Basic guide to Highland wear
Some basic tips:
Types of dress
Full dress:
Evening or gala dress, equivalent to a dinner jacket: black tie: as shown or white tie: with white waistcoat and bow tie, equivalent to a habit. The white tie also allows the wearing of a ruffle and lace cuffs for special occasions. Avoid wearing the Prince Charlie before 6pm, you don't go shopping in a dinner jacket either. |
There is no need to buy ghillie brogues, which are only worn at parties and by pipe bands. If, however, you do want to buy them, be careful with the lacing: these are not Spartan sandals and are laced low on the ankle. The laces form a triangle on the front of the foot and the knot is preferably tied on the side, under the flashes.
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Combat shoes and walking boots should be reserved for casual wear.
Sporran
Jacket
In short, for a first purchase, go for a Braemar or Argyll in a dark colour (grey, black or blue). You may look a little overdressed in a day dress, but you won't stand out in the evening. It's a great buy to cover any occasion and still look stylish.
Tie:
Never wear a tartan tie when wearing a kilt. Choose a plain, club tie (stripes are not incompatible with tartan) or a patterned tie in colours that match the jacket and the tartan.
A bow tie for the evening goes without saying. Possibly a formal (ruche) tie... but reserve it for weddings.
Never wear a tartan tie when wearing a kilt. Choose a plain, club tie (stripes are not incompatible with tartan) or a patterned tie in colours that match the jacket and the tartan.
A bow tie for the evening goes without saying. Possibly a formal (ruche) tie... but reserve it for weddings.
Flashes:
This is a reminder of the garters that supported the stockings before the invention of elastics. Some purists still wear traditional garters... over the edge of the stockings. If the flashes come with the kilt in the same tartan, why not? Personally, I use plain knitted flashes which can be found in all shades, for example on eBay or amazon.com. The flashes only show up to 2 inches under the edge of the hose. The flashes are worn on the front of the calf and must be seen when looking at you from the front, so at 10:10 and not at 9:15, if you consider that noon is ahead of you. |
Plaids
We distinguish between fly plaids, worn on the left shoulder in full dress and shepperd's or day plaids.
Ladies
There are many ways to wear it, in saltire or rosette
The most common fashion faux-pas or mistakes (there are many others too):
1. A kilt that is too long or too short: A kilt falls between the top and the middle of the kneecap. Any higher and you look like a girl, any longer and you look like my grandmother.
2. Jacobite dress in anything other than historical re-enactments.
3. The belt worn with a waistcoat.
4. Blank or cream-coloured hose, no longer in fashion.
5. Banana bags and other commercial purses in place of the sporran.
6. The evening sporran worn during the day.
7. The Prince Charlie worn before 6:00 p.m.
8. The Prince Charlie worn without a tie or bow tie.
9. The shirt that protrudes between the waistcoat and the kilt.
2. Jacobite dress in anything other than historical re-enactments.
3. The belt worn with a waistcoat.
4. Blank or cream-coloured hose, no longer in fashion.
5. Banana bags and other commercial purses in place of the sporran.
6. The evening sporran worn during the day.
7. The Prince Charlie worn before 6:00 p.m.
8. The Prince Charlie worn without a tie or bow tie.
9. The shirt that protrudes between the waistcoat and the kilt.
And to conclude: For more details, I recommend the booklet edited by our Commissioner for Continental Europe, Robert Amyot, to be ordered from the author: [email protected]