Black tie, Prince Charlie, but the tie is DECIDEDLY not black

[FossilHunter]

...but if you are wearing a kilt - that should speak for itself

There is also a fair amount of diversity among accessories when wearing highland black tie. Jacket style, lapel/cuff style, buttons, hose color and pattern, waistcoat style or dirk belt, sporran style or pattern.

It’s not difficult to find a lineup of kilted men who are all dressed correctly without one of them matching another.

Even Saxon black tie has this to a smaller extent. Calf or patent shoes, peaked or shawl lapel, double or single breasted jacket, cummerbund or waistcoat, grosgrain or satin facings/tie, size and shape of tie.

The small, subtle details are the place for a man to express his individuality in black tie. The key is subtlety and not drawing attention to oneself to a vulgar degree.

[jsrnephdoc]

...but if you are wearing a kilt - that should speak for itself

That certainly makes sense, but I'd still argue that the current popularity of what I call "Grayscale" tartans (they were in ALL the windows of the kilt shops I walked by or entered in Edinburgh during my 2023 visit to Scotland) makes room for a color accent at the neck. No one has done a grayscale "Robertson" that I'm aware of, but recently I discovered (circuitously) the "Lunar" tartan, supposedly designed by Pendleton Woolen Mills, perhaps to commemorate the Apollo Project Lunar landings,although Barb Tewskbury (Geology Professor by day, superb kiltmaker by avocation, tagline "brains for rocks") disputes that claim of design by Pendleton Mills. She also has said that the original tartan is "wrong," because it contains a broad brown stripe, and, after all, "there's no brown on the moon." So, she participated in a 2014 redesign that banished the brown, and the Lunar 2 is, I think, quite attractive:

Barb has just made me a kilt from this tartan, and it's gorgeous. I'll reveal it in public a bit later this month on my birthday (the celebration will be joined by my sister, who shared my 2023 visit to Scotland and the Royal Military Tattoo).

Were it beneath a black silk bow and Prince Charlie, I'd argue many would consider the look still boring and not rescued by gray or charcoal kilt hose, hence the consideration for a splash of color at the neck. I won't be wearing a Prince Charlie, but rather one of Kinloch Anderson's modern but simple (no metal buttons, no epaulettes, no fabric cuffs on the sleeves) kilt jackets. I WILL avoid one other affront to tradition, however. I'll have a "real" Sgian Dubh in my sock rather than my plastic T-Rex head ball point pen (which still gives SOME nod to scotland because similar big boys wandered around Scotland AND Bozeman, MT those 100,000,000 years ago. And if I can remember how to tie a bow at neck rather than at tongueless shoe calf, I'll be wearing the Notre Dame Rose Window tie!

But, I hope the readers will permit one more question. Someone has posted that a PC requires a kilt belt and buckle because if one removes the jacket for dancing it's too likely that the formal dress shirt will pouch out between waistcoat and kilt. At 5'5" in diminished geriatric height there's no risk of that for me, but I wonder about one other alternative to "the rules." Would I or some other fool risk taking a bullet if I showed up at a formal event in tartan tie and matching cummerbund paired with a black or charcoal monochromatic kilt and a PC? Based on recent watchings of the LA 2025 cinema "awards" show, that look would almost pin the needle at the "extremely conventional" end of the sartorial spectrum. I take it that would NOT be the case in Scotland.

[jsrnephdoc]

The small, subtle details are the place for a man to express his individuality in black tie. The key is subtlety and not drawing attention to oneself to a vulgar degree.

May I suggest that legislating the color of the smallest piece of fabric in formal dress (particularly where it's worn) risks strangling what some would consider tasteful individual expression 😎

[FossilHunter]

May I suggest that legislating the color of the smallest piece of fabric in formal dress (particularly where it's worn) risks strangling what some would consider tasteful individual expression 😎

It is what it is. The basic black tie rules have been in place for over a hundred years now. The only really acceptable colors have long been black, midnight blue (which appears black in the dark), and off white in specific climates.

There are no laws and if you watch the Grammys you see all kind of outlandish stuff. Does it work? That’s obviously up to the viewer but I think most of the men end up looking like teenagers who licked their prom outfit from a catalog. Is it tasteful self expression? Personally I think it’s more about being self absorbed but these are celebrities I’m talking about so…

I’d rather dress like James Bond then this guy:

[FossilHunter]

That certainly makes sense, but I'd still argue that the current popularity of what I call "Grayscale" tartans (they were in ALL the windows of the kilt shops I walked by or entered in Edinburgh during my 2023 visit to Scotland) makes room for a color accent at the neck. No one has done a grayscale "Robertson" that I'm aware of, but recently I discovered (circuitously) the "Lunar" tartan, supposedly designed by Pendleton Woolen Mills, perhaps to commemorate the Apollo Project Lunar landings,although Barb Tewskbury (Geology Professor by day, superb kiltmaker by avocation, tagline "brains for rocks") disputes that claim of design by Pendleton Mills. She also has said that the original tartan is "wrong," because it contains a broad brown stripe, and, after all, "there's no brown on the moon." So, she participated in a 2014 redesign that banished the brown, and the Lunar 2 is, I think, quite attractive:

Barb has just made me a kilt from this tartan, and it's gorgeous. I'll reveal it in public a bit later this month on my birthday (the celebration will be joined by my sister, who shared my 2023 visit to Scotland and the Royal Military Tattoo).

Were it beneath a black silk bow and Prince Charlie, I'd argue many would consider the look still boring and not rescued by gray or charcoal kilt hose, hence the consideration for a splash of color at the neck. I won't be wearing a Prince Charlie, but rather one of Kinloch Anderson's modern but simple (no metal buttons, no epaulettes, no fabric cuffs on the sleeves) kilt jackets. I WILL avoid one other affront to tradition, however. I'll have a "real" Sgian Dubh in my sock rather than my plastic T-Rex head ball point pen (which still gives SOME nod to scotland because similar big boys wandered around Scotland AND Bozeman, MT those 100,000,000 years ago. And if I can remember how to tie a bow at neck rather than at tongueless shoe calf, I'll be wearing the Notre Dame Rose Window tie!

But, I hope the readers will permit one more question. Someone has posted that a PC requires a kilt belt and buckle because if one removes the jacket for dancing it's too likely that the formal dress shirt will pouch out between waistcoat and kilt. At 5'5" in diminished geriatric height there's no risk of that for me, but I wonder about one other alternative to "the rules." Would I or some other fool risk taking a bullet if I showed up at a formal event in tartan tie and matching cummerbund paired with a black or charcoal monochromatic kilt and a PC? Based on recent watchings of the LA 2025 cinema "awards" show, that look would almost pin the needle at the "extremely conventional" end of the sartorial spectrum. I take it that would NOT be the case in Scotland.

I was going to try and find a photo of one of the royals wearing balmoral tartan with black tie but I only know of one photo like that and prince Charles wears red and white diced hose (it’s actually a white tie event). Balmoral is also gray so I thought it might be helpful but they seem to not prefer it for that sort of event.

I think solid red or burgundy/claret hose would look really good with your tartan.

As for belts, they aren’t necessary if you wear a vest/waistcoat. Personally I don’t prefer them with a PC but I think belts work well with an argyle jacket.

Here’s a young Prince Charles wearing his gray balmoral tartan at a formal event there may be other photos of balmoral tartan in a formal context but I’m not aware of them. Charles is wearing a belt over his waistcoat but he’s also dressed to the nines so there may be a reason for it:

[MacKenzie]

If that is the Balmoral tartan that picture is extremely washed out.

https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails?ref=182

https://www.scotlandshop.com/tartanb...l-tartan-guide

[FossilHunter]

If that is the Balmoral tartan that picture is extremely washed out.

https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails?ref=182

https://www.scotlandshop.com/tartanb...l-tartan-guide

I assume it’s washed out due to camera flash but looking closer it may also not be balmoral as it lacks the red running through to larger lighter areas.

I don’t know what else it would be though.

[MacKenzie]

A couple of pics of the Sovereign's pipers in "Balmoral Livery" in this thread.

[FossilHunter]

A couple of pics of the Sovereign's pipers in "Balmoral Livery" in this thread.

Gotta love the balmoral tartan hose.

[Janner52]

Here’s a young Prince Charles wearing his gray balmoral tartan at a formal event there may be other photos of balmoral tartan in a formal context but I’m not aware of them. Charles is wearing a belt over his waistcoat but he’s also dressed to the nines so there may be a reason for it:

The tartan looks like Dress Stewart to me.