogues (or patent leather court shoes or dancing pumps)
Black silver mounted evening sgian dubh

Worn at state occasions and some pretty fancy balls

Black tie equivalent:
Prince Charlie coatee (or doublet - especially without jabot and cuffs such as a Regulation doublet - most formal. Black dress Argyll with three button waistcoat and black bow tie -least formal )
Tartan, diced or coloured hose (avoid lovat or earthy muted coloured hose)
Buckled, ghillie, or fine oxfords/brogues
fur sporran with ornate metal cantle (some wear a sporran molach)
Black silver mounted evening sgian dubh

Worn to opera galas, dinners & parties where black tie is stipulated

Morning dress equivalent:
Black silver buttoned Argyll with five button waistcoat and long tie.
l prefer a plain black leather sporran but kilt outfitters maintain (much to Jock's shegrin) that rather than the rubbish bin, this is the place for the semi-dress sporran. A fur sporran with ornate metal cantle works with this as well but a sporran moloch would be too much.
Coloured hose
Black, polished brogues or oxfords.

Worn to daytime weddings, formal day events like an investiture & perhaps the races

Lounge suit/business suit equivalent:
Tweed Argyll
Coloured hose
simple leather flap or hunting sporran
Brogues
less ornate sgian dubh perhaps stag handled or wood with less silver, jewels etc...)

Worn to weddings, funerals, evening events where black tie not stipulated

Day wear, "oot 'n' aboot":
Tweed Argyll or pullover, Barbour etc.
Coloured hose

Worn at all other times such as hillwalking.

[creagdhubh]

Very smart, Nathan!

[Nathan]

White tie continued

Here are the photos of our own Orionson wearing his Prince Charlie with a white marcella waistcoat, formal dress shirt and white bow tie to good effect at his daughter's wedding, as referenced above.



For those interested, there are several other examples of this level of formality on post #36 on this thread:
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...23/index4.html

[OC Richard]

Most excellent photos, Nathan!

Yes a sticky candidate.

On a different matter:

John Campbell has his bottom button undone.

Odd, there's no John Campbell in either of my two copies of HOS.

There's Colin Campbell, who has his bottom button done, as you can see

[CMcG]

On a different matter:



Odd, there's no John Campbell in either of my two copies of HOS.

There's Colin Campbell...

See here for Colin Campbell's fellow clansman:

http://www.eccentricbliss.com/2012/08/fellow-clansmen/