Waistcoat only?

[Tenmiles]

I agree that a vest or waistcoat worn as outerwear definitely looks nicer if it has a fabric back, and without the adjustable strap, and that would be the preferred solution. Also, thank you, Ken, for teaching me a new term to use when shopping for one.

[Liam]

I'd suggest just a dress shirt with or without a tie for those warm weather situations, much as you would do if non-kilted.
cheers

[tripod]

Well as the temp in Cornwall has been known to rocket into the 80's . It's been warm here for a couple of days, so I'm back in the short sleeves and a leather waistcoat. If the windchill brings the temp down to 3c (38f) or so I just put on a jumper. I have had good comments about the style, and with leather lined pockets my sporran is a lot lighter and I have a pocket for my watch.

Overall I tend not to wear my tweed Argyll unless it's a more formal setting, court for speeding was the last time I wore it.

But remember the different conventions here and there.

[MacRobert's Reply]

The other option is to wear a very light weight jacket made of linen rather than tweed. A few chaps on X Marks have them.

[tpa]

My light all leather waistcoat puts in a regular appearance during the warmer weather, it is never buttoned up.

[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

[OC Richard]

Well as the temp in Cornwall has been known to rocket into the 80's... I tend not to wear my tweed Argyll unless it's a more formal setting, court for speeding was the last time I wore it.

What did the judge think?

As an aside, my grandmother's side of the family is from Tywardreath, a lovely village not unlike what one sees in Doc Martin (other than the silted-up bay). Her parents were named Reed, and Varcoe (a uniquely Cornish name, I think). They were miners there, and then miners here (West Virginia). I follow The Cornish Pirates from afar, online.

A bit of a quest of mine has been to design a Cornwall tartan that's more attractive than the usual yellow one, and I think I've succeeded, the only hurdle now being the expense of having it woven.

[tripod]

What did the judge think?

My second visit, I spent 3/4 hour arguing with the prosecution solicitor about the legality. Eventually after looking in law books I was done on a rarely used section. (Reduced the fine though)

The bench did comment and said it was nice to see.

There are two other Cornish tartans the hunting and the St Piran

[Tenmiles]

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

I'm curious about the hose seen here. Am I seeing correctly that they have a sort of castellated top edge, and are not folded down?

[OC Richard]

Yes that's the word used, 'castellated' hose. They were a bit of a fad in Victorian times, rarely seen nowadays.

Here's a closeup of the tops