Boots or dress shoes with vest and tie?

[Nolan11]

Hello, Kind of up scaling the attire for the St. Patrick's Day parade this year. Will be wearing a long sleeve shirt,vest and shamrock tie with my Irish heritage tartan kilt. Do you think boots will look alright or should I go with a dress shoe? Thanks!

[Jock Scot]

You are not going on a route march, so a pair of sensible shoes will do nicely.

[Tobus]

My opinion is that comfortable dress shoes would be preferred, but certain types of boots are perfectly acceptable. Obviously, there's a difference between brogued ankle boots and knee-high steampunk boots. So, what type of boots are we talking about here?

Also, consider that St. Patrick's Day, and Irish stuff in general, doesn't tend to conform to any coherent interpretation of traditional Scottish kilt wearing. So, as I'm sure you know, it's a bit of a free-for-all with all the silliness that goes on with St. Patrick's Day.

[Nolan11]

They are just a black tactical boot,just wasn't sure if they go with the whole tie vest combo.

[Panache]

They are just a black tactical boot,just wasn't sure if they go with the whole tie vest combo.

I think that tactical boots would look quite out of place paired with a tie and waistcoat.

With a sweater and a casual look sure, but not when you are dressing up a bit.

Cheers

Jamie

[kingandrew]

I agree that dress shoes are te way to go with a tie and vest.

I think combat boots can look cool with a kilt, but I'd pair them a leather jacket and a white t-shirt. Definitely a more casual combo.

I have a pair of hiking boots I wear casually with my kilt, along with a turtleneck and a "varsity" style jacket. But I wear brogues or other dress shoes with a dress shirt and tie (and choice of kilt vest and/or jacket).

Andrew

[OC Richard]

The most important thing is to be comfortable for your parade!

The fact that you're wearing fairly dressy clothes from the waist up is why people are recommending shoes rather than boots.

My perspective is that there are various modes/genres/styles of kilt-wear. Generally people dressing in one of these "fashion cultures" display a certain degree of internal consistency.

Here are some:

Modern traditional Highland Dress. The style that's come down to the present day through an unbroken chain of evolution from unknown origins. This style has remained practically unchanged for a century.

Here are two civilians and one military man in the 1950s. The civilians' attire would look normal today, as it would have in 1920. The footwear is plain black shoes.



Historical Highland Dress. This is going back in time and plucking out a style which is extinct/no longer in fashion/no longer mainstream. In the mid-to-late 19th century it was quite common to wear ankle boots with Highland Dress. This style is now undergoing a bit of a revival.



The Utilikilt fashion culture. This began in Seattle only around 20 years ago and from the get-go was a complete fashion culture which generally included certain hair styles, tattoos, piercings, shirts, and footwear. The latter was generally Doc Marten ankle boots.



An interesting evolution of the Utilikilt fashion culture has been it being embraced by people in the US military

[jthk]

Hello, Kind of up scaling the attire for the St. Patrick's Day parade this year. Will be wearing a long sleeve shirt,vest and shamrock tie with my Irish heritage tartan kilt. Do you think boots will look alright or should I go with a dress shoe? Thanks!

Thankfully, you'll find a diversity of opinions here at XMARKS. If you're wearing a vest/tie then I would make sure whatever is on your feet is clean, neat, and sleek. I wear such tall "Steampunk" boots and love 'em but I realise I'm an exception and outsider with that preference. I also have a pair of wing-tipped ankle boots that I would wear. They are simply like standard wing-tip shoes but in an ankle boot. I have a pair of heavy, black leather boots that I wouldn't wear -- just because they don't fit the sleek and neat description. I'm also a fan of the Howie Nicholsby scrunched-socks-and-Palladium-boots look which many here wouldn't wear with a shirt and tie but I do, making sure the boots are clean and neat.

Guluck.

[McMurdo]

Its up to you, I would wear the most comfortable of the options

Boots


Shoes


It's up to you.