Kiltic Morning Dress

[zeytoun]

Argyle jacket in black or charcoal, with a matching waistcoat. Black leather ghillies or brogues, and black leather or perhaps grey fur day/evening sporran (one without the silver cantle). Flashes. White shirt, turn down collar. Tie and kilt hose selection depend on the kilt you will wear.

Prince Charlie coatees, doublets, bow ties, plaids and brooches, jewelled dirks, etc, are only appropriate for evening wear.

Brown leather and tweed Argyle jackets, while often listed as daywear, are not ultra formal. If the group is following everything to the T, then stick with the black leather and the black or charcoal Argyle. If they are a little lax, you might be able to get away with the brown leather and tweed.

[Freelander Sporrano]

Bingo!!!



A morning suit that just about says it all Yep! classic PC

[GlassMan]

I now that this may sound like blasphemy, but...

It's been well over a year now since I wore pants, and I've banished them from my closet.

But I have to admit that the chance to wear a morning suit might make me break my kilted purity. For some reason I've always loved the way a morning suit looks and I'd be willing to be in pants for a short while just to finally get a picture of me in that attire.

But since I'm not on the invite list, I'm staying safely kilted.

[MacHummel]

Not that I'm a fashion guru but I am a big fan of wearing my 8yrd black kilt with black hose and my black Argyll, or go with a nice ancient tartan maybe Campbell or Buchanan.Personnally I like the black on black look. I wish Ihad good pic to show you .

[Presuming Ed]

You might thing about getting a copy of "Tartans and Highland Dress" by C R Mackinnon of Dunakin - a neat little book published in the late 60s which gives full details of traditional highland dress. Available on bookfinder:

http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac...95900897_1:1:8

Anyway:

1) NOT a Prince Charlie. Not to tread on anybody's toes, but IMHO a PC is inappropriate. It's evening formal dress - the equivalent to a dinner jacket, and so is really for events after 6pm or so.

2) Were your event to be taking place in the Highlands, or the countryside, I would say that the most suitable suggestion would actually be a tweed kilt jacket and waistcoat. If you look at photos of things like the Argyllshire Gathering, the Northern Meeting and the Braemar Games - formal daytime events, particularly for the members and committee, you'll see tweed.
For example: http://www.braemargathering.org/gallery.htm

3) If you're in London, and feel that tweed is a little too rustic, then I would go for a plain black Argyll jacket and waistcoat, day or semi-formal sporran (or even a mask sporran, if you like that sort of thing), hose which tone with the kilt and plain black brogues.



I believe Moss Bros rent Argyll jackets and waistcoats - requires pre-ordering, though, but it's much cheaper than buying! They certainly used to - I've rented from them before.

[mrpharr]

I'm not a fan of many of their styles but here are a couple of nice looking kilt outfits.





www.21stcenturykilts.com

[An t-Ileach]

Thanks, everybody, you've all been really helpful. I'll have to mull over all this and I'll put up some pix of what I come up with.

[arrogcow]

In the most traditionaly since, morning dress is about as formal as you can get. Therefore you should be in kilt, PC (or Brian Boru IMHO) with waistcoat, fly plaid, fur sporran and all the usual accessories. Under no circumstances wear a tweed jacket, or brown accessories. As for the suggestion of a SWK, well, um NO. I love my SWK, but it would be like wearing a pair of black pants from the Gap and calling it a tux. As for colors, yes gray is the color of morning suit pants, and if you have a dark kilt cool, however, a guy's kilt is a guy's kilt and as long as it is at least a 5 yard (and only if you are really pushing it) wool (or one of Matt's Box pleats), you should be ok.

Now, is the event called morning dress or just formal and happens during the day? If it is just formal then lose the fly plaid, go with any kilt jacket (black not tweed for a formal event), waistcoat optional, and fur trimed soprran (in the us you could get away with a black sporran since you have less chance of anyone knowing the difference).

Both of these are being traditional, you need to decide (or ask) what your hosts expect for level of dress. I have heard people use morning dress or formal to mean, "Wear a suit." At which point kilt with tweed jacket and any nice sporran, becomes ok.

Wow look at me, I've become the fashion police.

Adam

[An t-Ileach]

In the most traditionaly since, morning dress is about as formal as you can get...

Adam

It occurred to me that I should ask the Lord Chamberlain's Office (I've had dealings with them before, but my contact'll have moved on by now) - they have a standard brief: that should give us the definitive answer, and one can downgrade from that as appropriate.