Prince Charlies for White Tie

[Nighthawk]

In both instances shoes should be black, and highly polished.

Does this also apply to ghillie brogues? I don't seem to recall having ever seen them polished.

[JerseyLawyer]

Does this also apply to ghillie brogues? I don't seem to recall having ever seen them polished.

I polish mine. You don't want them to look all scuffed and grungy.

By the way - it's interesting the statement that you should wear dark hose with evening dress. While I agree that that's more pleasing to the eye by far, and closer to what you'd get with diced hose in your tartan, I think "So You're Going to Wear the Kilt" suggests that if you don't have diced hose, evening hose should be white.

At least according to "the purists".

[Highland Logan]

I polish mine. You don't want them to look all scuffed and grungy.

By the way - it's interesting the statement that you should wear dark hose with evening dress. While I agree that that's more pleasing to the eye by far, and closer to what you'd get with diced hose in your tartan, I think "So You're Going to Wear the Kilt" suggests that if you don't have diced hose, evening hose should be white.

At least according to "the purists".

True.. but he did not agree, and thought that dark hose were more suitable, if one did not have tartan hose or diced hose.

Frank

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I think "So You're Going to Wear the Kilt" suggests that if you don't have diced hose, evening hose should be white.

It also advocates wearing the stretch variety of men's over the calf socks...

J. Charles Thompson was undoubtedly an expert in the area of tartans, but he is sometimes less than infallible in the area of proper dress. That said, he never advocated the wearing of white hose with formal attire, he merely acknowledged that it had become common practice.

[JerseyLawyer]

It also advocates wearing the stretch variety of men's over the calf socks...

J. Charles Thompson was undoubtedly an expert in the area of tartans, but he is sometimes less than infallible in the area of proper dress. That said, he never advocated the wearing of white hose with formal attire, he merely acknowledged that it had become common practice.

I agree with your position - I was just pointing out that at least some authority suggests that white is okay for evening. Frankly, I think it is fair to say that twenty years on from the third edition, the widespread availability of colored and diced hose, and highland attire of all kinds, has made some sections of the book outdated.