Argyll? Vest? Waistcoat? what's in a name

[meinfs]

I think I know what a Prince Charlie jacket is (the black formal jackets with those shiny buttons).

Sorry that I'll make you all backtrack to the basics, but can anyone enlighten with pictures and words the differences between argyll, vests and waistcoats. I've seen lots of pictures of kilt outfits but what are the specific features of these items to be called such. Thanks.


Other terms used:
sgian dubh - the knife
hose - the socks
hose cuffs
sporran - the purse (daywear, formal)
glengarry - one of the headgears
bonnet
kilt pin
brooch - (I saw a long thread about kilt pins vs brooches)
the tartan fabric the hangs on one shoulder - term?
ghillie brogues - the shoes with strings tied around the leg
brogues - shoes in general

anything else?


Perhaps a sticky with the glossary of terms would be useful to newbies?

[RockyR]

First, I'll start with the easy one... a Waistcoat IS a vest. They're one in the same... 2 different words to describe the same thing.

A Prince Charlie jacket / (3 button) vest is for formal occasions, typically "worn after 6". The jacket and vest are ALMOST ALWAYS sold together and worn together. The jacket does NOT button in the front... those buttons are all strictly decorative. It has tails in the back and has lots of "bling". It has "braemar cuffs", which means that it has a small piece of fabric sewn on and has 3 buttons going vertically down the sleeve:



Picture of the tails...


An ARGYLL jacket and (5 button) vest is a slightly less formal option. It is slightly lower cut than a PC, but NOT NEARLY as long as a standard "suit jacket". It can be bought with or without the vest, but I recommend that it be bought WITH the vest, so you have different options on different outfits. You can wear just the jacket, just the vest or Jacket AND vest for slightly dressier events. The cuffs are called "Gauntlet Cuffs", which means they have a bit of "vertical ribbing" going down the last 6 - 7 inches and they have 3 buttons going horizontally around the sleeve.



BTW... when wearing a PC, you should have a "tux shirt" and a bow tie. When wearing an Argyll, you should have on a "standard dress shirt" and a straight tie (I prefer solids as they won't clash at all with the tartan). Hope this answers your questions!

[RockyR]

Aren't you going to ask about Braemar Jackets and Crail Jackets?

To jump the gun on those, I can give a small explanation:

They BOTH have the same "body" of an Argyll Jacket... the only difference is in the sleeves.

A CRAIL jacket has a very simple cuff, with a single button on the back side (pinky finger edge) of the cuff.

A Braemar jacket has the same "braemar cuffs" as a PC jacket, but with the BODY of an Argyll jacket.

As Matt Newsome pointed out on another thread, some companies interchange the names of some of these jackets (not quite sure why), but the PC jacket / Vest is always the same thing.

[cavscout]

This link will show you a complete outfit package and label each of the components and then you can click out and browse the many different versions of components and outfit styles

http://www.scotweb.co.uk/package_bui...tweecraioutfit

[meinfs]

Thanks for the enlightenment. See, I didn't ask because I didn't know, so thanks for thinking ahead.

Thanks again RockyR and cavscout!

Aren't you going to ask about Braemar Jackets and Crail Jackets?

To jump the gun on those, I can give a small explanation:

They BOTH have the same "body" of an Argyll Jacket... the only difference is in the sleeves.
...

[Carolina Kiltman]

First, I'll start with the easy one... a Waistcoat IS a vest. They're one in the same... 2 different words to describe the same thing.

Generally the two are the same, on this side of the Atlantic it is called a vest, on the other a waistcoat, often pronounced weskit. However in certain specialized situations the vest has one or more straps, and sometimes no real back at all. But on this forum, the only distinction made is between the fitted one, with no adjustment strap(s) and the adjustable one.

[Nick]

"Vest" is the American English word for the British English "waistcoat". There are different types of vest/waistcoat, but those two words mean the same thing, a sleeveless coat worn under the jacket and usually ending at the waist.

(edit: beat me to it!)

[Jock Scot]

Well done,ask away and I think a list of Kilt terms, such as you have suggested, is a good idea. Maybe there already is one that you and me don't know about?

[sydnie7]

Well done,ask away and I think a list of Kilt terms, such as you have suggested, is a good idea. Maybe there already is one that you and me don't know about?

Try the e-book available through Scotweb site http://www.scotweb.co.uk/kiltsandtartan/ Toward the end there is a section describing all the common accessories, including "the tartan fabric that hangs on one shoulder" aka fly plaid.

[meinfs]

Try the e-book available through Scotweb site http://www.scotweb.co.uk/kiltsandtartan/ Toward the end there is a section describing all the common accessories, including "the tartan fabric that hangs on one shoulder" aka fly plaid.

Indeed. Thanks for pointing us back to it. I've read the ebook before (before I started to making kilts). I may have skimmed over the accessories section being more interested in just the kilt at the time. Excellent reference.

(Perhaps someone can write an alphabetized glossary for easy and quick access in XMTS format? using the ebook as a main source of info and add other terms in use, including regional variations in the terminology and XMTS jargon).

Thanks again CarolinaKiltman, Jock Scot, Nick & sydnie7.