Waistcoat only?

[OC Richard]

Wearing a waistcoat/vest without jacket has, for some reason, become near-universal in The Pipe Band World, which as people here know tends to be something of a separate category of modern traditional civilian Highland Dress.

Last August, at The World Pipe Band Championships, every single band in the Grade One Finals was so dressed. And of the 230 or so bands present, there were only a few not like that, so on Glasgow Green that day one would have seen around eight thousand people wearing a waistcoat without jacket.

I think it's because a band can look a bit smarter than they would with shirts only, without the large expense of everybody getting jackets. And, many bands are from places like the USA and Australia where it's too hot for a jacket in the summer competition season.

Steve was right on the mark about the silk-backed vests. Back in the 80s and 90s when the waistcoat-only pipe band look came in, many bands were wearing the silk-backed vests but after a few years of sun and rain and sweat the backs of many vests, originally black, would fade to a dingy purple or even pink. Most bands here in the USA get their vests from J Higgins because 1) they have the same wool fabric front and back 2) they come in a variety of lengths and 3) they're inexpensive.

Getting the right length is important but often overlooked. Pipe bands compete in a circle facing in, so the audience's view is that of the unsightly backside, a kilt worn too low and a vest too short with an expanse of shirt revealed. Ugh.

The pipe band thing: at Stirling Castle



Wearing a nice heavy tweed waistcoat not designed for the kilt



Wearing a notched-lapel vest not designed for the kilt, got at JC Penneys