How about this ensemble?

[tulloch]

That's a great look.

[Spartan Tartan]

I think you look very nice. I would also skip the headgear, but that is just a personal preference. Also, if you like the sporran...wear it. I have a plain black leather sporran and a dress sporran. Never found a need for the semi-dress type. They always seems just a tad off for my style (slightly too dressy or not dressy enough).

I am sure your girlfriend will be pleased.

[MacRobert's Reply]

The "semi-dress" sporran seems to be a fairly recent hybrid invention that inhabits a kind of nether world between day and formal wear. Having said that, a few older day-wear sporrans do have metal catles and a few also have seal-fur fronts but the silver and fur together do suggest a formal-wear sporran. The leather tassels are more typical of day wear. As Jock suggests, a simpler sporran would be more appropriate but IMHO you could get away with this one if you prefer it.

[creagdhubh]

Very smart! Well done.

[O'Searcaigh]

In my opinion -- which is worth less than the paper this post is written on -- whatever one calls the sporran (dress, semi-dress...) it stands out a bit too much, draws too much attention (as is obvious from all the attention it has gotten here) and detracts from the otherwise over-all great look of the rest of it all. Wear the bonnet if/when out-of-doors but definitely remove it otherwise!!! Otherwise, ' Looks Sharp!!!

[Domehead]

I think it is well done. My opinion on the application of "Day wear", "Evening wear", Morning wear" are different than others.
I think your "Day wear" is fine because you are attending a concert in which a tuxedo is not required. Effectively you are wearing a nice professor's suit but replacing the slacks with your kilt - and its accoutrements. I like the contrasting waistcoat and jacket. You'll remove your bonnet upon entering. As for the sporran, it is not my place to say because how do I know it is not the sporran you were bequeathed by a late uncle? You may wear this all the time, except for black-tie when you may wear horse-hair. Who knows?

I wear a traditional antler-handled sgian no matter what the level of dress, because it is the sgian my grandmother gave my father, she then gave me prior to her passing. I have never, be it in the States or in Scotland, been asked.

As for your sporran and the "day", "semi", "dress" pickle...
Whenever (no matter the time) I attend any function that requires coat and tie, I wear my custom Wyvern Leather sporran.
Whenever (no matter the time) I attend any function that requires coat and tie, but the function is deemed by third party as "significant", I wear my custom L&M Highland chrome cantle, tartan faced Hunting sporran
Whenever (no matter the time) I attend any function that requires tuxedo I wear my custom Lamont chrome cantle, red fox Full-fur sporran.

[mookien]

[QUOTE=Nathan;1154336]

... The hose are navy blue and the red are hand knit cuffs. I don't remember the name brand of the hose, I've had them for years.

Thanks. I have not seen a pair quite like them, but they look very nice, especially with your kilt. If you ever see me wearing a similar pair, you'll know where I got the idea.

Personally, I like your "semi-formal" sporran, because it achieves its raison d'etre by dressing your outfit up a bit. Enjoy the concert.

[Tobus]

I think it looks great. We can nit-pick the finer details (hey, it's what makes these conversations interesting), but have no doubt that you will be representing the kilt very well.

The only nit-picking I can really do is to agree that the top-of-the-knee height would be better for the kilt, and the bonnet (worn only out-of-doors, of course) would look better worn with the crown over to the right instead of centered like a flat-cap. Oh, and a nice pocket square might be a nice touch too!

[Nathan]

I think it looks great. We can nit-pick the finer details (hey, it's what makes these conversations interesting), but have no doubt that you will be representing the kilt very well.

The only nit-picking I can really do is to agree that the top-of-the-knee height would be better for the kilt, and the bonnet (worn only out-of-doors, of course) would look better worn with the crown over to the right instead of centered like a flat-cap. Oh, and a nice pocket square might be a nice touch too!

Thanks so much. A pocket square is a nice idea.

Regarding the Tam O Shanter bonnet, this is the way we were instructed to form them when I was in the Nova Scotia Highlanders. It contrasted significantly with our beret wearing counterparts. Interestingly, we were also told to kneel down and let our kilts just brush the floor giving it an upper middle of the knee cap hang. Old military habits die hard I suppose. I'll try to remember to hike it up a little more...

Everyone's feedback and advice is welcome and appreciated! Please don't take my counter point as a rejection of advice... I asked for it and am grateful for it...

A thought regarding sporrans...Regarding the semi dress sporran thing, after posting a thread about it here and doing some outside research, I think it parallels regular dress as follows:

Tweed sport coat and contrasting trousers = day dress tweed jacket and simple leather sporran.
Business suit = smarter dress and semi dress sporran.
Tuxedo = Prince Charlie with full dress fur and metal cantle sporran.

I could be way off, but this is how I understand it.

As was pointed out in another thread, these things have been on offer in sporran catalogues since at least the 1930s so they aren't that "recent" compared to other beloved items of highland kit although, I think Matt Newsome is correct that it would compliment a black barrathea argyll more than this jacket and, now that I'm looking at it again, it is perhaps a little overly blingy with the lovat green crail jacket but I just thought the black leather was so boring.

"Maybe a nice brown leather hunting sporran..." thought the kiltoholic...

[Jock Scot]

With the greatest of respect Nathan a tweed kilt jacket is suit equivalent, there is really no sports jacket equivalent with kilt attire. If you can go to my(jock Scot) old threads and find the thread "tweed Argyll" you will find some very illuminating discussions within. Particularly fairly near the end where the "penny drops" with one of the members here who realises that he has been using the wrong criteria with his kilt attire thinking.