Do as you like.
Personally when I am wearing my formal outfit or even just my Braemar I want the accessories I am wearing to all project a sleekness and formality.
I really like my antler horn sgian dubh, in fact I am wearing it right now with my SWK weathered Lamont variant kilt, Freelander sporran (with antler buttons), antler tip kiltlgoodies pin, simple thick leather belt, and khaki hose and shirt. This outfit is all about earth tones and the natural beauty of antlers. The parts of this outfit all flow together so that one individual piece doesn't stick out.
Outfits really are more than the sum of the individual parts. If I were to wear that same sgian dubh tucked into my white hose it is going to look a bit out of place with my formalwear. It is still a nice (to me) knife but now it stands out as somewhat rough in comparison to the rest of the sleek lines, simple black, and bright silver of the rest of the outfit. Instead I wear a very simple slim oxhorn dress sgian dubh I purchased from Matt Newsome at the Scottish Tartans Museum. It is subtle and doesn't stand out, but it does contribute to the sleekness that my idea of a formal outfit is trying to project.
There are conventions in fashion and you are free to challenge them. Sometimes daring pays off, and sometimes it doesn't. For me, I will try to keep all my accessories in the same realm of materials, colors, tones, and level of formality. Thus I present a complete ensemble instead of a mismatched collection.
Cheers
Jamie
-See it there, a white plume
Over the battle - A diamond in the ash
Of the ultimate combustion-My panache
Edmond Rostand
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