Burns Night

[James]

Rather than looking to one universal answer, it is necessary to look to the local custom, and the event itself.

For what might be right at a very formal dinner/night in say Edinburgh or the Caledonian Club, could be very wrong for a more casual 'bash' in a local pub.

So the best answer is to have a talk with others attending, and get a line from them as to the dress code appropriate to the event.

James

[macwilkin]

...and to further James's comments, some Burns Nights will publish the dress code on their literature about the dinner -- black tie formal is usually the most common, although as James's has pointed out, some affairs are more casual these days.

At our Burns Supper, we run the gauntlet from black tie Highland formal to suits for the gents, and formal dresses, kilted skirts, sashes, etc. for the ladies.

Cheers,

Todd

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Todd is correct that most Burns suppers are considered black tie events, but obviously there is some variation, like Jame's Burns bash in a pub. Our Burns Supper is on the small side, and less formal than most. We are just glad to get men out in their kilts, so we don't make too much of a fuss about the formality of dress. You'll see men in their Prince Charlie's dressed to the nines, and you'll see men in just a kilt and sweater -- and of course, a lot of in-between. The men who don't wear kilts usually wear "Sunday best."

Assuming your Burns supper is formal or at least semi-formal, here's what I would suggest:

Kilt -- wear the nicest one you have. A hand tailored, woolen traditional kilt will be the best, but if you don't have one and don't want to rent one, the heavyweight Stillwaters (from what I have seen of pictures) would work better than most "casual kilts" on the market.

Shirt -- white dress shirt. If you wear a Prince Charlie jacket, you can go with a pleated-front tux shirt if you want to up the formality notch a bit.

Tie -- With a PC jacket a bow tie is in order. Black is always best, but a color to match your kilt would also look ok. If you are wearing an Argyle jacket you can wear either a bow tie or neck tie, depending on your taste and level of formality. Again, any color to match your kilt and tone with your general outfit.

Vest -- You didn't mention this in your list, but PC jackets are customarily worn with a vest, and if you purchase or rent one, a vest is usually included in the price. If you don't want to wear a vest, I'd get a plain black cummerbund to wear with it. With an Argylle jacket, you can wear a vest or not, though they are almost always sold separately.

Hose -- These do not need to be cream colored, though this is very common. I would say any color that tones well with your kilt, with the darker colors generally being more suited to formal wear.

Flashes -- You say "conservative" but I have to say I have never really seen any outlandish flashes. Just wear a color that tones well with your kilt and hose. It's ok to be bright!

Sporran -- any formal or semi-formal sporran will be fine.

Shoes -- if you don't want to invest in ghillie brouges, any shoe that you might wear with a tux or dark suit will be fine.

Sgian Dubh -- will be on its way to you today!

Jacket -- if you don't want to purchase a Prince Charlie or black Argyll right now, keep in mind you can always rent a PC jacket and vest for the occasion.
http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/rent.html