contemporary dressy/formal

[CMcG]

I want a jacket and waist coat just like the one in the first picture. I think it looks great!

The image you are referring to appears on both the John Morrison site and HoS.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Generally these all look ok with a few exception. And these "exceptions" really just boil down to matters of my personal taste.

1. I don't really like Rouche ties. To me they just scream of rented tuxedos for either prom or serving as a groomsman in someone's wedding. I don't really like them with tuxes and I've never liked how they look with a kilt.

2. I don't realy like it when the shirt is the same color as the waistcoat and jacket. A lot of these outfits feature a black jacket, black waistcoat, and black shirt. Just changing to a white shirt would really improve the look. Don't know why matching shirts have always bothered me.

3. I think it's possible to take the mono-chrome look too far. Keeping the color palette of your outfit simple can look very good. But if you try too hard to make everything look the same... well, you come across looking like you tried too hard.

On this last point, if you'll forgive me using a photo of myself as an example: I get a lot of compliments on this outfit.

It has a really simple color palette. Most everything is black, white or grey. But I do have a slash of color with the natural leather of the sporran, and the natural color of the horse hair. Nothing flashy, but it breaks up the black/grey/white colors of the rest of the outfit. And, I might add, the different shades of black, grey and white add some depth and range of hue, but keep it within the relatively limited color scheme.

Compare that to the first outfit pictured in this thread.

It just looks to me like he's tried too hard to make everything black. Black hose, black shoes, black flashes, black shirt (to match his black jacket and waistcoat), black fur sporran. The only thing breaking it all up is the silver rouche tie, which I suppose is a nod to the silver cantle on his sporran. But it's all just too much of the same.

I think he would have been better served in a white shirt, a black tie, grey hose, and a fur sporran of any color other than black.

All just my humble opinion, of course!

[ForresterModern]

I have been known in my non-kilted life to wear simple dark palettes of black on black on charcoal on grey, etc. I do have a similar Argyll in deep charcoal tweed that I do wear with my Black Isle tank, black regular collar shirt, charcoal tie, charcoal or black hose and black shoes. It can be both a subtle and striking look at the same time. Sorry, no pictures, though, so I guess by xmarks standards it didn't happen.

I agree that tie, shirt, hose, and choice of accessories can take this overall look from slightly overdressed daywear to slightly underdressed formal eveningwear. I do think it looks best with the five button waistcoat.

jeff

[Lyle1]

I've never been a fan of rouche ties, but I think they look fine in the pictures shown here, and the red one works really well with the balck shirt (also not a usual favorite). My least favorite of the jackets shown is the updated PC, though I do like it better than a traditional PC. A few of the jackets don't seem to fit well, but I like the cut.

[Chas]

On Burns Night this year, I was at Telford with Martin and Alex. I had to travel up in trousers and get changed on site. I had intended to wear a bottle green PC. As I put the waistcoat, a button fell off and then another and then another.

Luckily, I had a second jacket and waistcoat with me. This is it. It is a contemporary style and came from Heritage of Scotland for the princely sum of £15 delivered.



I think it works.

Regards

Chas

[azwildcat96]

Matt, your outfit draws attention to and compliments the tartan and the kilt, rather than turning it into a minor component of a semi-formal 'suit'.

IMHO this is is preferable.

[azwildcat96]

Chas, is that a Morrison Green Ancient on the gent with the hair sporran?

[Chas]

I am the gent in the hair sporran. The jacket is contemporary. The kilt is a 16oz, hand stitched in the Flower of Scotland tartan.

Regards

Chas

[azwildcat96]

Chas, I do like the look of that tartan. Very similar blues and greens to the Morrison Green Ancient, but I do see the differences now.

Sorry, didn't mean to get off topic.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

There are a couple of things I don't think work with the kilt--
1) Black shirts
2) Black shirts with wing collars
3) Black shirts with wing colars and ruche ties (yukk)
4) Sheriffmuir jackets worn as some sort of day wear.

What this looks like to me is a (desperate?) attempt on the part of a retailer to convince a less than knowledgeable customer that what he's selling is "high fashion" Highland attire. In my opinion it just falls short of looking nice.