Dinner jacket and kilt??

**Longwayfromhome** · 6th February 12, 05:39 AM

Hi, I live abroad and can't get hold of a traditional highland jacket. I am attending a highland dress function here, and am wondering if I can pair a black dinner jacket and waistcoat with the kilt, sporran, hose, etc I am able to borrow. Basically highland below the waist, black tie above. An abomination or no?

**Chas** · 7th February 12, 05:42 AM

Hi Longway,

Abroad is everywhere. I live in the UK and for me abroad could be the US (where there are lots of kilt shops). From the US, abroad could be the UK (of which Scotland is a part). You see the problem we have? You need to be a little bit more specific, otherwise the advice will be too general to be of any use to you.

As a general rule of thumb - any jacket that was designed to be part of a suit (with trousers) will be too long in the body and look silly.

Waistcoat (three button) - OK.
Waistcoat (five button) - OK, but not really for black tie.
Cummerbund, instead of waistcoat - people do it, but it only works with a jacket.
Tie, self tied bow tie - OK, really the only acceptable for black tie.
Tie, pre-tied bow tie - Learn to tie one.
Suit Jacket, single breasted - Not OK, too long in the body, no cutaway for sporran, looks silly.
Suit Jacket, double breasted - Only a madman would wear this with a kilt.

If you can get hold of a second dinner jacket (you don't want to ruin the suit), a reasonable tailor should be able to take up the jacket and make a cutaway at the front in a couple of days.

Sorry if this sounds negative.

Regards

Chas

**McMurdo** · 7th February 12, 06:13 AM

Firstly

Secondly, I would strongly caution against it, as the dinner jacket would be too long to wear with the kilt. The outfit you propose is neither fish nor foul. On top of all that we are lucky enough to have a Black Tie equivalent for Highland wear. Also I would say take look at this thread:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-attire-46888/

You may be able to simply get a black Argyll Jacket, with an appropriate shirt and bow tie you will look smashing. When is the event?

Where in the world are you? There are members from all over and perhaps one of our members will be able to help you locate a Highland wear shop close to you.

**ForresterModern** · 7th February 12, 06:58 AM

The lower edge of the body of a highland jacket should drop no further downn thatn to just reach and maybe cover the sewn down portion of the pleats in the back of the kilt, known as the fell. If your non-highland jacket covers below that portion of the kilt when you wear it it will appear far too long for wear with the kilt. Generally a highland jacket's sleeves, with hands down at side, are give or take at right about the same height as the hem of the body of the jacket, whereas with a typical suit coat or sport coat/blazer the hem of the body of the suit can be inckes longer than the coat sleeve.
That jacket length difference, combined with the absence of proper room to display your sporran under the front of your non-cutaway jacket front will make for a very odd appearence indeed.
It has been done, and at lest semi-successfully by one or two members here, as we have seen the photos, but it is really the extreme rarity when it works. So I personally would not recommend it. It is up to you to decide what your reasoning for feeling the need to wear the kilt to this specific event, how important is it to go to the event in a jacket as opposed to a nice vest/sweater vest/sweater, and whether you have a spare jacket that you are willing/desiring to be cut down into highland length in order to fulfill typical highland dress appearence with the kilt. If you have to attend the event in a jacket and tie, unless you really need to wear the kilt for some specific reason, if you do not have a proper highland jacket to wear with it I would recommend you go in more standard pants that will look good with your jacket and tie, and work on future opportunities for highland dresswear as you also work on gaining appropriate jacket to wear with the kilt.

**MacMillan of Rathdown** · 7th February 12, 08:51 AM

If all you have is a black dinner jacket (as can happen when packing) wear it. Sure it's not the best choice, but no one is going to pitch bread rolls at you for doing it! If you have the time you might want to contact a kilt shop and purchase a black Argyll jacket and three button waistcoat. If not, go to the event in what you have and don't sweat it. Just make sure that you don't wear white hose...

Of course, you could also do what most Scots do, and simply wear a dinner jacket and forego the kilt, etc.

**creagdhubh** · 7th February 12, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by MacMillan of Rathdown

Of course, you could also do what most Scots do, and simply wear a dinner jacket and forego the kilt, etc.

Precisely.

**Longwayfromhome** · 8th February 12, 01:21 AM

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

**48th Highlander** · 16th February 12, 04:45 PM

You can have a dinner jacket cutaway properly, and the length reduced. Would not look right with a center vent.

All of our DEU kilt jackets in the Army were cutaway modified by the tailor for use with a kilt, so I am sure you could successfully pull this off.