What to wear for Burns Night celebration?

[poppym12]

I'm going to a celebration at a hotel and have no idea what to wear. I'm currently overweight but working on that so don't want to spend much on a new outfit if I can avoid it.

I have a plain black jumpsuit similar to this which I'm thinking might be suitable but I need something to put over it.

Any help and ideas appreciated.

You don't need to wear tartan. And everybody will not be wearing tartan. I don't think I've ever worn tartan.

Robert Burns was alive from 1759 to 1796.

After the Battle of Colloden in 1746 the Dress Act banned the wearing Highland dress until 1782. As a lowland Scot with no tradition of wearing tartan it is unlikely that Robert Burns ever wore tartan.

The modern concept of a family tartan is thanks to Sir Walter Scott who orchestrated George IV's visit to Scotland in 1822 and started the craze for tartan and all things Scottish.

I'm Scottish and used to regularly go to a black tie Burns Supper when I lived there.

I never wore tartan nor did the other women. The men often wore kilts though.

I'm not big on wearing a tartan you aren't entitled to either. Stick with one of the generics - Black Watch/ Royal Stuart/ Edinburgh/ Scottish Rugby Union etc.

Some of you sound like my friend's English mate who was disappointed we couldn't colour coordinate the kilts amongst the best men/ ushers better. Totally missing the point that they were mostly wearing their own kilts and that some fathers and son had opted for a different version of the tartan when kilt purchasing (e.g hunting vs. standard) reflecting the changing tastes. Most men make their kilt last for decades.

Unless there is a dress code, I think a decent blazer or cardigan would be great with the jumpsuit.
I wouldn’t personally go out of your way to buy a tartan something to go with it. Not for one night.

Good points.

I’m Scottish, and live in Scotland. The last one I went to I got a wedding-style buttonhole thing made up at a florist - it had Heather and a thistle-y type effort, done up in tartan ribbon - and wore that as a corsage on a black dress. Most of the women had a nod to tartan, even if it was a very minor nod like me, a hair bow or something, and men were in kilts and tartan trews.

This is the kind of thing I had but fresh flowers and not as garish. That was just the first listing when I googled “Heather buttonhole”.

Was looking myself - Justine Tabak.co.uk has a few tartan dresses.