Waistcoat...no belt?

[NUist]

Hey there - quick question for the forum.

I'm going kilted to a wedding this afternoon and will be wearing a dress shirt and waistcoat (no jacket) with the kilt. Does wearing a waistcoat mean I should leave the belt at home?

[cck]

I don't claim to be an authority, but whenever I wear a waistcoat I don't wear a belt.

[NUist]

Yeah - I'm leaning that way too. Thanks for your advice.

[Steve Ashton]

The Belt - no belt - thing is an just old school, guy dressing thing. I was taught when I was young that you do not wear a belt with a vest or waistcoat. I was taught that you wore suspenders/braces when you wear a vest/waistcoat.

But then I was also taught that you never take off your jacket and wear a vest alone. I was taught that if the vest has the satin back and adjuster then it was proof that the vest was not designed to be outerwear.

There are many of these old school things. I was taught that if your vest has a straight bottom, and was single breasted, you left the bottom button undone. If your vest has the points at the bottom, the points were a simulation of the bottom button being left undone so you did up all the buttons.
This apparently comes from King George VII who was a rotund man and could not get the bottom vest buttons done up so left the bottom of his vests gaping open and the rest of us followed along.

This same old school teaching is what I still do for the most part. It is what I learned so it is what I am most comfortable with.

Today, all over the internet, you will see vests and belts worn together. If you choose to follow what has become widely accepted no one can say you are wrong.

[NUist]

Wow! That is really interesting - I hadn't heard that history before. Perhaps my best plan is to just get dressed and see how it all looks with/without a belt and go from there.
Thanks for your help.

[Liam]

For those of us who wear sporran hangers, rather than a sporran belt, a kilt belt is necessary even when wearing a vest.

[neloon]

...This apparently comes from King George VII who was a rotund man and could not get the bottom vest buttons done up so left the bottom of his vests gaping open and the rest of us followed along.....

Just for the sake of accuracy, a potential George VII is less than 2 years old! Did you mean Edward VII?
Alan

[Sir Didymous]

I always figured the bottom button thing to be a Saxon clothing convention. As per the OP, I don't typically wear one with my waistcoats. The exceptions being: when in a great kilt or philabeg, wearing it over a waistcoat to support a dirk (a rare thing limited to reenactments), and when wearing my Clergy tartan sportkilt as it has a low rise. The top of my waistcoats only cover about an inch and a half (if that) of the top of my kilt, so I think the belt looks okay with it.

That being said, my style is rather eccentric. So I wouldn't consider me an expert.

[OC Richard]

Just for the sake of accuracy, a potential George VII is less than 2 years old!
Alan

The next time I see a photo of the wee man I'll take note of how his waistcoat is buttoned!

Here ya go! Bottom button buttoned, top button not so much (well not a waistcoat but it will have to do)

[JohntheBiker]

Just for the sake of accuracy, a potential George VII is less than 2 years old! Did you mean Edward VII?
Alan

I am betting that it was George IV, who was a clothes horse, and in latter days prone to undoing a button or two: