Prince Charlie advice

[Cygnus]

If you're having the jacket tailor made for you, my recommendation would be to skip the Prince Charlie and go for the regulation doublet. The tashes are real attention getters without being too different from a dinner jacket or Prince Charlie coatee.

My thinking here is that (in my opinion) the regulation doublet is more versatile than the Prince Charlie in that it is great for black tie events and will add a bit of flair to your outfit, but it also has the added bonus of being in the same classification as the Montrose and Sheriffmuir doublets and so is also ideal for white-tie events.

You can take a PC up to white-tie level, too, it just tends to be outshone by these other doublets when you do.

Black, in my opinion, is the best choice of colour; though lots of folks prefer to have jackets and doublets made in the same material as their kilts (seems like a bit too much to me).

As for fabric, heavier is usually better as far as look goes because heavier fabric holds its shape better, won't wrinkle/crease as easily, etc. Heavier fabric is hotter, so you'll have to strike a balance between looks and comfort there. Barathea seems to be the norm.

I'm afraid I have little advice on construction methods, though Henderson Group Ltd. sells small and large jacket buttons. Just make sure the tashes aren't too far forward - because of the cut of the jacket and the fold of the lapels, having the tashes too far forward will usually lead to their weight pulling the jacket open and giving it a "bell" shape.

I'm anxious to see what you decide on and how it turns out (and the only way for me to see it is if you post pictures)!