Is tweed always day wear?

[scotchegg]

Hey there,

Brand new here, thanks for having me!
I've worn rented and borrowed suits before, and am looking to invest in one for myself for the first time.
I really like the look of the tweed jackets in a charcoal grey, but are they considered only for day use?
I'm hoping to have something that I can use for just about any occasion, and the Prince Charlie jackets look so formal to me.

Is dark tweed an all-around option?
Thanks again

[FossilHunter]

Hey there,

Brand new here, thanks for having me!
I've worn rented and borrowed suits before, and am looking to invest in one for myself for the first time.
I really like the look of the tweed jackets in a charcoal grey, but are they considered only for day use?
I'm hoping to have something that I can use for just about any occasion, and the Prince Charlie jackets look so formal to me.

Is dark tweed an all-around option?
Thanks again

I think sometimes the terminology used can be confusing to people. Smart day wear doesn’t necessarily mean day only, only that it is not formal.

Tweed is a good choice for any event that would require a business suit (lounge suit in the UK).

A prince charlie is the equivalent of a tuxedo so, in general, only appropriate for an event where you or others would wear a tux.

There’s “black tie optional” events as well but in general thinking about what you would wear if you weren’t dressing in a kilt will provide good guidance as to what is the appropriate jacket to wear with your kilt.

A dark tweed would be very versatile and I think set you up for the majority of your kilt wearing.

[scotchegg]

A dark tweed would be very versatile and I think set you up for the majority of your kilt wearing.

This was the answer I was hoping for.
This forum has already proved it's worth! Thanks

[Jock Scot]

FossilHunter has given you sound advice, but you know, it is perfectly acceptable to wear tweed for smart evening events too, but only to a point. Tweed is not considered formal attire, but it is worn for any occasion where a suit------perhaps at blazer level too-----is worn. Many make the mistake, particularly outwith Scotland, of thinking of tweed, in kilt terms, being equivalent to a sports coat. Not so in kilt terms.

I hear what you say about your colour choice and yes, it is a safe bet. But, greens, browns, mixed colours, herring bone patterns, checks, window pain checks and so on, are perfectly acceptable too. Not too loud a pattern for smart evening attire might be a wise choice though!

[scotchegg]

Thanks Jock Scot,

Doing some more research now. Maybe tweed isn't the right material - more rather something mid-weight would suit me best. I'm in Canada, looking at something like this:

https://www.burnetts-struth.com/char...y-jacket-vest/

[Steve Ashton]

OK, perhaps going over some term may help here.

The word "Tweed" refers to a type of fabric. It is composed of multi-colored yarns all woven together.

This is one type of Tweed woven in Ireland called "Donegal Tweed" -

.

Harris Tweed is a brand name that covers a huge range of different fabrics but they all share the concept of using multi-colored yarns in different colors woven in different patterns.


"Barathea" is also a word for a type of fabric.
Usually a solid color, but not always.

This is a Barathea fabric -




Then there are the words we use for the style of jackets.

This is called a Prince Charlie Coatee. This is the kilt equivalent of wearing a Tuxedo. Worn with a Black bow tie and tuxedo shirt for those events where the guys not in kilts would be in a Tuxedo.




This style of jacket is called an "Argyle" -

An Argyle can be made from Barathea -

This would be the equivalent of a nice suit.



Or from Tweed -



Now, here is where some people get confused. The word "Argyle" does not refer to the body of the jacket but to the cuff treatment. If you change the cuff treatment the name of the jacket changes even though the body is exactly the same.




It is still the same body style of jacket.


It used to be, back in the time when there were pretty strict rules about how a man dressed, that Tweed fabrics were considered County Wear for the daytime. After 6:00pm you would change to something more formal. Usually a solid color.

But most of those rules are gone now.

But good guidance would be to pick the style of the jacket to suit the type of event you are attending.

If you are invited to a formal, black tie event, then choose a Prince Charlie Coattee in a solid color, usually black.

If you are going to the office and all the non-kilted guys would be in dark suits like a bank or a lawyers office, then I would pick an Argyle in Black Barathea. With or without a vest depending on the other guys. Do they wear 3 or 2 piece suits?

If I were going to a nice restaurant with my wife, or any where a jacket and tie would be suitable I would probably wear a jacket made from a Tweed fabric.

If I were going to a Highland Games or other outdoor less formal activity I may even leave the vest at home.

Does give you an idea of the different words?

[gsmacleod]

Is dark tweed an all-around option?

When I started wearing my kilt more, I started with a charcoal tweed mostly following the typical suit advice of, if you're going to have one suit, make it charcoal or navy.

I've since added a few tweeds and my others see far more wear these days.

IMG_20200611_112708.jpg

IMG_20200613_143421.jpg

IMG_20200612_095338.jpg

Shane

[KennethSime]

I say go for it!

I stumbled upon this second-hand Jacket + Waistcoat combo for a very reasonable price.



Things may be a bit more formal in Toronto, but here in California I feel like I could wear this to just about any but the most formal of events. Dinner, opera, theatre, etc. The charcoal tweed is quite versatile.

If I was ordering new, I probably would have gone for a green or brown tweed. That said, I'm happy with the charcoal, and appreciate the versatility.

[KennethSime]

This is called a Prince Charlie Coatee. This is the kilt equivalent of wearing a Tuxedo. Worn with a Black bow tie and tuxedo shirt for those events where the guys not in kilts would be in a Tuxedo.

Steve, would you be able to comment on the formality of of the hunting sporran you've got on here?

I typically see fur sporrans worn with a P.C. Would the hunting sporran pictured be acceptable at a black-tie event?

[Father Bill]

A careful (I hope) word of caution:

The "do what you want" school of thought tends to be U.S.A based. Europe tends to have a quiet understood code of wear. Canada is somewhere in between.

Now before I get jumped on, of course there are exceptions to these thoughts. They're more of a 'trend' of thinking than any kind of ironclad formula.