Irish Tenors

[meinfs]

Hello rabble. I got invited to see a concert by The Irish Tenors tonight at the WolfTrap in Virginia. I've never seen them and I'm so excited to go see in MY KILT!!!


Questions:
Should one wear a PC jacket at an event like this? or is that too formal? (not that it matters, because I don't have a PC jacket). Or Eton jacket, etc... The temperature's going to be in the 80's (°F). It's an outdoorsy concert place.

Is wearing a pair of hose also suitable? In the past, I've only worn crew length socks casually and feel that hose might get me too warm tonight. But I feel like that I have to wear them to make it a little bit more formal-looking.

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I just got started on kilt wearing and I don't have a formal ensemble.

I don't have a PC or any jackets other than my regular suit/sport jacket.
I am borrowing a friend's formal sporran - which we took out of storage (horror) and had multi-colored silver cantle. It's multi-colored because it's soo dirty. lol.

But I cleaned it up with Tom's toothpaste and voila!



Now, I'll wear a cream hose and black shoes and red tie. If I can find my Geoffrey Beene sateen silver shirt -- I'd be "golden" lol. The sporran has a red trim so it'll be perfect.

I just made "fake" flashes -- no elastic. I'm pinning it to the hose cuff. I made it from the same tartan that the kilt is made from. It's all a rush for me and I don't have time to go buy elastic and loops etc.

The kilt I'm wearing is my DIY Stewart Gray in PV - it's knife pleated.
I think it'll look good. I hope!

This will be my first real public outing in a kilt.

I'm excited and hopefully will post pictures....

[Carolina Kiltman]

What you describe sounds good to me. A PC is the equivalent of a Tux (Black Tie) or just a bit above it. You might look around for a "bum freezer" , even one with a knit waist and cuffs. Put the belt over the waist-band, and it looks very dressy (sort of the equivalent of a Sport coat & Tie) If my memory of Wofl-trap in August/early September is correct, it is likely to be too warm for a PC anyway! Definitely hose with flashes, especially if you are going to wear a fur sporran.

[Rex_Tremende]

Don't forget the cotton ball accessories. The last time I heard an act billed as The Three [regional] Tenors, my eardrums nearly burst.

Looking forward to hearing the account of your first kilted outing beyond the square dancing group.

Regards,
Rex.

[Dr Mac]

Will be awaiting the pics!

[berserkbishop]

Wolftrap farm is very neat. I was there a few months ago. If it was me, I would go in a nice button up shirt and a trad kilt with a colored hose and a pair of nice black dress shoes. The audience when I saw the Paul Taylor Dance Company was pretty casual. Enjoy the show and lets hear what you wear.

BB

[meinfs]

I came back from the concert. It was pretty good. Wolftrap is a beautiful location. Trees surround the concert hall (which is made of wood and steel). It is a semi-open hall. There is a constant breeze from the woods.

Here's what I looked like:


Just before the concert started. My seat was in the covered section.


I made the flashes today in a hurry.



I got a lot of smiles from people. Almost all of the staff that I passed by as I walked around were all smiling at me. One of them (an older woman) stopped and just admired my whole get up "Look at you, you look just wonderful," she said. "Are you performing on stage?"

Another staff member asked me why I was wearing the kilt at an Irish Tenors concert. I said it's the Celtic connection, etc.


Some people wouldn't look as they approached but I could see them look from the side of their eyes as they passed by. I guess they thought it was rude to stare. Some stared and talked about it (I think in a good way).

I believe I was the only kilted at the concert. Most were casually dressed. Many were in shorts. When night fell and the concert was in progress, the temperature was just perfect (in the 70s °F and dry and breezy). It was very comfortable.

The friend that I was with was jealous that the women were checking me out and he said why don't they check him out too (well, he was wearing pants).

[fudgeman]

very nice indeed!

[Rex_Tremende]

I like that over-all color scheme. Well done for your big reveal!

Regards,
Rex.

[Aldisimo]

You look great as usual, Meinfs!

[meinfs]

Thanks guys. It was a fun and empowering experience. Boy, does it require some courage. My friend and I were joking as to when would somebody come up and ask if I worked there (nobody did). (I'm still waiting for somebody to ask to have their picture taken with me due to the kilt. My hypothesis is that nobody will. LOL).

Carolina_kiltman: thanks for the suggestions. Yes it was warm for a jacket. It was a gorgeous evening.

Berserkbishop: Yes, button up shirt and trad kilt felt appropriate even though many wore casual clothes.

Fudgeman, Dr. Mac: Thanks!

Aldisimo: Thank you!

Rex_Tremende: Thanks. I was happy with the color scheme. Lucky too to have those pieces in the wardrobe. I would have liked to have a dark-colored hose, but I don't have one. It was indeed my first large-scale public outing beyond my square dancing group (where everyone knows me). I do go out country dancing where they've seen me in kilts enough to ask me why I wasn't wearing one if I didn't wear one.


Regarding the shirt: I have several of these sateen shirts in various colors. I bought them XL size two years ago. I now wear medium to large shirts (because of a 30-lb weight loss). So, I did a quick sewing adjustment to the shirt to fit me better and not be too puffy. I always thought of needing that done with these shirts- because I love them. Experience with sewing the kilts gave me confidence in doing that. Also, I needed to wear that particular shirt - that was motivation enough.

I just sewed a new seam into the sides and long sleeves -- about 2 inches into each of the sides and about 1.5 inches into the sleeves. So they're now more fitting and less baggy.

Regarding the flashes: I just whipped it up on the same day and *pinned* it to the inside fold of the cuff of the hose. It is, after all, now more a decorative and less functional (as a means to hold up the hose) accessory.

Overall, a great experience.