Informal evening wear...

[Nathan]

Hey Xmarkers,

A little advice, particularly from the UK contingent but all are welcome to chime in.

I've been wearing the kilt for years, but I wore it in a few contexts. 1) as part of a military uniform 2) with the Prince Charlie at black tie events, and 3) On stage with combat boots and a t-shirt as part of a Celtic Rock band.

My question is about non-formal evening events. People often equate evening wear with the charlie or black argyll I suppose and "Day wear" with a tweed or coloured argyll style jacket.

I have a lovatt green argyll with horn buttons. This is generally referred to as day wear. If I'm out at a non formal event, such as a wedding reception (as a guest, not in the wedding party) or at a scottish pub at night, would my lovatt green jacket and tie be correct as a suit equivalent or do I need to go out an buy a dark argyll with silver buttons for events that take place indoors after dark?

Finally, when would it be most correct to wear the sherrifmuir with jabot and cuffs? This seems over the top to me, but are there contexts where this is the must have attire?

(just to save time: I know I can wear whatever I want, whatever I'm comfortable in, whatever makes me feel good etc... I'm really looking to wear what's most appropriate for a given situation.)

Also, sorry if this has been dealt with in previous threads, my search didn't yield the desired result.

[madmacs]

Sheriffmuir with jabot and cuffs woild be white tie I believe...

For informal, swap the kilt for a pair of pants and what would you wear? A tweed jacket would likely work anywhere a sport coat would.

For a night out at the pub, I'd consider a collared shirt and a sweater... Nice cable fisherman's one? Fair isle, nordic, even the classic military wooly pully...

[Nathan]

fair enough, but I would wear a tweed sports jacket to a pub or many weddings but that's not referred to as "day dress" when trousers are involved. My question is, for a afternoon wedding with evening reception and no time to change (the norm here) would a lovatt coloured jacket be good or must I invest in a black/dark argyll jacket? The rules for being a guest at wedding here are "semiformal" which means "wear a jacket and tie". By that definition, I should be good to go with the lovatt and a necktie, however, since it's called day dress, it seems a little too casual. Could I dress it up with a semi-dress sporran and dress belt or is this type of jacket meant strictly for daylight hours?

[Nathan]

post deleted.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Hey Xmarkers,

A little advice, particularly from the UK contingent but all are welcome to chime in.

I've been wearing the kilt for years, but I wore it in a few contexts. 1) as part of a military uniform 2) with the Prince Charlie at black tie events, and 3) On stage with combat boots and a t-shirt as part of a Celtic Rock band.

My question is about non-formal evening events. People often equate evening wear with the charlie or black argyll I suppose and "Day wear" with a tweed or coloured argyll style jacket.

I have a lovatt green argyll with horn buttons. This is generally referred to as day wear. If I'm out at a non formal event, such as a wedding reception (as a guest, not in the wedding party) or at a scottish pub at night, would my lovatt green jacket and tie be correct as a suit equivalent or do I need to go out an buy a dark argyll with silver buttons for events that take place indoors after dark?

Finally, when would it be most correct to wear the sherrifmuir with jabot and cuffs? This seems over the top to me, but are there contexts where this is the must have attire?

(just to save time: I know I can wear whatever I want, whatever I'm comfortable in, whatever makes me feel good etc... I'm really looking to wear what's most appropriate for a given situation.)

Also, sorry if this has been dealt with in previous threads, my search didn't yield the desired result.

There are three levels of evening attire: Formal (ie: white tie); Semi-Formal (ie: black tie); Informal (ie: dark suit, white shirt, and conservative tie). When applied to Highland attire Informal has two levels: dark, non-tweed jackets generally correspond to the dark suit and tie while tweed jackets are the equivalent of a blazer or sports coat. Either is now generally acceptable for informal evening wear.

In days gone by there were three levels of Highland day-time attire, which still apply today: Formal (in the old days this was referred to as "morning dress", and today corresponds to a business suit, white shirt, and conservative tie); Day Wear (again this used to be called "Hunting", and corresponds to the tweed kilt jacket most men have); Casual is a fairly recent addition, and this corresponds to a sweater, windbreaker jacket, or similar worn with the kilt.

In the great scheme of things, money being no object, one can suppose that a Highland gentleman would have correct attire for every possible occasion. In the real world, however, this is not the case, and that is why I advocate that a black barathea Argyle jacket should be the cornerstone of any Highland wardrobe. It can be worn with a black tie to semi-formal events, and with an ordinary tie it is perfectly acceptable for day wear, formal or otherwise. It was, at least until the 1950s, perfectly acceptable for white tie occasions as well, in much the same way that the Sheriffmuir is equally at home in formal or semi-formal events.

I hope that answers your questions!

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Understood, but given that many weddings in Canada start in the afternoon and go into the evening and the dress is often semiformal (jacket and tie), any jacket and tie would do were I wearing trousers. It seems when it comes to highland attire, once the sun goes down, tweed is no longer suitable. Am I right?

Ah, no. When a social event starts before 6PM the level of dress does not change if the event continues into the evening. That being the case, a tweed jacket is just fine.

[Nathan]

MacMillan: I have read many people make the same point about the black argyll in other threads so your point is well taken. Since I started with the Prince Charlie I was trying to avoid purchasing such a similar jacket. I know it's a step down, but to me the black colour and silver buttons make it look very formal to those unfamiliar with the nuances of highland attire. I don't want to outshine a wedding party so I was looking for something closer to a business suit. In the end, I guess the answer is, the two jackets I already own would leave me either overdressed or underdressed for such an occasion.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

If your options are a black Prince Charlie jacket and a lovat blue tweed jacket, then I would definitely go with the tweed jacket, myself. Especially, as MacMillan of Rathdown has said, if the event begins in the afternoon. I think the tweed jacket will fit in just fine with what all the non-kilted guests will likely be wearing.

[madmacs]

MacMillan: I have read many people make the same point about the black argyll in other threads so your point is well taken. Since I started with the Prince Charlie I was trying to avoid purchasing such a similar jacket. I know it's a step down, but to me the black colour and silver buttons make it look very formal to those unfamiliar with the nuances of highland attire. I don't want to outshine a wedding party so I was looking for something closer to a business suit. In the end, I guess the answer is, the two jackets I already own would leave me either overdressed or underdressed for such an occasion.

I'm confused here, are you talking about a specific wedding here? One which is "semi-formal" ? In which case your tweed argyll should be suitable, or are you talking in general terms of weddings? In which case the tweed will be suitable for some and the PC for others...

Or maybe I'm missing something...

In my experience here in the midwest you could turn up to most weddings I've been to in jeans and a t-shirt and not be too out of place... Of course you could also ask the bride/groom which they would prefer too.

[Chas]

Two little tricks that I have used at many functions over the years -

Have a change of waistcoat handy.

and

Have a change of tie handy.

A change of one or other or both together can change the whole look of an outfit. From sober and sombre for the ceremony, to frivolous for the party afterwards - all done in three minutes.

Neither one takes up a lot of room, if they have to be carried. In fact a second tie could be tucked into an inside pocket, with little effort.

Regards

Chas