Dressing Like A Gentleman

DRESSING LIKE A GENTLEMAN – DAYWEAR
©2009 Matthew A. C. Newsome, GTS, FSA Scot.

The author in daywear dress, with Argyle hose and Harris tweed jacket and waistcoat. So you’ve just purchased your first kilt, and you’d like to wear it with pride. You are wearing the kilt to honor your Scottish heritage and you want to do that heritage justice by dressing in a dignified and refined manner. In this month’s column I’d like to give my personal recommendations for putting together a nice daywear outfit that any Scottish laird would be proud to wear.

I will begin with the assumption that you have a nice quality, traditionally made kilt. At a minimum, there are a few accessories you cannot do without. One is a sporran. To wear a kilt without the sporran looks like you are not fully dressed – plus you need somewhere to keep your wallet and keys. For daywear dress the sporran need not be fancy. A simple pouch style sporran is sufficient, and brown leather is preferable. However, saying the sporran does not need to be “fancy” does not mean it should be cheap, either. And here I mean “cheap” in terms of quality, not price. (Although the two often go hand in hand, it is not necessarily so). Don’t be afraid of spending a little more money up front to invest in a nice quality sporran that will last you for many years.

Many sporrans today are supplied by the maker with a chain strap. For daywear, I much prefer an all-leather sporran strap. Not only do I think it looks nicer and better suited for daywear, but it also will cause less wear and tear on your kilt over time. When you order your sporran, ask if an all leather strap is an option.

Hose are another essential. To begin with, you will most likely be purchasing hose in a solid color. These are most common today, and are generally inexpensive. Lovat mixtures look very nice for daywear, especially paired with a tweed jacket, but other colors are certainly appropriate. Let the colors of your kilt serve as inspiration for the colors of your hose and garters. There really is no “right” or “wrong” choice when it comes to hose and garter colors, so long as the colors tone well with your tartan.

If you would like to give your hose selection an upgrade and really add distinctiveness to your daywear outfit, diced or Argyle hose, made to match your tartan, are a great choice. Many people are of the opinion that these hose should be reserved for eveningwear. While they certainly are very appropriate for eveningwear, I personally see no reason why they could not be worn for daywear, as well. After all, the historical precedent for these hose were the cadadh, hose which were cut and sewn from tartan cloth. These were worn with the kilt at all times of day, for all levels of formality.

Custom made diced or Argyle hose can be a bit dear in terms of cost, however. If you are looking for hose that might make your outfit a bit more distinctive, but do not want to invest in the full Argyle hose, it is possible to acquire kilt hose with a pattern on the cuff only. Often these are sold as “shooting socks” or “country hose,” with a variety of styles of cuff available. Hose in this style are a favorite of HRH Prince Charles, and he has served to popularize them with kilt wearers in recent years.

As for shoes, generally it is appropriate to wear whatever style of shoes you find comfortable for daywear, though brown leather brogues are highly recommended. We will only discuss the belt briefly to say that it should ideally be brown for daywear, and whatever color you choose please avoid the highly polished chrome buckle that is seen far too often on kilt belts. This style of waist plate is better suited to more formal occasions.

I have so far throughout this article recommended brown leather for daywear. More and more today people are choosing to wear black leather for daywear accessories, so much so that this is now seen as generally acceptable. So if black leather is your preference, please feel free to wear it. However, brown is still seen as the preferred color for daywear, all else being equal.

Many people wear the kilt primarily for outdoor functions, such as Highland Games, which are often held during the warmer months. For this reason, it is possible to be a kilt wearer for quite some time and never need a jacket. However, nothing makes a kilt wearer look more dignified than a nice tweed kilt jacket and waistcoat. Talk to your highland dress supplier about what is available in terms of cloth for a daywear jacket and select a tweed that will tone well with your tartan. You can have your jacket made with any style cuff you prefer – don’t think it must be a certain way because that is what you have seen before. My only advice when you order your jacket is to invest in a matching waistcoat at the same time. Having a waistcoat (vest) gives you more options in your dress, and ordering it together with your jacket guarantees the cloth will be a match.

(Special note: when you are wearing a waistcoat, leave the belt at home!)

For neck ties, a solid color to tone with your tartan is ideal, though some patterns also look good with tartan, most notably the striped regimental or club ties. For shirts, a regular man’s Oxford shirt looks fine, in white or a light color to tone with the tweed or tartan. I personally have a preference for tattersal shirts with my kilts.

Taking all of the above into account, you can put together a decent looking daywear outfit with as little as a good sporran, and a solid pair of hose and garters. With a little more investment you can add Argyle hose, a nice tweed jacket and waistcoat, (you cannot beat Harris tweed!) and have a really nice looking ensemble.

Daywear is usually equated with “casual” in many people’s minds today, but this is not necessarily so. Highland dress daywear should still look respectable and elegant. There is no reason why anyone who wears the kilt should not feel like a Scottish gentleman going for a walkabout on his Highland estate!

Next month we’ll tackle the subject of eveningwear.

CAPTION: The author in daywear dress, with Argyle hose and Harris tweed jacket and waistcoat.