navy mess jacket

[rondo]

I'm considering this jacket [with a button change] for formal events....opinions please.
http://www.marlowwhite.com/images/catalog/59-010-hi.jpg
I'll be wearing it with the following kilts: Dunbar Ancient, Murray of Atholl, and U.S. Navy Edzell.
Rondo

[MacLowlife]

Your post raises two different questions.

The first is easy: a dress mess jacket is a great jacket to wear with a kilt.

The second is trickier:wearing partial uniform garments (and quasi-uniform garments) makes many servicemen nervous. Will you be wearing this uniform jacket around men and women in uniform? There have been discussions around USAF dress mess with a USAF tartan kilt which might interest you. Try searching for USAF in the search feature.



Last, if you plan to wear a modified Dress Mess jacket, would you consider a "vintage" or second hand one? I think you can save a lot off that price...

All the best
M'Ll

[SlackerDrummer]

I think it would look rather smart and set you apart from all the other gents in their PCs and Argyle jackets. I was JUST looking at their website ... daydreaming of wearing their black Ike Jacket with semi-formal daywear.

[rondo]

This will be worn on evenings where i will be hosting dinner, dancing, and spirits at a club. No military presence. I was in the Navy for 6 years and thought it would be nice to have some recognition of that...but i will not wear it with military buttons nor any military insignia...which i think puts it in a class with the PC or a dressed up Argyll. Since many of the items worn with kilts have military origins I thought this jacket would look quite smart. Thanks for the replies. I'll check out those other threads.
Rondo

[Alan H]

Sure, it will look great. Just make sure any military insignia is removed.

[celtophile]

I prefer not to wear the mess jacket with a kilt because:
1. The waist is a bit high on the jacket, even for a kilt, and looks awkward with a kilt belt or PC waistcoat.
2. The mess dress is tailored for a relatively thin waisted look so a kilt adds a lot of bulk to your middle and throws off the cut of the coat.

I have seen a mess dress jacket and cummerbund worn with a kilt at mess nights and I think it looks awful! The gold cummerbund with a kilt is just wrong!

If you have a "military" tailored kilt with a high waist and you get a mess jacket that is at least one size larger in the chest than you normally wear then it might work. This would also be problematic because the larger chest size in the jacket might mean it would not fit well through the shoulders. I would certainly try on the whole outfit, including the belt or waistcoat, before I committed to the jacket.

I am active duty Navy and often wear a pair of Polaris Tartan Trews with my mess dress which has always been well received.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

My late father preferred a black mess jacket over the more traditional styles of Highland evening jackets. As long as there are no military buttons or rank insignia of any kind, it is a perfectly acceptable alternative to a PC, etc. Because of their cut they need to be worn with a 3-button waistcoat. While black is the traditional colour, either red or rifle green also work well with a mess jacket and kilt. The cummerbund is to be avoided at all costs.

You can buy mess jackets new from Marlowe White, or find them used (sizes run "tight") on e-Bay or Craigs List.

[Bill aka Mole]

Rondo, thank you for bringing this up. I've been looking at those jackets for a bit as well wondering how well they'd look with a kilt. Once the buttons are removed, it is strictly a Navy Blue jacket. Cheers!

[rondo]

Bill,
I think it looks good. Formal enough for sure...in the same league as the PC but a different cut... so as to be unique. I'm pretty sure I'm going to try one of these if I can get one large enough. After all, I'm not that 24 year old Machinist Mate anymore...
Rondo

[Bill aka Mole]

After all, I'm not that 24 year old Machinist Mate anymore...
Rondo

I don't believe that many of us are anywhere near 24 any more, except in our minds...