Wearing a kilt to a wedding for the first time

[Nik]

Ok I'll ditch the sash and get color hose.

To answer a few questions. The wedding will likely be day or early evening. As I mentioned the theme of the wedding is the 1920s-30s. So my wife is wearing a flapper dress, opera gloves and peacock feather headband. I'd like to try and keep with the theme and I know in the 1920s they were a bit more formal in dress which is why I asked about the sash.

And also to add I am going to be the only one there, to my knowledge anyway, wearing highland dress. I won't be going the full nine years as I can't afford the gillies or the Sgian-dubh. I'm trying to get within the period as best I can with what I have.

Thank you guys for the advise! I will be following it to make sure my first wedding in highland dress I don't look silly.

[Father Bill]

Ok I'll ditch the sash and get color hose.

To answer a few questions. The wedding will likely be day or early evening. As I mentioned the theme of the wedding is the 1920s-30s. So my wife is wearing a flapper dress, opera gloves and peacock feather headband. I'd like to try and keep with the theme and I know in the 1920s they were a bit more formal in dress which is why I asked about the sash.

And also to add I am going to be the only one there, to my knowledge anyway, wearing highland dress. I won't be going the full nine years as I can't afford the gillies or the Sgian-dubh. I'm trying to get within the period as best I can with what I have.

Thank you guys for the advise! I will be following it to make sure my first wedding in highland dress I don't look silly.

I think you're moving in the right direction. Sashes are women's wear. If you're referring in error to a fly-plaid, those are normally only worn by the groom... if by him at all. Gillies aren't necessarily the 'right' Highland shoes. Well-polished Oxfords or brogues are actually a better choice, and despite what you'll see on the internet, the Sghian is totally optional bling.

Less... is more.

[OC Richard]

Happily the Highland Dress of the 1920s and 1930s is still with us today- it's what we consider "modern traditional Highland Dress" or simply "traditional Highland Dress".

For whatever reason the widely variable and somewhat chaotic Highland Dress of the Victorian period emerged out of The Great War as a much simpler, sleeker, and more organised fashion.

I'm talking about the ordinary then-current Highland Dress of the 1930s. Of course people in the 1930s could wear antiques, and if wealthy could afford bespoke clothing out of the reach of ordinary people.

Setting that aside, the most important thing to keep in mind about the Highland Dress of the 1930s is that there were two clearly-defined modes of dress, Day Dress and Evening Dress. Each of these modes of dress had their unique dedicated shirt, tie, jacket, sporran, hose, and shoes. Nothing but the kilt itself, and perhaps the flashes, could be worn in both modes.

Day Dress:
tweed Argyll jacket and waistcoat in Lovat, fawn, etc.
collared shirt with long tie
brown leather Day sporran or fur animal mask sporran
selfcoloured hose to match or co-ordinate with the jacket
plain black brogues

Evening Dress:
evening jacket and waistcoat in black, claret, dark green, dark blue, tartan, etc.
formal shirt with bow tie
seal-skin Evening sporran with silver cantle
tartan or diced hose
buckled shoes

Note that "semi-dress" sporrans didn't exist- as best I can determine they emerged with the Kilt Hire Industry in the 1970s.

Day Dress as made and sold in the 1930s





Various styles of Day sporrans in the 1930s: animal mask, hunting, Rob Roy, and the standard pocketlike style. All were brown. All of these are still in common production today, except for the "Culloden" style (#14 and 15 in the black & white photo)





Little has changed by the 1960s.



But these are just catalogues! People didn't really wear those things! I'm always amazed when people say that. Catalogue space is valuable and is given to things that people want to buy. A King or Duke can have his Saville Row tailor make anything, but the common man buys what is available- and these catalogues show what was most widely available- the products of the big Edinburgh and Glasgow firms.

In any case, here are these things being worn at weddings.

[bodhran4me]

It sounds as if it will be a good time. Good decision to leave the sash/fly plaid at home. In addition to what others have said the fly plaid tends to knock drinks off tables

I think in this particular case you will probably have a bit more latitude in day vs evening wear since it is a themed event. There will likely be flappers, zoot suits, Clark Gable and mafioso in attendance.

Perhaps a pipe , pomade and a pencil moustache would help complete the vintage look.

[McMurdo]

As it is a 1930's theme something like this might work well. The jacket and waistcoat are from 1931, the sporran cantle is an MoD from 1953 the hose are an unknown age, the kilt is from the 1950's. I think it goes to show that the Traditional look has not changed much since the 1930's.

[FossilHunter]

This is a very nice wedding party photo, I always think it looks so much better when all the kilts and highland wear are different from each other.
When everyone is wearing something similar then it usually means hired and although there's nothing wrong with hiring I do enjoy seeing the different styles.

I agree with this sentiment. I love seeing a dozen men in the same basic outfit but all the tweeds, ties, kilts, and hose are subtly or not so subtly different. It’s amazing how diverse highland dress can appear with what is essentially identical outfits.

Some of the members here could easily do a version of “one kilt ten looks” where all ten were of smart daywear!