I’ve never worn Highland spats in my life, though thousands of guys and gals wear them in pipe bands and in the Army of course. My question is though, how tight do you wear them ? An ex-Gordon told me that they’re worn very tight and necessitates wearing a pair which appear a little too small and using a button-hook to pull the buttons through the buttonholes. The result is smart with no looseness. But doesn’t that make your feet and ankles numb ? When I was learning to ski near Edinburgh, we had to wear boots that were tight at the ankles for total support, but it meant numb toes and feet, especially in a Hillend winter ! Don’t spats also feel screamingly tight therefore ?

He's correct: for the spats to look neat and proper they need to fit snugly. Loose spats look sloppy.

It's one of the many reasons that civilian bands who decide to go with Full Dress (doublets, feather bonnets, horsehair sporrans, spats, etc) often don't look as smart as bands wearing the normal modern civilian pipe band dress (Argyll jackets, ghillies, etc) : there's less to go wrong with the modern dress, and precise fit is not as crucial. Anyone can throw on an Argyll jacket and look OK but a doublet must be tailored to fit, and anyone can put on hose and ghillies but spats must be fitted exactly.

Button hooks!

I have used a button hook for doing up the buttons below the knee on my riding breeches all my life and rest assured that you will get a snug fit when using one. If you have to struggle with a button hook and buttons it will certainly be too tight, in fact you will pull the buttons off. The trick is to have the item of clothing(gloves, spats, breeches) that needs doing up too tight to do up by hand; the hook will do the job with ease for a snug, but not uncomfortable, fit.


This thread reminds me, that just before my accident earlier this year some one asked me, in a PM, about button hooks. I am sorry that I forgot all about it 'till now! If they want to ask me again (whatever it was??!!) I will endeavour to come up with a more prompt reply!