Is a Kilt like Khakis? Color Question

[YoungMan]

I currently own a black stewart kilt, black sporran, black hose, red flashes, black shoes and so forth. So from the waist down things are pretty dark. My question is: "Can you wear whatever you want upstairs like with a pair of khakis?"

My friend suggested I get a black vest to go with everything, but I kind of want to avoid the Johnny Cash route. I have a tan herringbone vest onhand and I really like the way it looks with a white or blue shirt. I have a picture from the waist down which gives a pretty idea of the contrast.
Edit: Thanks to McFarkus for the Photobucket suggestion.
I just wanted to get some thoughts on the idea as I imagined a family tartan wearing person wouldn't limit themselves from the waist up on the basis of the clan tartan.

Side question: If the weather's a little warmer but you still want a little dressier look, would a vest over oxford be fine for a night out?

[McFarkus]

First, welcome to Xmarks. The easiest way to post a picture is using Photobucket. Once you upload the photo, if you click on it, there are several ways to share. Copy the IMG link and paste it into your diary or comment.

You will find that there is a lot of freedom within kilting. But, until you feel more secure, you will find lots of folks here willing to weigh in on your various looks. Just remember - there are no kilt police.

[piperdbh]

The short answer is, "It all depends."
The long answer is:
Where will you be going kilted, and for what purpose? If it's to the grocery store for some bananas and Cheerios, then put on a t-shirt, the kilt, regular socks and tennis shoes and go. If it's to a Games and you really want to look "the business", then a white button-down shirt by itself or with a vest will look just fine. I'd suggest a polo-type shirt with a little red in it, to pick up the red stripes in the tartan. You can rarely go wrong with a baby blue Oxford shirt, too.
In other words, the kilt can be like a pair of khakis, in that your torso can be covered in several different ways and still look presentable.

Welcome aboard, by the way, from western North Carolina, the greatest place on Earth!

[Dan R Porter]

Hello, youngman, saying that makes me feel old!

Sounds like your off to a better start then my first kilting! Welcome from STL!

[Bugbear]

Welcome. The only issue you might have is in putting some of the plain brown shirts and things with the black. However, they don't seem to care about that in Scotland.

[kiltedsawyer]

I would say the answer is "no." The black outfit you describe seems more like a pair of black pants, so anything that you would wear with a pair of black pants would be fine with your kilt, hose, etc. IMHO
Respectfully,
David

[JolyStNicholas]

Welcome to the board. Your on the right track. You will get only good dress feed back from the rabble here!

[McClef]

As with any tartan, it depends upon the style in which you are dressing.

Full casual will let you get away with a lot.

Smart casual requires some more colour co-ordination.

Semi formal and formal have much more set rules.

And in case you haven't posted in the section yet, welcome!

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Here in North America people often own several kilts in a variety of tartans, where as in Scotland people usually one only one kilt, and 99% of the time it is in their family tartan. The result of this is that North Americans often obsess about matching colours with the colours which predominate in their kilts.

On the other hand, in Scotland, nobody really worries about such things, so in that regard a kilt really is very much like a pair of khaki trousers (although less prone to show that bit of haggis that fell into your lap at lunch!).

I think if you check out the "One Kilt--Ten Looks" thread at the top of the General Kilt Talk forum you'll get a pretty good idea of how to wear the kilt in virtually every situation.

[Nighthawk]

That being said, I have worn the same kilt- a Clergy- in both the most formal of settings (officiating a wedding in full formal attire) and the most informal- meaning at a pub wearing boots and an Iron Maiden t shirt. It was perfect for both occasions. That's my favorite thing about the kilt- it's versatility.