What to Wear? Need your advice!

Kilt-based fashions, both traditional and contemporary. Come on guys, bring on the pleats!
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SkirtRevolution
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What to Wear? Need your advice!

Post by SkirtRevolution »

My wife and I have been invited to a fashion show for women’s summer collection and I need some advice on working my look. It is a cocktail/smart casual attire. I have a black watch kilt that I want to wear but I am not sure on if I should dress it up or down.

My first thoughts before I knew that it was cocktail/smart casual was to wear the kilt with dock martin books, no sporran, black long sleeve T-Shirt (a bit of a Marc Jacobs look)

My second though after knowing the expected attire was the wear the kilt, black dress shoes with black hose, a black button up shirt with black vest, and no sporran.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? I really like the black look and am not into splashing colour apart from the kilt.
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r.m.anderson
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Re: What to Wear? Need your advice!

Post by r.m.anderson »

Using the Cruise Ships clothing guide:

Smart Casual - Polo shirt and slacks (trousers*damn pants*!) and loafers or white athletic shoes.

So that would rule out the formal Prince Charlie or Argyle jackets and the business jacket; the Crail,
and the sporran - flashes optional.

It sounds like you have it pretty much on que with the Black Watch Kilt; black or off white kilt hose;
black low quarter shoes and now for the topside:
I would suggest a blouse type pirate shirt with or without the vest.
A polo shirt or (mock) turtle neck long sleeve would work just as well - then skip the vest.
The idea of a button up business type shirt you mentioned is also OK.

Pretty much anything would work afterall it is not like you are to be knighted by the Queen and have
to dress to the nines.

Another thing to consider if you are the only one kilted at the event - "Well who is going to challenge
you on the rules of casual kilt wear?" You set the stage with one precaution if you know of other
gentlemen attending this garden exposition check with them for what they are apt to wear.

JMHO - Just My Humble Opinion
and
"Damn-The-Dress-Code-Full-Fashion-Forward"
rma
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
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crfriend
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Re: What to Wear? Need your advice!

Post by crfriend »

SkirtRevolution wrote:My wife and I have been invited to a fashion show for women’s summer collection and I need some advice on working my look. It is a cocktail/smart casual attire. I have a black watch kilt that I want to wear but I am not sure on if I should dress it up or down.
I would go for dressing it "up" rather than "down". Up should gather favourable attention in what's really a semi-formal event. (It's "afternoon" wear not "evening" wear or outright formal.)

Given the above, I'd chose this option:
My second though after knowing the expected attire was the wear the kilt, black dress shoes with black hose, a black button up shirt with black vest, and no sporran.
However, I'd modify it just a wee bit to have neutral-coloured kilt hose, a light shirt for contrast, retain the black vest (and I do hope that means "waistcoat"), and might retain the sporran as a useful accessory.

With a kilt, this choice is easy -- stick reasonably closely to The Rules and one cannot go horribly wrong. Now, if this was an out-and-out skirt the problems manifest themselves in droves because there are no Rules; it's every man for himself. The last time I went out to something that could be considered "semi-formal" was a night at the theatre in the Big City to my south and I opted for a blue calf-length velvet skirt, white hose, a white (I think) dress shirt with necktie, and either a blue or black (I forget) waistcoat.

Going with the Doc Martins and the kilt would have been stylistically incorrect given the setting unless you were deliberately trying to make a "point".
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
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