What to wear to a Ceilidh?

[Jock Scot]

I attended a ceilidh when I was in Scotland last month and saw considerable difference in what was worn.

Almost all the men wore kilts or tarten trews. The Americans and Canadians tended to dress rather casually - polo shirts or open-necked shirts without a tie. The Scots on the other hand, tended to wear jackets and ties, ranging from tweeds to Prince Charlies. There were a few exceptions of course.

The women tended to wear equivilent attire, from blue jeans to cocktail dresses. Some wore tartan skirts or a sash.

What say you regarding what is proper attire at a ceilidh, whether in Scotland, the US, Canada, or elsewhere.

I wonder? Was the actual event advertised as a ceilidh?Was it held in "the big house" or a marquee,or village hall? If it was at "the big house" then dress would be slightly more formal and tweed could be worn as a compliment to the host. It certainly sounds as though the natives "pushed the boat out". A compliment to their visitors perhaps? Nevertheless,going on the informal nature of a ceilidh, I don't suppose anyone lost any sleep over who wore what.

I think the Eliots are border people, so seeing trews at even slightly formal functions would be no surprise to me at all. In the highlands the general attire for a ceilidh would be jeans, shirt and pullover and a few kilts being worn and anyone who dressed any more formally would feel overdressed,but most would assume that the overdressed person would have "come on" from some function or other,and not worry about it.