Please help the fashion challenged

[Cavebear58]

I reckon there's "smart" and there's "correct", which aren't necessarily the same. On the basis that my other half reckons I don't know how to look smart in a regular business suit, and she's always correct, I don't think I should comment other than to say that McMurdo just about always looks SMART, even if he isn't being FORMAL.

I have often found it helpful to look through historial pictures of kilt wearers and it is reassuring to see how much variation they achieve, especially for day wear.

As others have said, 'just enjoy'.

Cheers, Graham.

[Cavebear58]

Very tidy. BTW I reckon the beard is pretty much an essential accessory to kilt wearing!

Cheers, Graham.

[Panache]

Dry Fly,

Since you said that photos would be helpful (and one must keep up with the McMurdos of the world ) I thought I would give you a visual tour of my take on the levels of formality in Highland Attire. I haven't attended a white tie event so I will leave that to the experts.


Burns Night Supper Outfit



What makes this formal?

PC Style Jacket and waist coat, cantled fur /hide sporran, satin bow tie, tux shirt, and fly plaid with large brooch. The fly plaid is really meant to be worn at extremely formal / special occasions such as a groom at his wedding. I was the Master of ceremonies for the night. (Beautiful Flame-Haired Celtic Amazon Goddess optional but highly desirable!)

Formal Scottish Country Dance



Same outfit sans the fly plaid and wearing dance ghillies.

At a church dance: Formal vs. Semi formal



My friend Andrew is sporting a formal Prince Charlie outfit while I am semi formal. I'm using the same sporran as in the pictures above but have traded the shirt and bow tie for a regular dress shirt and tie. Instead of a waistcoat I have a waist plate for my belt that matches the cantle of my sporran. (Lobster optional but really makes for a fun picture!)

Next up: Semi Formal

[Panache]

Outfit for the Ballet



Braemar jacket, tie, ghillie brogues. The sporran I am wearing has a leather cantle instead of metal. This older style of sporran works with all levels of dress. It looks equally good with a Prince Charlie jacket as it does with a polo shirt.

Anniversary Dinner



Basically the same outfit as above. The more formal sporran and matching waist plate make it (in my eyes) more formal than the prior outfit

To a Choir Concert



A similar outfit but slightly less formal. Regular dress shoes and my sporran is a leather semi formal one. Though it still has a chrome cantle the leather body makes it less formal than a fur one. The gray overcoat thing is an Inverness cape

Solstice Party Outfit



Comparing semi formal to smart day wear.

My friend Gryphonaire is wearing a black wool Argyll jacket to my simpler Crail styled tweed jacket. The tweed and the brown leather accessories mark my outfit as smart day wear. Gryphonaire wears a true semi formal sporran. Full mask sporrans, such as what I am wearing may be worn with all levels of formality of Highland dress


Daytime Holiday Party Outfit



At a distillery tour and tasting



The two outfits above are about as formal as one can get with a tweed coat

Next: Day wear

[Panache]

Daywear outfits








These are just variations on the same theme. Note the use of brown accessories and simpler style of sporrans.

Next up: Casual

[Panache]

Casual








No jacket and wearing a polo shirt or safari shirt (both work wonderfully with kilts)

Very Casual



At a windswept beach. Hiking boots, long socks scrunched down, rugby shirt, belt, sporran belt, and sporran made of nylon!

Dry Fly,

I hope that this was of some help

Cheers

Jamie

[Rogerson785]

For Best in Photographic Expression and Education to the Kilted World.

The Score:

Panache 2
McMurdo 1

[puffer]

I had the same ??? when I started out. I DECIDED that what I would do is "SIMPLY" substitude the kilt for the pants & all else would remain the same

Note there were things like the cut of the jacket, & accesoies (sporrans,hose etd, that needed to be added, but the "BASIC look is the SAME. ( if a sports jacket & tie are called for with "pants, then ERGO, they are worn with the KILT.
Go here to see some of my "LOOKS" (note the "Dress section is blank because I "lost the pictures, but they will be replaced)
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/album.php?u=4412

Puffer

[cormacmacguardhe]

Thank you for this thread. I was going to start a thread about this same problem. Thinking about a "black tie" event and was wondering what to wear. At this point in time I don't have the Prince Charlie nor the black tie, so in all likelyhood will not be attending the event.

[Phogfan86]

Very tidy. BTW I reckon the beard is pretty much an essential accessory to kilt wearing!

Cheers, Graham.

Now that you mention it, I never wore a beard for more than a few weeks until I joined a pipe band and started wearing a kilt semi-regularly. I've had a beard for the better part of two years now. It really kinda does complete the look, somehow.