navy mess jacket

[SlackerDrummer]

I think it would look rather smart and set you apart from all the other gents in their PCs and Argyle jackets. I was JUST looking at their website ... daydreaming of wearing their black Ike Jacket with semi-formal daywear.

[rondo]

This will be worn on evenings where i will be hosting dinner, dancing, and spirits at a club. No military presence. I was in the Navy for 6 years and thought it would be nice to have some recognition of that...but i will not wear it with military buttons nor any military insignia...which i think puts it in a class with the PC or a dressed up Argyll. Since many of the items worn with kilts have military origins I thought this jacket would look quite smart. Thanks for the replies. I'll check out those other threads.
Rondo

[Alan H]

Sure, it will look great. Just make sure any military insignia is removed.

[celtophile]

I prefer not to wear the mess jacket with a kilt because:
1. The waist is a bit high on the jacket, even for a kilt, and looks awkward with a kilt belt or PC waistcoat.
2. The mess dress is tailored for a relatively thin waisted look so a kilt adds a lot of bulk to your middle and throws off the cut of the coat.

I have seen a mess dress jacket and cummerbund worn with a kilt at mess nights and I think it looks awful! The gold cummerbund with a kilt is just wrong!

If you have a "military" tailored kilt with a high waist and you get a mess jacket that is at least one size larger in the chest than you normally wear then it might work. This would also be problematic because the larger chest size in the jacket might mean it would not fit well through the shoulders. I would certainly try on the whole outfit, including the belt or waistcoat, before I committed to the jacket.

I am active duty Navy and often wear a pair of Polaris Tartan Trews with my mess dress which has always been well received.