A trans-Atlantic thing?

[Chef]

There is, however, a lot of talk of day wear being accessorized with brown (shoes, belt and sporen), although I guess you wouldn't have a belt with the waistcoat... The mixing of brown accessories with black jacket and waistcoat worries me, though. Would you wear a black sporran and shoes for the day wear?

Black accessories are acceptable for day wear, it is brown that is not considered acceptable for evening wear. With a black Argyle you would use black accessories. This also cuts your costs by not requiring to sets of accessories.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Black accessories are acceptable for day wear, it is brown that is not considered acceptable for evening wear. With a black Argyle you would use black accessories. This also cuts your costs by not requiring two sets of accessories.

As in most things (I swear I don't know how he does it) Chef is not only dead right, but ahead of the curve. Couldn't have put it better myself.

[Nick the DSM]

i think i'll wait on getting formal stuff for kilts as they look expensive and i will only wear em once and out grow em. however when high school graduation comes, i'll rent em.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

i think i'll wait on getting formal stuff for kilts as they look expensive and i will only wear em once and out grow em. however when high school graduation comes, i'll rent em.

If you've got everything else, renting is generally your best bet, unless you are going to rent quite often, in which case it might be cheaper in the long run to buy. Rental shops also sell off their stock on a regular basis so you might want to ask the manager what sort of rent-to-buy deal he'd be prepared to cut you.

[McClef]

Despite what you may see at the Oscars or on this site, scrunchy ties really don't work with a low-cut waistcoat. The lines are all wrong, destroying both the symmetry and balance of the look. There are two basic fashion rules here (and they are rules, not merely opinions) :


(2) four-in-hand ties should not be worn with low cut waistcoats.

The purpose of the low-cut waistcoat is to display as much white shirt as possible. Adding a four-in-hand tie covers up the middle of the shirt (hiding a beer stain, perhaps?) and creates a striped effect, which is far from flattering to the male figure (especially if one is chubby, fat, or obese).

I have to disagree with the "rules" here (if indeed they exist as opposed to a convention). Nobody has ever said that the pictures of me on X Marks showing me with PC and scrunchie look out of balance. You can argue that any tie (never heard the phrase "four-in-hand" before!) can have such an effect on any shirt because of what it obscures and argue that bow ties should always be worn with shirts because they do not obscure the middle of the shirt.

I shall be wearing a bow tie on Saturday rather than a scrunchie with my Welsh PC but it won't be a black one - it will be the matching tartan of my St Davids National Cilt.

[fluter]

(never heard the phrase "four-in-hand" before!)

Four-in-hand is the knot in your scrunchie tie, or my long tie (except when it's a half-Windsor).

I shall be wearing a bow tie on Saturday rather than a scrunchie with my Welsh PC but it won't be a black one - it will be the matching tartan of my St Davids National Cilt.

And while I might not have the je n'sais quoi to pull that off, I have every confidence that you will, Trefor!

Generally speaking, I'll buy the conventional wisdom about the 5-button vest for the long ties. However your pix with the PC and scroonchie tie did not strike me amiss.

[slohairt]

From what I have observed in my years (all 33 of them), is a steady decline in formality on both sides of the Atlantic. I would dare say that this side of the pond has declined a bit faster. It's a shame, really. So many people turn up at formal events wearing jeans, T-shirts, sandals, and other inappropriate wear. If asked why, they would reply "It's what I'm comfortable in." That may be so, but it is disrespectful. It is also selfish. You are suggesting that your comfort is more important than respect for the host. My mother taught me that one wears his or her best to show the host that you feel the event is important enough to look your best.

It's not just the kilted world, Saxon wear fares no better. How many men under 40 are unable to tie a tie? How many don't own (and have never owned) a jacket? How many don't own suitable dress shoes? Many of my peers fall into this category, unfortunately. It isn't completely their fault, I partly blame those who came before for not passing on these skills and expectations to the next generation. But once you are an adult, there are no longer any excuses. You must educate yourself. You could also blame such institutions as Casual Fridays, which have grown to encompass every day of the week it seems, and promotes some very inappropriate attire.

Another of my mother's golden rules is this: It is generally better to be overdressed than under-dressed. (Within reason, of course.) If you show up to an event wearing a nice suit (or, even better, a kilted suit!) and everyone else is wearing a jogging outfit, they will feel foolish, not you. If you show up wearing a jogging outfit, and everyone else is wearing a suit, you will feel like a fool.