Scottish Formal Attire

Wikipedia defines the Scottish equivalents of black tie as follows.  Italics represent enhancements made by The Guide based on other research.

Scottish Highland dress is often worn to black and white tie occasions, especially at Scottish reels and céilidhs (traditional social dances); the black tie version is more common, even at white tie occasions.

Traditionally, black tie Scots Highland dress comprises:

• Black kilt jacket — Prince Charlie coatee (the most popular style), Montrose doublet, Sheriffmuir doublet, regulation doublet or Argyll jacket are suitable (a black or red mess jacket is also an option)

• Black waistcoat (low cut, fastened with three Celtic buttons)

• Kilt

• White shirt

• Neckwear: black bow tie

• Shoes: black Ghillie brogues (tongue-less brogues with long laces that wrap around the lower leg and tie above the ankle) or black dress shoes

• Hose: kilt hose (knee-length wool socks) in monochrome, diced, tartan or off-white

• Accessories: flashes (a pair of decorative pointed vertical strips of fabric attached to garters used to hold up kilt hose)

• Accessories: dress sporran (a sporran is a decorative pouch worn at the front of the kilt)

• Accessories: sgian dubh (optional) (a small ornamental knife tucked into the kilt hose)

• Accessories: dirk (optional) (an ornamental cut-down sword)

The "Evening Wear" dress code offered by Kinloch Anderson is similar to the wikipedia definition with the following notable exceptions:

• a Kenmore doublet is included in the list of Prince Charlie alternatives 

• an evening shirt can be plain or wing collar 

• a silver grey wedding tie is appropriate for semi-formal wear

• an evening bow tie can be black or can match the jacket color 

• shoes should be Ghillie brogues or buckle brogues (tongue-less brogues closed with a strap and decorated with a buckle on the toe of the shoe)

• an ornamental kilt pin is included as another decorative accessory (although neither it nor the sgian dubh is listed as being optional)

• a Fly Plaid (a square piece of tartan fabric attached to the left shoulder of the jacket with a decorative broach) is optional 

In addition, Kinloch Anderson limits the Argyll jacket's appropriateness to a separate dress code for "Semiformalwear (day or evening)" where it is worn with:

• Kilt

• Black barathea five-button waistcoat

• Plain leather or semi-formal sporran

• Silver grey wedding tie or black bow tie for evening

• Plain kilt hose

• Flashes

• Gillie brogues or plain brogues 

• Kilt pin

• Sgian dubh

• Plain shirt 

Also of note are the following guidelines elsewhere on their site:

• the Argyll jacket is most frequently made in black barathea but other coloured barathea and other fabrics such as velvet can also be used.  (A cursory review of other Highland Dress web sites supports the wikipedia suggestion that the black option is standard for evening) 

• the lace jabot and cuffs should be worn with the Montrose, Sheriffmuir and Kenmore doublets

• the Sheriffmuir should be paired with a waistcoat that is made from either tartan or the same material as the jacket and that closes with seven Celtic buttons

• the Montrose and Kenmore doublets are usually worn with a belt

Highland Dress equivalent from the wikipedia "White Tie" article:

• Jacket: black formal kilt jacket — the Prince Charlie coatee, Montrose doublet, Sheriffmuir doublet, Kenmore doublet or regulation doublet is suitable

• Waistcoat: black barathea (or velvet, with a velvet doublet) or white marcella waistcoat (see below for caveat); no waistcoat is worn with the Kenmore doublet (nor, presumably, with the Montrose doublet as it is double-breasted)

• Kilt

• Shirt: white marcella shirt with white studs and cufflinks

• Neckwear: white marcella bow tie with the coatee or regulation doublet; white lace jabot with the other doublets (see below for caveat)

• Shoes: black Ghillie brogues; black buckle brogues ("Mary Janes") may be worn with the Montrose, Sheriffmuir, or Kenmore doublet

• Hose: Tartan or red and white, red and black or blue and white diced kilt hose

• Accessories: Flashes

• Accessories: Dress sporran

However, it should be noted that wikipedia's "Black Tie" article contains contradictory instructions regarding neckwear: "A common white tie equivalent is a lace jabot over a collarless shirt, although it is also acceptable to wear a black bow tie for white tie (white bow ties are not traditionally worn with kilts)."  This dictate would appear to be backed up not only by Kinloch Anderson's jabot guidelines above but also by the fact that white bow ties and waistcoats are not mentioned by any Highland Dress retailer.

Lowland Dress

According to wikpedia the traditional Lowland equivalent of black tie is tartan trews (tight fitting trousers worn as an alternative to the kilt) combined with a standard dinner jacket or a Prince Charlie jacket.   Trews are often worn in summer and in warm climes.

primary online sources accessed August 2009