over doing the bling?

[OC Richard]

This is the Evening Dress that looks "right" to me:









From The Scottish National Dress, 5th Edition, Wm Anderson & Sons, By Appointment To His Late Majesty King George V:

Highland Dress In The Evening

Coat and Waistcoat:
1. The Coatee (what we call Prince Charlies)
2. The Doublet (what we call Regulation Doublet)

Sporrans:
The sporran is usually made of sealskin or other fur with top and fittings silver or plated. Long horsehair sporrans are now seldom used. Leather sporrans are not used with evening dress.

Stockings:
These are knitted to match the tartan of the kilt, or diced stockings of different colours are correct.

Shoes:
Patent brogues, either lacing or buckling, are most usual, but plain patent court shoes with buckles are sometimes used.

Neckwear:
A wing collar or a lace jabot must be worn at all evening dress functions. If a wing collar is worn, a white or black bow tie must be used with it. Certain authorities maintain that a white tie should never be used, but the more generally accepted view is that the tie may be black or white at the discretion of the wearer. If a lace jabot be worn it takes the place of the collar, and the lace ruffles may be worn at the writsts.

Plaid:
The belted plaid may be worn at any evening dress functions.

[MacLowlife]

OCR, as usual, you have provided us with lovely illustrations. But look at the gent's coatee, if you will, in the top picture. It has bucket cuffs and fewer buttons than we have come to expect on the front of a PC. AND, the formal vest appears to have five buttons, despite its low stance.

I had to check, but I have examined five different PC jackets and four of them have "self" fabric lapels, i.e., neither satin nor faille, but the same fabric as the rest of the coat. Again, your dapper gent departs, with decidedly shiny lapels.

The Kinloch Anderson Coatee has a similar button arrangement ( i.e., single breasted) but has neither the shiney lapels nor the bucket cuffs


http://www.kinlochanderson.com/mens/...-barathea.html

Anyone care to comment further?

What about those shiny lapels- U or Non U?

Or might we ask T or non-T?

Oh, and by the way, do check out the length of the checkered argyll. I realize it is a painting, but the skirts appear to be about as long as the sleeves. Again, I have limited resources, but a quick check reveals most modern kilt jackets tend to be several inches shorter than the sleeves. Or am I wrong again?

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

OCR, as usual, you have provided us with lovely illustrations. But look at the gent's coatee, if you will, in the top picture. It has bucket cuffs and fewer buttons than we have come to expect on the front of a PC. AND, the formal vest appears to have five buttons, despite its low stance.

My formal waistcoats all have either 3, 4, or 5 buttons, but the length of the closures only varies by about an inch. It's really all down to the tailoring.

Mass produced jackets are constructed to meet certain price points, hence unnecessarily expensive items-- like "bucket cuffs", and four-button waistcoats tend to be replaced with cheaper to produce alternatives.

I had to check, but I have examined five different PC jackets and four of them have "self" fabric lapels, i.e., neither satin nor faille, but the same fabric as the rest of the coat. Again, your dapper gent departs, with decidedly shiny lapels.

The Kinloch Anderson Coatee has a similar button arrangement ( i.e., single breasted) but has neither the shiney lapels nor the bucket cuffs: http://www.kinlochanderson.com/mens/...-barathea.html Anyone care to comment further?

Silk lapels-- de rigueur on formal jackets, have gone the way of bucket cuffs-- victims of cost analysis in the cutting room. When purchasing a coatee from Kinloch Anderson one may specify silk lapels. However, if buying "off the peg" from their showroom in Leith, then the lapels will probably be self-faced.

Most retailers, it seems, add extra buttons to their coatees to draw attention away from the fact that that jackets have self-faced lapels.

What about those shiny lapels- U or Non U?

Nancy Mitford would approve.

Or might we ask T or non-T?

Definitely T.

Oh, and by the way, do check out the length of the checkered argyll. I realize it is a painting, but the skirts appear to be about as long as the sleeves. Again, I have limited resources, but a quick check reveals most modern kilt jackets tend to be several inches shorter than the sleeves. Or am I wrong again?

It's all a matter of tailoring-- the hem of the jacket should come to the bottom of the fell of the kilt. The stature and build of the wearer will, ultimately, determine both the length of the bodice of the jacket and the length of the sleeve.

[creagdhubh]

Prince Charles wearing black tie attire at, I think, Balmoral. His shoes and hose would not be my choice, but there is nothing wrong with them, particularly in the circles that he moves in. Nevertheless note the simple and uncluttered lines of his attire, particularly when you consider what he could fasten on to himself if he wanted to.

Picture from the internet.

Wonderful photo of HRH the Prince of Wales. I absolutely adore his evening attire. I am quite fond of wearing tartan or diced hose, evening brogues in patent leather with silver buckles, and my custom hair sporran (or perhaps one of my full-mask sporrans-badger, pine marten, or otter look quite nice) for my evening attire.

[Urchurdan]

I have already commented on this picture in another post, when this picture was published it drew many negative comments here in the Scottish Press regarding his choice of Argylle Hose.
I have to say, that I agree with those comments, everything else is as expected from him, but the choice of hose is to my eyes and to many others quite ridiculous.
I truly believe this is one of the rare occasions Chairlie makes a mistake, and he did it here big time....

[macwilkin]

I have already commented on this picture in another post, when this picture was published it drew many negative comments here in the Scottish Press regarding his choice of Argylle Hose.
I have to say, that I agree with those comments, everything else is as expected from him, but the choice of hose is to my eyes and to many others quite ridiculous.
I truly believe this is one of the rare occasions Chairlie makes a mistake, and he did it here big time....

But from traditional standards, it's quite correct. Perhaps it's better to chalk it up to "horses for courses"...

T.

[Urchurdan]

One of his ancestors came to Scotland and dressed in a mini kilt and pink tights, thank goodness we manage to ignore the bizzarre traditions - or do we?

[macwilkin]

One of his ancestors came to Scotland and dressed in a mini kilt and pink tights, thank goodness we manage to ignore the bizzarre traditions - or do we?

Are you asking me if I endorse what George IV wore in 1822? Not especially.

However, Argyll/diced hose are acceptable in traditional highland wear. If you don't care for this particular style, then that's your right. I personally see nothing wrong with them, and rather like the look. That's my right. Horses for courses.

T.

[Tobus]

I have already commented on this picture in another post, when this picture was published it drew many negative comments here in the Scottish Press regarding his choice of Argylle Hose.
I have to say, that I agree with those comments, everything else is as expected from him, but the choice of hose is to my eyes and to many others quite ridiculous.
I truly believe this is one of the rare occasions Chairlie makes a mistake, and he did it here big time....

As I did not see the comments you refer to, may I ask what it is about his hose that makes it ridiculous? Is it the color scheme, or the pattern, or what?

[MacLowlife]

Assuming one were faced with an unlimited budget and a red tartan kilt AND the desire to wear argyle hose, it seems to me the difficulty would be to match the tartan without becoming a vision in red from the waist down. But on the other hand, and with equal emphasis, you would run the risk of appearing NOT to match the red tartan if you wore hose that weren't predominantly red. I believe the Royal Stewart tartan ( if that IS the RS) has a nice medium blue in it as well as bottle green, but I think I'd have gone with hose that were more prominently red.

There are red tartan hose available and there are examples of other well dressed men wearing hose that contrast instead of matching the kilt ( John D. Burgess) but I expect the Duke might have found himself caught and jumped the "wrong" way.

Horses non sunt disputandem, or something like that...