Nice Balmorals

[McClef]

Whilst not wishing in any way to diminish the deserved military honours with which the hackle may be associated, there are many military items that are now commonly worn by civilians and providing they are worn with respect I see no reason why the hackle should be any different.

Of course it's down to individual choice etc but it really helps to set off a Balmoral or a Glengarry.

I wear mine with pride.

[An t-Ileach]

[QUOTE=PiobBear;298751]Wow; that's a great price for a balmoral, and kudo's for not getting a common black one; I like rifle green...

As an old Light Infantryman I must concur: Rifle Green is the way to go.

[Nanook]

Wow; that's a great price for a balmoral,

Made in Pakistan and not quite to the same standard as those made in Scotland by the MOD contractors. There are vast differences and one should not compare them on price. Materials are different, design is different and workmanship is different. They also have different goals. MOD Balmoral bonnets are quite heavy-duty.
Beyond the comparison of products I do think one should support the Scottish and Irish cottage industries. The industry is not doing to well as they can't compete with slave labour from China and even in the niche markets the observation that the makers in Pakistan "export 80% of their products directly to the UK" ( http://www.glengarryhats.com/about.htm ) does not do well for its survival. We are looking at bonnets, sporrans and kilts. The Scottish companies are really quite small and many are family businesses. Leather goods maybe larger? How many sporran companies do you think are still in operation? And the "big ones" like Nicoll Bros or Janet Eagleton or William Scott? All really tiny shops. How many sporran makers are there in all of Scotland?

I vote with my purchases for fair trade and also to keep traditional companies going. Sure a lot of shops in Scotland and Ireland sell imports, often even as native products, but that's no excuse.

If you're thinking of a feather hackle, you might want to carefully consider that "Hackles are generally awarded to regiments for battle honours or a special reason.

Feathers are a long standing symbol of battle and not just among the Scots but throughout Europe and well into WW-II. When we see feathers in other styles of caps do we think of war? When we look, however, today at a Tirol hat with a feather we don't think war anymore do we? If one is, however, so worried about the language of hackles taken out of context as a fashion thing in civilian garb then what is your position on dicing? And, of course, that's only the start of where we'd need to look to remain careful and correct. I, personally, see less of a problem with a hackle taken out of context than dicing. Badges I see as "fan ware" and hackles as somewhere in between.

[McClef]

The danger of sticking to perceived is that it would considerably limit the choices of most of us about what we can wear.

Whatever we choose is bound to rub somebody or other up the wrong way :rolleyes:

[PiobBear]

The same could also be said for wearing any type of feather in general, since feathers behind a badge usually denote an armiger (one who bears a coat-of-arms granted by a heraldic authority) or a Chief of a Clan.

One for an armiger, two for a chieftain, and three for a chief. Traditional for most folks is their clan's plant badge (provided you can find a sprig of it, of course).

[turpin]

If I could just find the plant badge in a nice silk version so it won't wither.

IRIC, the plant badge was worn in the cap as a means of identifying fellow clansmen before the clan tartan system came into being.

Graham, I also have one of those green balmorals. They are a great combination of quality and price. With cooler weather here I like to wear it (generally w/o a cap badge) out and about until temperatures dictate something more robust. And it works very well without the kilt (for those of us who haven't yet eschewed thr trousered look).

[davedove]

It must be a popular color. I also got one of their green balmorals. I also purchased a navy blue glengarry from them, but I asked them to replace the red toorie with a black one. The red just didn't coordinate properly.

[macwilkin]

One for an armiger, two for a chieftain, and three for a chief. Traditional for most folks is their clan's plant badge (provided you can find a sprig of it, of course).

Thanks, piobear! I should have mentioned that; I was in a hurry this morning as I am using the hotel's computer!

T.

[David Thornton]

OK Nanook, I'm willing. Any preferred links?

David

[PiobBear]

I can identify with the Balmoral that is too small. Can any one tell us how and where to measure our head for a correctly fitting Balmoral? I am considering purchasing a new one in Lovat Green.

With a Balmoral or Glengarry you should measure 1-2 fingers above your eyebrows and parallel to your ears, viz. straight and level. Balmorals are typically worn 1 cm (1/2" or 1 finger) above the eyebrows and level on the head with the top pulled-over but sometimes a little bit tilted. Most often its right but we need recall that even before WW-I it was common for socialists to wear their bonnets tilted left.
If you are in between sizes (say 58 1/2 cm) then go with the next larger size (59 cm) as they tend (at least the MOD contracted bonnets) to run a bit snug. One can also aways with a bit of thread and a needle take up any difference for a perfect fit.

I got a caubeen from J. Byous Co.; they made it to measure, and included a little velcro tab within the band for final adjustments. Fits better than my MoD one.
Don't know if they include the same feature on their tams and balmorals, but at least one version of their balmorals is advertised as having functional ribbons.