kilt height+tie length+button height+heaviness

[OC Richard]

There's a number of issues which have come up recently on various threads which to me are interrelated.

These are:

1) tie length

2) whether or not to tuck the bottom of the tie into the waistband of the kilt

3) button height on jackets purpose-made for kiltwearing v. jackets made for "Saxon" wear

4) kilt length (or in this instance, kilt height)

5) kiltwearing for heavier gents

In addition there have been numerous discussions about wearing a waistbelt yes/no wearing a waistcoat yes/no which also relate.

As I've gained weight I've noticed that for me the most-slimming outfit is wearing an Argyll jacket without belt or vest underneath, and buttoning the jacket.

I know that traditionally these jackets aren't buttoned but left to hang open. For pipers there's a practical consideration in that if you have your jacket unbuttoned, half the time when you strike in one side of the jacket gets pushed up along with your pipes into your arm-pit, which is unsightly. So it's pretty common for pipers to button their jacket.

Having the jacket buttoned creates two issues, kilt height and tie length. I like having the top of the kilt right in line with the button, so that above the button the tie alone shows, below the button the kilt alone shows. Tucking the tie into the kilt insures that the tie stays in place, and also that none of the tie will be visible below the button.

To me, either with Saxon or Highland dress, having the tip of the tie peeking out from under the jacket below the button looks unsightly.

Here's how I usually do it for piping gigs: jacket buttoned, tie long and tucked in, only tie above, only tartan below, no vest or belt



As above, when playing. I'm around 40 pounds heavier in this pic than the ones above and below.



Jacket unbuttoned, not a good look!

[Sir Didymous]

Sound advice. I too have had around 30 or so pounds find their way onto me. As a result, I have been doing things a bit differently. Which in my case means that I'm leaning more to the conservative side.

I usually don't tuck in my tie, but rather just tie it so that it is a little around an inch above the waistband. I then use a tie clip to keep things in place. But lately the two have been interchangeable.

Recently I have also developed a fondness for sweater vests. By using these, the waist belt has been made obsolete and tie length is of no consequence. That is so long as you don't have it hanging out of the bottom of the vest.

Given the current temperaturestate up this way, the sweater vest also allows me to omit the jacket at my discretion.

The biggest change I've made is occasionally wearing my double breasted shell jacket closed with no waist belt and the top buttoned back to show the tie. This is probably the most slimming outfit I have outside of some of my 13th century long tunics. It should be noted that it is also a very untraditional look more suited to those who kilt in a historically inspired contemporary fashion.

[Thekiltedmohawk]

Agreed with Sir Didymous.

That's why I prefer to wear vests to eliminate the fuss of wearing tie along with the kilt to try to look right in it. I think I look sharp with the vest and tie combo rather than just tie alone.

Probably, that's why I have 5 different kind of vests.

[OC Richard]

Yes indeed traditionally those Argyll jackets were usually worn with vests/waistcoats, which do away with any issues of tie length and kilt height (as long as your kilt is high enough to not create an unsightly gap). Then the jacket can be left unbuttoned in the traditional way and there's no problems.

Thing is, it's often so darn hot here that it's bad enough wearing the jacket. When you're hired for a piping gig it's more or less expected that you wear jacket and tie- the clergy and any menfolk there in official capacities will be wearing coat and tie no matter how hot it is.

But yes I've been wearing a waistcoat more often recently. At our last Highland Games I ponied up the money and got a very nice Scottish-made black Barathea waistcoat to match my black Argyll jacket, and I must say I look much dressier wearing both vest and jacket.

[bicyclebradley]

so run the tie a bit long and then tuck into the top of the kilt. i like this advice, thanks!
wearing a waistcoat with tie this ensures the tie is not peeking out from the waistcoat, which i agree is unsightly.

question: white shirt + black hose = black tie?
I wouldn't wear a tartan tie but i like the idea of a red tie that matches the red in my tartan.
Would this be acceptable?

[Tarheel]

This is my outfit in an semi-formal setting (Museum program). My hose were Navy blue and my shoes were brown suede. I think the whole ensemble worked well together. My tie was tucked into the top of the kilt (as it is a long tie no matter the knot).

[cck]

Wearing a long tie with a kilt is a little challenge for me. In case I am not wearing a waistcoat, I like the tie to end above the top of the kilt. Moving the body of the tie up, making the small (back) end longer puts the bottom of the tie in the correct place. Then I deal with hiding the longer back end. However, being a fan of bow ties, this is often my way of avoiding the tie length problem.

[Thekiltedmohawk]

The trick I use on my ties by shorten the long end before knot it. So, the smaller end will be longer than the bigger end. The vest itself will cover the funny-looking tie, and I don't have to worry about tucking in long end in above my kilt. The "longer" small end ended up just above my belly button. My profile picture is the example of that as well.

[bicyclebradley]

The trick I use on my ties by shorten the long end before knot it. So, the smaller end will be longer than the bigger end. The vest itself will cover the funny-looking tie, and I don't have to worry about tucking in long end in above my kilt. The "longer" small end ended up just above my belly button. My profile picture is the example of that as well.

That's a good idea. Does it work with double-windsor though, are you up into the wide part of the tie - too wide for a dbl-windsor?

[Thekiltedmohawk]

That's a good idea. Does it work with double-windsor though, are you up into the wide part of the tie - too wide for a dbl-windsor?

I don't see a reason why it wouldn't work with Double-Windsor with a typical long tie. Again, that depends on your tie's size and its width.