Daywear.

[McMurdo]

Well said Jock, further to your post I thought I would post a photo from the last wedding I attended this is from a few years ago but we were asked to wear Highland Day wear. I asked that we get a photo of all the kilt wearers together and I think it shows well what you are talking about. Note: the Groom and his Groomsmen are wearing Black Argylls with silver buttons, the rest are in tweeds.

[Liam]

The polish on your shoes and confident smile on your face are a great asset.

[Jock Scot]

The polish on your shoes and confident smile on your face are a great asset.

I suppose that would hold true for most forms of attire apart from beachwear, where the confident smile is all that is needed!

[imbrius]

and a balmoral, or Glengarry either ------unless------- unless the weather is not assisting.

If I am outdoors for any length, I MUST wear something to cover my head, thanks to baldness and medication that makes my skin extra-sensitive to UV. I count that as "weather not assisting", at any rate. For daywear, I tend toward a fawn Balmoral (but always remove it indoors). For (smart) casual I have a wide-brimmed canvas fedora (think Indiana Jones) that fits the bill nicely and doesn't look terribly out of place.

Basically, the same practices as I would do for Saxon attire, except with a Balmoral in place of one of my nicer felt fedoras; those just look silly on me with Highland wear.

[Jock Scot]

If I am outdoors for any length, I MUST wear something to cover my head, thanks to baldness and medication that makes my skin extra-sensitive to UV. I count that as "weather not assisting", at any rate. For daywear, I tend toward a fawn Balmoral (but always remove it indoors). For (smart) casual I have a wide-brimmed canvas fedora (think Indiana Jones) that fits the bill nicely and doesn't look terribly out of place.

Basically, the same practices as I would do for Saxon attire, except with a Balmoral in place of one of my nicer felt fedoras; those just look silly on me with Highland wear.

There are times when common sense trumps sartorial elegance and only you can decide what needs to be done for the best.

[StevieR]

Well, a smile is easy enough, as are pair of well polished shoes, which I find is a very simple way of lifting any outfit.

The polish on your shoes and confident smile on your face are a great asset.

[OC Richard]

What is absolutely not needed for non-formal daytime kilt attire at weddings as a guest are diced hose, elaborate sporrans, shoulder plaids of any kind, fancy shoes, or a Balmoral a Glengarry either, unless the weather is not assisting.

Hear, hear! Lordy what one sees in these parts. I was hired to pipe at a 9am church service and all the kilted men were wearing Prince Charlies, bow ties or lace jabots, diced Glengarries, plaids, Evening sporrans, etc.

It seemed a requirement that each man had to wear a minimum of a dozen pins- bonnet badges (why stop at one?) kilt pins (why stop at two?) and lapel pins (why stop at three?)

Add to that each man was apparently required to wear at least two weapons- a sgian and dirk were the minimum, but by no means the maximum.

...one might do up the bottom button of the waistcoat as that is usual for kilt attire...

Agreed. In the Pipe Band world it's one of those maddening details that is nearly impossible to make uniform. It's rare to see a full Pipe Band with waistcoats all buttoned the same, all flashes worn the same, all the Glengarries the same (bands invariably mixing hat-colours, tourie-colours, and badges).

[Troglodyte]

We seem to be living in times of extremes, when conventions are shunned and no-one is sure how to dress for an occasion.

I remember being told as a youth, that diced or argyle hose are the only correct wear with the kilt, with diced being thought preferable for day-time - plain knitted were acceptable for outdoor activities. I keep a selection of both, and choose accordingly.

Confusing smart with formal is a common mistake nowadays - shortly before Covid curtailed our activities, a number of us were kilted and tweed-jacketed for a clan-council meeting at our clan centre in Ross-shire, and I was asked by some Canadian visitors who saw us what was going on. I explained about the meeting, and got 'Is that why you are all so formal..?' in reply. My plea that tweeds and woolens were not formal was rebuffed with 'But you're wearing a tie..!'

Dressing up for an event makes it more of an occasion, but knowing what is right or expected these days can be very tricky.

[KennethSime]

We seem to be living in times of extremes, when conventions are shunned and no-one is sure how to dress for an occasion.

I remember being told as a youth, that diced or argyle hose are the only correct wear with the kilt, with diced being thought preferable for day-time - plain knitted were acceptable for outdoor activities. I keep a selection of both, and choose accordingly.

Confusing smart with formal is a common mistake nowadays - shortly before Covid curtailed our activities, a number of us were kilted and tweed-jacketed for a clan-council meeting at our clan centre in Ross-shire, and I was asked by some Canadian visitors who saw us what was going on. I explained about the meeting, and got 'Is that why you are all so formal..?' in reply. My plea that tweeds and woolens were not formal was rebuffed with 'But you're wearing a tie..!'

Dressing up for an event makes it more of an occasion, but knowing what is right or expected these days can be very tricky.

We had a brief period of about 90 days here in California where indoor social gatherings conducted by vaccinated folks were acceptable. In that time, I attended what was termed a "fancy party." A few of the women wore cocktail dresses, and I wore something approaching highland daywear: kilt, tattersall, tie, charcoal tweed jacket + waistcoat, charcoal hose, a leather day sporran, and a pair of brown derbies (pardon my wind-swept hair):



I was the best-dressed man in attendance, and one of just two who wore ties.

In a land where most men walk around in t-shirts, gym shorts, and flip-flops, "formality" seems to relate more to the effort involved than it does anything else.

[kingandrew]

As a teacher, I wear a tie every day. But it hardly feels "formal."

We've had a couple of generations in the US where boys didn't learn how to dress from their fathers and the men's stores that used to help educate young men have largely fallen victim to Wal-Mart and Amazon. Since the rise of "casual Friday," office workers have become less and less sure what to wear for business, and a significant percentage of the populace sees dressing (way) down as a sort of reverse-snobbery fashion statement. I have seen my son, who makes more money than I do, at a business meeting in a Darth Vader t-shirt, shorts, and sandals. So clearly, the traditional rules are not widely observed today.

I do find it humorous that all these people have chosen to be "nonconformist" by dressing in the exact same sports attire as the others. So now, instead of the "men in the grey flannel suit" crowding the subway at rush hour, we have the "men in the grey sweat pants and t-shirts."

This is how you get people who can't imagine that wearing a tie isn't the same thing as "black tie."

Andrew