Options for smart but informal

[creagdhubh]

Yeah, I basically have 4 levels of dress: jeans or shorts + t-shirt, shirt + chinos, suit, black tie.

I've come across this (co-incidentally from where I've ordered the kilt): http://www.hector-russell.com/Produc...ls.aspx?Id=420

I think that will suit my style with a less formal shirt for this occasion. I don't go for the earthy brown and green tones very much, and plenty of my existing shirts will work with this at different levels of formality.

I'll give them a bell and get it added to the order, I think.

Andy

Well done, Andy!

Cheers,

[JohntheBiker]

Yeah, I basically have 4 levels of dress: jeans or shorts + t-shirt, shirt + chinos, suit, black tie.

I've come across this (co-incidentally from where I've ordered the kilt): http://www.hector-russell.com/Produc...ls.aspx?Id=420

I think that will suit my style with a less formal shirt for this occasion. I don't go for the earthy brown and green tones very much, and plenty of my existing shirts will work with this at different levels of formality.

I'll give them a bell and get it added to the order, I think.

Andy

Great idea! You'll find that this will greatly expand your highland wardrobe and your options. If they have a matching waistcoat, you might want to consider that as well.

[Nathan]

I agree. Also, what the heck is "semi-formal" and why do people keep using this term? To me, it makes no sense whatsoever.

Kyle is right. These words don't appear to be standard around the English speaking world. That having been said, here is the system in which I was raised. I don't use these terms for kilt attire as it seems they a) aren't universal and b) don't really apply. These appear on party invitations and office dress codes all over Canada, so they're worth knowing. Anyone else familiar with this nomenclature for orders of dress?

1) Come as you are - Anything goes so long as you're covered. Punk rock, hip hop and other street fashion welcome. Sometimes this comes with the caveat of "no colours or flags" meaning no gang symbols can be displayed.
2) Beach wear/swimming attire - again, self-explanatory.
3) Shirt and shoes required - pretty self explanatory. This is all that is required to be served at most restaurants in Canada. This typically precludes sandals.
4) Casual - Almost whatever you like including jeans, shorts, t-shirts, cords etc. Shirt may or may not have a collar and this is a most relaxed form of dress. Even when an event is "casual", there is often an expectation that clothing will be clean and that there will be no rude or offensive text or logos on shirts, no large holes in the jeans or nothing overly revealing. You can step it up to a sportscoat and still be casual but a tie, unless worn loose or ironically is probably overdressed.
5) Business casual on casual Fridays - chinos/khakis and a collared shirt. This includes short sleeve casual button down shirts (often prints with soft collars) and polo/golf shirts. In winter, a sweater/jumper can be worn over this but the collar and cotton trousers are the key to this mode. Again, the key here is no necktie.
6) Business casual - usually a sport coat and non-matching trousers with collared shirt. The tie is optional though usually avoided. The idea of business casual is that you will also fit in at the pub or on the golf course after work.
7) Club wear - This means a collared shirt, dress shoes and trousers/no jeans. Club clothing is often designed in shiny synthetic fabrics and closely tailored to distinguish it from office attire. Shirts are often designed to be worn untucked. Headwear is not permitted.
8) Semi-formal - Jacket and tie of any combination required. This includes sportscoats, blazers and business suits. It implies dress shoes either lace up or loafers.
9) Formal - Tuxedo. (I know, in the UK "formal" is white tie and a tuxedo is called a dinner jacket and is considered "semi-formal" when people use the term. We don't have monarchs and Lords and Ladies walking about here very often so white tie is so extremely rare here that the top level of dress for most people is a tuxedo. Often, dances are called "formals" especially in school and females wear ball gowns while males wear tuxedos. I could say "black tie" but that leads to some confusion since many people wear matching coloured bowties and waistcoats/cumberbunds and other wedding rental attire to formal to black tie funcitons. If you've got satin on your lapels and trousers and a shirt with studs down the front, you're probably good to go. Black is always better. Most use the term "black tie" and "formal" interchangably.

Here's what you almost never see/hear in my neck of the woods:

1) Morning Dress - I've only seen it worn in association with a Royal visit. People typically get married in suits or tuxedos even before 6pm. Traditionalists scoff but someone who wears a suit to work might feel the need to "step it up" for their wedding and the wedding rental industry doesn't push morning wear; they push tuxedos.
2) White Tie - almost never happens, again it would be a Royal visit. It does exist but is simply called "white tie".
3) Country/hunting/stalking wear - In the UK this can mean nice tweed. Here country wear is the same as Western wear and means a Stetson and jeans. This mostly applies to people attending the Calgary Stampede. Hunting wear is camo or orange and you buy it at Canadian Tire.

There is one other level of dress colloquially referred to as the "Canadian Tuxedo". This includes either:
a) A thick wool or flannel plaid "work shirt" usually in a red tartan like Rob Roy MacGregor and jeans or;
b) A blue denim jacket worn with blue denim jeans.

[Father Bill]

Well done, Nathan! I've always used the British designations for formal / semi-formal, but you've alluded to that too, and your description is generally spot-on!

[andycwb]

Hunting wear is camo or orange and you buy it at Canadian Tire.

Orange if you don't want to be shot and camo if you are hard enough that you don't care? :-)

It's interesting how much this varies; and how dynamic it is. Certainly in the UK I've noticed an increasing trend to drop the tie; the smart shirt and suit minus the tie is common business wear for all but the most senior managers. Suits me fine (no pun intended); shirts with the 21" collar that fits me comfortably with a tie are about a 58" chest, or about 10 inches bigger than necessary.

There are also some other variations: e.g., academic dress in the UK means a suit + tie plus the gown and mortarboard or equivalent for your degree(s), though at some Oxbridge colleges it can also mean white tie + gown.

Right, kilt should be here in a month. Pictures will follow.

[TheOfficialBren]

Mathan, I pretty much agree. Here in Southern California that is nearly identical terminology and its description. The only differences that I can think of are:

Club Wear- not used at all, except at Golfing/Sporting clubs where the implication would be to wear Clubhouse/Franchise/Team blazers and/or shirts.

Black Tie- those in-the-know know exactly what this means but in lazy Southern California this is alarmingly often taken to mean literally any tie that is black is acceptable and the degree of formality is varied.

White Tie- virtually nonexistant. Nearly every "formal" occasion defaults to the black tie tuxedo. State visits are reserved for only the highest echelons of society so less than one percent of people might even be aware of the differing degree of formality between black and white tie (much-less own the appropriate kit for them). White tie events are so rare that I've never even heard of one in my area...much less have the opportunity to attend one. Black tie events are also, it seems, on the fast decline. Burns Suppers in my area, for example, are usually Tweed jacket-appropriate (though there are some PCs in the mix, too).
Informality in dress and behaviour is the norm in my area (although I understand that "casual" is the more natural inclination for most people it is not my personal preference).

[OC Richard]

If I were going with trousers I'd have worn a sport coat, shirt and possibly a tie, and dispensed with the tie at the first opportunity.

In my opinion the starting point is a high quality kilt and sporran. Once you have that you have a wide range of options that will look smart.

The kilt equivalent of the trousers-dress you mention would be kilt, leather "Day" sporran, plain hose, ordinary brogues/Oxfords, collared shirt, and tweed "Day" kilt jacket. This dress can be simple, comfortable, but very smart if all the items are high quality and fit correctly. You can dispense with the necktie and/or jacket if it gets too hot and still look fairly smart, especially if you wear a waistcoat.

This is just the cover of an old 1950s Highland Dress catalogue I have, but it shows Day Dress with the kilt quite nicely



About hose colour, as people here know my method is to avoid any of the kilt's major colours, and also, since I love colour, to avoid black, white, or grey. So with Cunningham, with vast expanses of red and black, I would avoid those two colours, and for Day Dress go with Lovat Blue or Lovat Green. For Evening Dress, if I didn't have matching tartan hose, I'd probably go with Royal Blue or even yellow.

EDIT: I had actually written "yellow or claret" and added the mention that a deep claret and bright scarlet can go very nicely together, though one wouldn't think so. But I thought that "clash" too much for people here and I edited it out.

But then I Googled "Cunningham kilt" and saw dozens of people wearing white hose and black hose with Cunningham kilts... snooze... but our own Alex came to the rescue, wearing the very claret I had been thinking of



(well actually I had been thinking of an even darker shade of claret, Maroon to be exact)

[creagdhubh]

Love that first photo, Richard, very smart daywear. Excellent recommendation regarding a proper kilt and sporran as a good starting out point. Alex, you always look well turned out too, my friend!

Cheers,

[Dale Seago]

Love that first photo, Richard, very smart daywear.

Agreed!

I find it interesting that all four people in that one have a single thing in common: brown shoes.

[creagdhubh]

Agreed!

I find it interesting that all four people in that one have a single thing in common: brown shoes.

Which was definitely a trend in those days. Just look at old Scott Adie Highland dress advertisments and others of a similar nature (the colour versions, of course) during the 1950's, you see loads of men wearing brown shoes with their Highland day attire, but then you also see black being worn as well.

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