A Study on "the Most Versatile Jacket"

**CMcG** · 12th April 11, 05:12 PM

A common piece of advice to new kilt wearers is to buy a black barathea Argyll jacket because it is the most versatile. The reasoning is that, depending on the accessories, it can be worn at a wide range of formalities. I've decided to post a few pics that hopefully demonstrate this. My jacket has antique buttons and flap cuffs (instead of the usual shiny buttons and gauntlet cuffs) but that shouldn't matter for the purpose of this discussion.

There is room to discuss about how far the range of possible formality extends and where it works best. Let me know your thoughts and hopefully the pictures will help to illustrate the discussion. If people have other pictures they'd like to post, then by all means add them!

# 1
Black tie (low cut matching black waistcoat, self tie bow tie, horse hair sporran, Argyle hose):

#2
Black tie (as above but with high cut tartan waistcoat and diced hose):

#3
Formal (black tie equivalent but worn with a stock tie as an alternative, high cut matching black waistcoat, metal cantle fur sporran, Argyle hose):

#5
Dressy (ABF tie, high cut matching black waistcoat, hunting sporran, solid colour hose):

#6
Dressy (similar to above but limited colours and a bit matchy-matchy):

#7
Semi-dressy (ABF tie, no waistcoat, simple leather sporran, tattersal shirt, solid colour hose):

#8
Smart casual (thin sweater, no tie, simple leather sporran, solid colour hose):

**Chirs** · 12th April 11, 05:24 PM

Nice.

If I say anything more I will be way out of my depth.

**Kiltman** · 12th April 11, 06:34 PM

good advice

**Whidbey78** · 12th April 11, 10:42 PM

Good topic. It's one we touch on frequently, but hasn't been thoroughly processed in one thread. Not as far as I've been able to find on the forum anyway.

I agree that a black argyll is a very versatile item. Since here in North America dress is usually seen as dictated by the event and not the setting or time(and those of us who know better are often forced to go with it), it would be the "go-to" jacket. It's good for almost anything between daytime weddings and such to black tie evening events.

Overall, I'd agree with your assessments of different levels of dress. The only point I'd disagree with is in picture #8. The light sweater would work well with a tweed or a slightly less "fancy" jacket than the one you're wearing. To my eye they just don't work together. The sweater and jacket by themselves both work well, but they don't mix. My $.02USD...opinions do vary.

Maybe it's just "too much" to wear the sweater. The shirt you have under the sweater, without a tie, may look just fine with the jacket. I see it as a "relaxed" business/dressy look. It's something I do fairly regularly. In my neck of the woods people rarely wear ties, even to weddings and funerals(including the groom and the corpse), so I usually go without. Even when a tie is called for, most of them are in jacket pockets half way through the night, and the rest are loosened up or hanging undone.

This pic was handy since I used it on the forum recently, so I'll use it to illustrate.

Granted, I'm wearing a tweed and waistcoat, but I'm sitting on the couch watching cartoons in my sweatpants right now, and waking up the wife while I get dressed to take a picture would likely result in sleeping on the couch. This will have to do.

This is an older pic, but it is a black jacket, though it's a conversion(my first, and not one I was happy with either). It might illustrate my thought a bit better.

On the other hand, a sweater of a different cut might work a bit better. Perhaps a cardigan with a cut somewhere in the realm of a five button waistcoat?
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...DIuD8EQzlQdp_Q
Not the best example, but the interweb is vast and finding exactly the right one could take a while.

I'd post a picture of me in my black Argyll, but it still belongs to someone else, and will until my piggy bank is sufficiently stuffed.

Soon though...very soon.

**OC Richard** · 13th April 11, 04:22 AM

Wow what a great OP there, with wonderful photos. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words, and you've nicely illustrated the versatility of the black Argyll.

Did you put it on the "one kilt ten looks" thread?

I really like the one with the tartan waistcoat and hair sporran!

**Tony** · 13th April 11, 08:59 AM

I'm with Whidbey - I think it looks great until you get to #8, then the formality of the jacket - might just be the buttons - is a tad too much to be casual.

**robbiethepiper** · 13th April 11, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by CMcG

A common piece of advice to new kilt wearers is to buy a black barathea Argyll jacket because it is the most versatile. The reasoning is that, depending on the accessories, it can be worn at a wide range of formalities. I've decided to post a few pics that hopefully demonstrate this. My jacket has antique buttons and flap cuffs (instead of the usual shiny buttons and gauntlet cuffs) but that shouldn't matter for the purpose of this discussion.

There is room to discuss about how far the range of possible formality extends and where it works best. Let me know your thoughts and hopefully the pictures will help to illustrate the discussion. If people have other pictures they'd like to post, then by all means add them!

A black Argyll is JUST ABOUT acceptable for daywear or evening dress. Although less than perfect for either, it is indeed a most versatile jacket and a very good first buy, particularly if funds are limited (whose aren't these days?). However I believe you have demonstrated its limits. It just doesn't work as a casual look! All just personal opinon of course

**Joshua** · 13th April 11, 11:15 AM

Personally, I don't see myself *ever* at a white tie event, and I'm just not a fan of the square/diamond buttons, epaulettes, and fancy cuffs on Argyles.

I just wish they made a Wallace-styled jacket in my big-boy size, with my big boy arms (lately my forearm won't even fit in jacket sleeves, even when the chest fits (!?)). This is why the most formal I've ever been in my kilt is a high silk-backed thin tweed waistcoat with a crisp shirt and tie.

**CMcG** · 13th April 11, 04:10 PM

As I gaze at all those pictures, I'm thinking the Argyll really works best in the middle range of formality.

A few people have agreed that pushing a black barathea Argyll down to smart casual doesn't work too well. I agree! A tweed jacket would be much better with that look...

While it works better at black tie than casual, I think it is still a bit of a stretch as formal wear. Acceptable to be sure, but a coatee or doublet would be better. A velvet Argyll or a barathea Argyll with silk lapels and facings would also work better for formal but wouldn't be as flexible.

Perhaps if I had swappable buttons it would help to increase the flexibility: horn or leather buttons for daywear or casual, the antiqued metal buttons for dressy, and shiny metal buttons for formal. Even better if there was some way to swap the lapel

Originally Posted by OC Richard

Did you put it on the "one kilt ten looks" thread?

I haven't, but that thread was certainly an inspiration to my OP! Should I?

**Downunder Kilt** · 13th April 11, 06:15 PM

CMcG, I think you have done a splendid job of illustrating the versitility of the barathea Argyll. Yes at the extremities of examples it's not really the right thing (either too formal looking or not formal enough) but hey, for a person on a very tight budget, it works and works well. I think that all your examples are most do-able and that it would be most rare that you would be thought out of place in your examples, unless the venue you were at was full of "experts"

Well done