Formal Dress Forum

[Steveo]

I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I can't for the life of me find it. Is there any way of fixing a hood so it does not pull constantly on the shirt? I find having to readjust my shirt annoying, and if there is any way of preventing this I'd very much like to own it.

[hr]

Get off my internet.

[Jamie potton]

Waistcoat.
Or this "hood stabiliser" thingy.

[Jos Dad]

Quoting Steveo from 17:34, 20th Jun 2008
I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I can't for the life of me find it. Is there any way of fixing a hood so it does not pull constantly on the shirt? I find having to readjust my shirt annoying, and if there is any way of preventing this I'd very much like to own it.

I believe women graduands are advised to pin it to their bra. Is this an option?

[fearghas]

We've been trying to get Steve to wear a bra for a while now, but he keeps resisiting the idea.

Perhaps this will do the trick finally.

[Al]

Quoting fearghas from 10:39, 22nd Jun 2008
We've been trying to get Steve to wear a bra for a while now, but he keeps resisiting the idea.

You just need to find the right reward. A pot or two of jam should do the trick.

[Dave the Explosive Newt]

Is there a technical term for gown+hood worn over an ordinary suit and tie? Or does one still count it as academic dress even though one is not in sub fusc?

[hr]

Mmmmmmm, cake.
http://standrews.facebook.com/profile.php?id=37102114

[J.C.H.]

Quoting Steveo from 17:34, 20th Jun 2008
I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I can't for the life of me find it. Is there any way of fixing a hood so it does not pull constantly on the shirt? I find having to readjust my shirt annoying, and if there is any way of preventing this I'd very much like to own it.

Simple - don't fasten it to your shirt (the loop on the neckband is only for fixing to to a sb cassock.)

If the hood is worn correctly, with the neckband close around the throat, the hood stays in place and doesn't choke.

[Anon.]

What sort of headgear can one wear with a kilt? Does it have to be something like a Balmoral or a Glengarry, or are things like flat caps allowed? What would one wear with evening dress?

[Anon.]

Also...

What are people's thoughts on black shoes with a blazer? I wear them myself (grey trousers, navy blazer), but always have a sneaking suspicion that it's strictly speaking a gaffe and only brown shoes should be worn with a blazer.

[Mr Comedy]

I think if it makes you feel good, go for it. I've got no major objections to black shoes with a blazer, as long as it is a dark shade of navy. If it was a lighter colour I'd point you in the direction of brown shoes.

[hr]

"I am in no way interested in immortality, but only in the taste of tea. " -Lu Tung

[Anon.]

Quoting Mr Comedy from 11:46, 13th Aug 2008
I think if it makes you feel good, go for it.

People just going for what makes them feel good is not good. That way striped ties with check shirts lie.

I've got no major objections to black shoes with a blazer, as long as it is a dark shade of navy. If it was a lighter colour I'd point you in the direction of brown shoes.

Surely the shade of the trousers is more important?

[james-crittenden-cavendis]

Dear all,
My name is James Crittenden-Cavendish. I am coming in as a bejant this September and am wondering what the feeling about town is about tartans. Evidently, it is my right to wear the Gordon, Gunn, McDonald, Lindsay, and Fraser tartans, and of course the blackwatch and stuart tartans, however, what is the feeling toward wearing tartans to which you are not, by writ or lineage, strictly entitled to.
Thank you,
James Stuart

[Anon.]

As tartans are a sign of affiliation then I suppose you can wear the tartan of whatever clan/name/organisation to which you wish to show affiliation.

There are the following restrictions:

Only the Royal Family and others with permission (e.g. some regiments) may wear the Royal Stewart tartan. This is often flouted.

Only the Royal Family may wear the Balmoral tartan.

Only the Prince of Wales may wear the Lord of the Isles tartan. I think I remember a story of the Prince of Wales visiting the then Bosvile MacDonald of Sleat baronet (the family were previously called MacDonald of the Isles) and raising his eyebrows when he saw that his host was wearing "his" (HRH's) tartan.

[Al]

That's not strictly true. A clan tartan is a sign of allegiance not affiliation. Wearing a clan tartan is a sign that you bear allegiance to the head of that clan. Furthermore, a person can only be a member of one clan at any one time. Therefore one should wear the tartan that is appropriate for the clan to which you belong. If your surname is not one which is recognised as a clan or a sept then you should wear a district tartan.

[Anon.]

I disagree. Clan tartans as they are known today were not even codified until the nineteenth century, after the demise of the clan system. The idea of "allegiance" to anyone other than The Queen is defunct.

[Eliot Wilson]

I think I side with Anon. on this one. In any case, as the modern tartan system is largely made up, it's inappropriate (not to mention anachronistic) to get excessively worked up about who wears what. I happen to wear my father's tartan, but I'd just as happily wear my mother's, and, in any case, "clans" were rather loosely defined.

[hr]

Bill and Ted beat the Grim Reaper at Twister

Bill: "You played very well, Death, especially with your totally heavy Death robes."

Death: "Don't patronise me."

[Al]

Well, maybe. But I think I'll side with the Lord Lyon.

"There are no strict rules on who has the right to wear a particular tartan. People normally wear only the tartan (if any) of their surname, or a "district tartan" connected with where they live or where their family come from.

Wearing a particular clan tartan indicates that the wearer bears an allegiance to the chief of that clan."

[Anon.]

An ill-fitting coat, a soft-fronted shirt, what looks suspiciously like a made-up tie, and (gasp) no waistcoat!

The blighters either side with their ties riding up their collars and shirts bulging out beneath their waistcoats look positively elegant by comparison.

[Eliot Wilson]

It's terrible, isn't it? I blame the current incumbent for making such a song and dance when he had to don white tie for a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, saying he'd rather wear a dinner jacket and his cowboy boots with the presidential seal on them.

[exnihilo]

But then our own Dear Leader, showing himself a man of the people, has declined to wear white tie as well, presumably in the dangerously moronic belief that black tie is somehow less fustian and more proletarian.

I should like to assure you all, here and now, and publicly, that when (and if) I attain any high office I shall make an absolute point of donning all and any attire that is appropriate to it at every bloody chance I get. This I solemnly swear (or affirm).