Scottish, Irish Highland Dress | Formal Black Tie & White Tie Attire

Kilts and tartan stand as symbols of Scottish culture and legacy. The Scottish highland dress is the customary provincial dress of the Highlands and the isles of Scotland, yet parts of the dress have since spread into different pieces of the country. Moreover, if we talk about the roots of this attire they date back to the 17th century. 

This sort of dress is no longer for regular use – Traditional Highland dress is presently saved for special occasions and extraordinary events. In the cutting edge time, Scottish high country dress can be worn nonchalantly, or worn as formal wear to white tie and dark tie events, particularly at ceilidhs. Similarly, as the dark tie clothing regulation has expanded being used in England for formal occasions which generally may have called for white tie, so too is the dark tie variant of good country dress progressively normal.

Is a kilt acceptable at a black tie event?

Yes, it is, but you have to get it right. As long as you are pairing it up with the right accessories, a kilt can be worn at black tie event. Let me give you an opinion regarding styling yourself with a kilt at a black tie event. For Black tie convention that would be a Prince Charlie coat and vest, or a Regulation Doublet in a dim Barathea or velvet texture with a full white shirt having a wing collar and dark bow tie. You ought to likewise have a silver cantle fur sporran and formal hose, preferably in matching plaid. Pair it up with your favorite tartan kilt or with your family tartan kilt. Moreover, with this attire, black Ghillie brogues are the ideal combination for you to rock the black tie event. 

There are exceptional hindrances to highland wearing of dark tie as dissimilar to dinner suits, which look best when you embrace its uniform look high country wear energizes self-expression. Splendid varieties and show-halting sporrans paint a totally different picture than the inconspicuous undercurrents of other countries’ dark ties. Because of this extravagant styling, it is not difficult to get derailed in every one of the choices.

What Tartan Can I Wear?

The shortest answer to this question is any but for details let’s just discuss it. Generally, individuals wear tartan which connects with their last name. In the event that there is no suitable name for tartan, search for a locale associated with the clan where your predecessors resided. There are likewise various plaids which have been intended for anybody to wear – you can also request your supplier to show you the ranges of tartan they have.

Are there any tartan restrictions?

While most clan tartans are unhindered and free for anybody to wear, plaids connected to an association are sometimes confined or restricted. This implies that you need to ask for the proprietor’s authorization before you can have anything produced using it. In the event that the tartan is illustrative of a part of the tactic, they could inquire as to whether you are a part of or have any family members who are a part of and the noble cause could want a gift.

So, we always suggest that you must inquire about the fabric you are going to wear. 

What are Universal Tartans?

A Universal Tartan is one that anybody can wear, without guilt. This view has changed emphatically throughout recent years and truth be told when you wear a clan tartan, it is presently viewed as a worthy gesture and companionship towards the family/group. So albeit general or universal tartans are not related to a family/group, you can be protected in the information that by picking a plaid that you like, be it widespread or a tribe plaid, you will constantly be greeted wholeheartedly.

There are a couple of tartans that are confined, meaning not every person can wear them. The Balmoral plaid, for instance, must be worn by individuals from the British Royal Family and there are still some group plaids that must be worn assuming the Clan Chief permits you to.

There are numerous all-inclusive plaids you can wear on the off chance that you don’t have or need to wear, a tribe plaid. A few widespread plaids honor an extraordinary occasion or individual that you might want to regard. A few other universal tartans have been made to praise a region or geographic region that you have a proclivity with, for instance, where your family members resided.

The principal motivation to pick a universal tartan anyway is essentially on the grounds that you like the varieties and the plan. It could work out positively for a variety of conspire at a wedding or matches the tweed jacket you like.

Enlisting the most popular Universal tartans:

  • Royal Stewart Tartan
  • Black Watch Tartan
  • Silver Mist Tartan
  • Lindsay Tartan
  • Isle of Skye Tartan
  • Islay Mist Tartan
  • Scotland Forever Tartan

Where to Learn more about and buy authentic Scottish Highland dress?

For inside and out clarifications of the different parts of Highland dress, we strongly suggest the Scottish Kilt. They are USA-based organizations which makes them a considerably more solid wellspring of decorum than standard rental shops. From their image name to their site plan and about portion, everything about getting The Label tells clients what they are getting. It’s sensible, consistent, and totally on-brand, but most importantly, its classifications and course route make looking, finding, and buying things truly straightforward for clients. From giving you Leather kilts, Utility kilts, Hybrid kilts, and Women’s kilts to try and kilt pouch adornments they got you covered.

Most significant elements of a Black Tie Kilt outfit

A kilt outfit for dark tie is separated into ten classifications which will be canvassed in this guide. It comprises Kilts, Jackets, Shirts, Waistcoats, and Accessories. 

Kilt

The first and foremost important element is a kilt. A kilt is the most renowned conventional Scottish article of clothing: a skirt-molded knee-length piece of clothing commonly worn by men. What’s more, they’re basically consistently shrouded in tartan, which is the fundamental justification for why tartan designs are so notorious. Gaelic in the beginning, the kilt previously showed up in Scotland in the sixteenth century, however not in its ongoing structure. In the sixteenth century, it was known as the extraordinary kilt. It came as a full-length robe, and in some cases highlighted a hood. Assuming you’ve seen Braveheart, you’ve seen the extraordinary kilt in real life.

The kilt, for example, was a basic piece of clothing produced using one enormous piece of texture that the wearer would fold over their midsection and behind them. It was a weighty and strong piece of clothing intended to climate cold Scottish winters and endure working outside. As this piece of clothing is only a few yards of texture you fold creases into yourself and afterward fold over yourself. It may be lumbering to wear and just those searching for a more one-of-a-kind look ought to settle on it.

Because of the extraordinary kilts’ unwieldy nature, it was changed to a method for isolating the top half from the base. This rendition of the kilt (purportedly made by an Englishman called Thomas Rawlinson) was known as the feileadh beag and is practically the same in styling as a cutting-edge kilt with sewn-in creases and shut with ties. The kilt hasn’t changed significantly from that point forward with the main option being a few clasps and lashes being added to make the kilt simpler to wear. 

How to wear a kilt? | Perfect way of wearing kilt

Whether or not you favour the extraordinary kilt or more current kilt you really want to guarantee you are wearing it right. The main thing is to ensure you are wearing it sufficiently high. The belt of the kilt ought to be at stomach button level and sufficiently high that no shirt should be visible between the petticoat and kilt. The kilt ought to likewise be focused so the middle line running down the length of the kilt lines up with the buttons of your petticoat. You likewise need to ensure that the kilt is the right length, above and beneath the knee can look ladylike and as such you believe your kilt should land at the knee. An old military custom says that when you stoop in your kilt it ought to simply contact the ground. Yet, that procedure was never utilized for individual fighters, just posts to make the officers all look consistent. The main genuine method for finding the right length for a kilt is to be estimated by someone else. At long last, ensure you are wearing the kilt with the creases at the back.

Kilt Buying advice

There are a couple of things to pay special attention to while buying a kilt and a few signs of value to pay special attention to. The primary thing to search for is its strategy for assembling. All new kilts are custom to the individual and in this manner, it is completely your decision between the two. The greatest kilts would be a high-quality kilt from a laid-out retailer. High-quality kilts for men will flex better and wrap the body in a really complimentary way, particularly for more slender men with a huge hip size.

You will likewise get specific craftsmanship from a handcrafted kilt that a machine-made kilt can’t coordinate, but with that craftsmanship comes a greater cost tag. To make a full kilt outfit, we encourage going directly to the source and purchasing straightforwardly from a trusted kilt retailer. In a perfect world, you would visit face to face however that isn’t generally imaginable and as such most retailers have a powerful web-based framework. Large numbers of these retailers likewise pack bargains when you purchase a full outfit which assists with bringing down the expense as kilt outfits can rapidly become pricey.

In the event that that is too costly, you could recruit an outfit yet the fit won’t be correct and in many occasions, the coats and sporrans will be in an unfortunate condition. Subsequently, numerous men will either purchase a recycled kilt or an Ex-Hire kilt and afterward buy different things new. An Ex-Hire kilt, as it sounds, is a kilt that at one time would have been employed out, however, the shop under any circumstance has chosen to sell it on. Because of the powerful idea of kilts, they will generally stay in great quality and once purchased can be adjusted to more readily fit you. The investment funds from purchasing an Ex-Hire kilt or recycled kilt will likewise let loose cash to be spent on another Prince Charlie, new sporran, or new embellishments.

There are a few retailers with great internet-based administrations like Scotland Kilt or McCalls Highlandwear however there are a lot more and we suggest looking around. 

Ideal kilt measurement- 9 Yards traditional kilt

A kilt ought to likewise be produced using a 9-yard piece of Acrylic Wool (there is a pattern towards making kilts out of less texture however the creases will be excessively little or excessively few so we suggest staying with the 8 yards) either in a plaid or strong variety that is measured to your body.

With profound creases toward the back and a few buckles. One on the left ties down the kilt set up and one to two on the right holds the front of the cover-up. The additional buckle on the right is known as a hip buckle and has become normal practice in Scotland, yet its need is discussed. We recommend you add the hip buckle as it causes the kilt to sit neater on the body, however it is at last down to individual inclination.

Must leave some time for you!

While purchasing a kilt, one thing to consider is that as all new kilts are specially customized, you can hope to stand by 6-8 weeks to get one made. This means you ought to buy two or three months before your occasion and if conceivable request different things for your outfit simultaneously.

Kilt Jackets | Prince Charlie, Argyll, Doublets, and Crail

For dark tie events,  there are a couple of choices with the Jackets, yet Prince Charlie is the most well-known. It includes wide pinnacle lapels confronted with silk and pewter buttons, seeming to be a dark wreck coat. A Prince Charlie ought to be worn with a low profile three-button petticoat that highlights self-confronted lapels.

Different choices would be an Argyll or Crail coat which highlights self-confronted scored lapels and a five-button petticoat. The distinction between the two tastefully is the sleeve:

The Crail has a scalloped sleeve in accordance with a Prince Charlie containing three buttons running upward up the sleeve.

The Argyll includes a glove sleeve which is a collapsed back piece of texture with three buttons in succession. The two of them include self-confronted indented lapels, epaulets, and two fasteners, however, you shouldn’t fasten your coat when worn with a kilt.

There is likewise a choice of doublets that are propelled by the military and as such are unequivocally organized with two lines of buttons running the length of the coat. These are challenging to stop by yet the Sherrifmuir (the most present-day take on a doublet) is promptly accessible and is worn open with a matching squared base waistcoat.

Waistcoat / Vest | Do’s and Don’t

Similar to the kilt, the Vest and Waistcoat ought to be produced using Acrylic wool. Typically barathea is in one black or midnight navy color. A Prince Charlie waistcoat ought to match the coat in both material and variety and component three pewter buttons in a solitary breasted setup. The petticoat will likewise include a self-colored lapel with a squared-off bottom.

Try not to show the shirt from Waistcoat

The waistcoat ought to fit near the body yet not be tight. The petticoat ought to be sliced adequately short to prevent it from looking free from the front of the coat. Regardless of the easy route however you ought not to be ready to see any shirt between the kilt and the petticoat.

The most well-known botch you see when men wear high country outfits is their kilt being worn low with a Prince Charlie and uncovering a huge wrap of the white shirt. It makes you look rumpled and ought to be kept away from.

Highland Dress Shirts | Detachable or Attached collar shirt?

For the Prince Charlie coat, it is thought of as customarily right to wear a wing neckline shirt with a covered placket and neither pleats nor a Marcella tucker. While most kilt shops will sell these shirts, they can be hard to source somewhere else. Numerous cutting-edge wing neckline shirts highlight shaky wings and a neckline that doesn’t stretch out far up the neck, so it is fitting to look around or go for a more classic motivated shirt with a separable neckline.

For the other coat styles, you can wear either a turn-out neckline shirt with a covered placket or a wing neckline shirt. Despite the fact that you can find joined wing neckline shirts, the treated separable necklines look a ton better.

Because of the more established and more rare look of high country wear, wing neckline shirts are desirable over turned-down neckline shirts. In any case, when absolutely necessary it is OK to substitute the wing neckline for a more present-day turn-down neckline shirt. You ought to guarantee that the placket is covered as buttons are excessively casual and studs should be visible and occupied when blended in with the metal buttons of high country coats. 

The ideal shirt with a Prince Charlie then is a wing neckline shirt, with covered buttons and no creases or Marcella tucker. Yet again in the event of wearing an Argyle, Crail, or Sheriffmuir, a turn-down collar is more suitable, however, it ought to have a covered placket. 

The Black Bow Tie – A must-have Formal black tie event

As the name proposes you ought to go for a black bow tie and as the silk that faces Prince Charlie is glossy silk you ought to wear a dark silk tie. In the event that you are wearing a wing, neckline shirt is it vital to wear a measured dark silk necktie, without any adjuster? 

Sporrans to wear

There are two types of sporrans that can be worn with dark tie customarily, the full veil sporran and the dress sporran.

For formal events, most men will wear a full dress sporran. The dress sporran is significantly more unpretentiously styled in contrast with the full veil. The dress sporran has a metal top called a cantle connected to the fur sack.

The full veil sporran has the top of the creature integrated into the plan; this makes a degree of lavishness that fits the dark tie vibe.They will likewise convey a greater cost tag than the dress sporran because of the additional work in making a full cover contrasted with a dress sporran.

Sporrans will likewise include a couple of tufts on the facade of the pack, ordinarily three. These will be three metal chains prompting a metal ringer that houses a bundle of fur. As sporrans are made of normal materials there are exceptional hues to the skin and I would exhort looking through these more remarkable skins. Most sporrans are made of pewter, either chrome or matt, and similarly, as with most metals, it is prudent to coordinate the metal and wrap it up with some other gems you’re wearing.

Kilt Pins

A Kilt Pin is a little pin worn at the lower part of the kilt to add weight to the front cover to keep the breeze from blowing it open. In a conventional setting, you ought to match the metal of your sporran to your kilt pin and your sleeve fasteners.

You could go luxurious or basic and the pin could highlight a valuable or semi-valuable stone on the off chance that you wanted. In the event that you truly do go for a shaded stone, preferably it would be a variety from the kilt.

Kilt Flashes

Kilt Flashes are little patterns of texture that jab free from the highest point of your socks. So when you wear highland hoses the top piece of the sock collapses over making a head and a couple of supporters sit in them. They come from when extra bits of texture were utilized to hold your socks up and presently are less required and absolutely tasteful. 

At the point when you purchase another kilt, the creator will ordinarily make you a couple of blazes simultaneously from the matching tartan. Matching tartan flashes are the most ideal way to go; however you could likewise go for strong flashes, ordinarily a variety from the kilt.

Regardless, they ought to be made of wool and either a similar tartan as the kilt or a strong color from the kilt.

Kilt Hose

Kilt hoses are long socks worn just underneath the knee. They are regularly made of wool (can be made of cotton assuming you have a sensitivity or will generally overheat). For dark tie white or cream is the most fitting, however, checked socks are more customary.

Ghillie Brogue Shoes

The most formal shoes, while you are wearing a full kilt outfit, are Ghillie brogue. For the black tie event, the black ghillie brogues are the best to go but you can also find them in different colors such as brown. These shoes feature long laces that are tied up to your legs below the knees. But let me tell you an interesting thing that with every formal wear-on black tie event your shoes must be brogues. So if you are wearing a kilt or not brogues are safe to play with. Ghillie Brogue is very easy to find in online and physical stores but make sure that they are well shined, not patent leather. 

Lowland Dresses

The conventional Lowland equivalent of black tie is tartan trews(tight-fitting high-waisted pants with fishtail back worn with suspenders as an option in contrast to the kilt) joined with a standard dinner jacket and cummerbund or a Prince Charlie coat. Trews are often worn in summer and in warm climates. 

Trews are flexible and can likewise be worn with customary exemplary dark tie clothing. Since trews are very loud, we suggest restraining the remaining of the outfit on the off chance that you really do wear trews as any other way, your outfit would look occupied. Likewise dissimilar to a kilt where weighty textures are best with trews, lightweight tartan is ideal to abstain from overheating and irritation.

Scottish Lowlanders and Borderers were dressed similarly to the English, with the exception of all kinds of people, likewise involving a plaid as a shroud. The Lowland ladies folded their plaids around their heads as hoods, while Lowland and Border men wore a chequered maud (plaid) wrapped about their chest area.

Etiquette of wearing kilt | Two rules for wearing kilt

According to Debrett’s A-Z of Modern Manners, there are two standards for wearing kilts, they ought to just be worn by those with a Scottish or Gaelic association and the right clothing should be worn to suit the event.

Evening Dress of Irish

Irish conventional night dress is recognized from the Highland Dress by the Brian Boru coat, a changed Prince Charlie coat with a wrap neckline, chain conclusion and round buttons with an Irish harp insignia. The coat is named after the Irish sovereign who administered it from 1002 to 1014. 

You can track down each and everything, customized and perfectly stitched for a black tie event here. Women’s dresses range is also available here. 

What’s more, our men’s suits collection has a wide reach, including conventional and trendy top picks.

Have a good time!