Flat Caps. No no and thrice no! Suitable hats when wearing your kilt. Discuss

[Good Egg]

The subject of flat caps was raised on another threat about saluting of doffing your cap to ladies. Rather than divert that thread I thought I would start another thread.

Firstly there are no rules. Unless you are wearing a uniform you can wear what ever you want.

So to the flat cap: A damn fine piece of head wear (I don't myself care for the modern style with the deep backs that go half way down the back of the head but...) especially if worn with a Barbour and cords such as for going rattin'. But not for wear with a kilt.

Lets explore why: It may partly be a cultural clash thing like wearing leiderhosen and cowboy boots. It may also be aesthetic. Most conventional highland headwear has a tourie on it: the flat cap does not. The same applies to the beret, looks wrong with a kilt.

What of other hats? This just my opinion but I would see nothing wrong a cowboy hat, smokey bear, slouch hat (especially for Oz and NZ types although this is originally a British hat) I wear one of these when it necessary to keep the sun of my ears or the rain out of my eyes.

There was an anti Baseball cap rant on the other thread - whilst I agree they are probably best not worn with a kilt I see nothing wrong with then as casual wear - I'm especially keen on the one I got from the SD Army National Guard and a rather dashing 'ARMY' one with and eagle on the peak.

Anyway that's my tuppence worth: discuss...

[Oddern]

I think a flat cap is an exelent headwear with the kilt, and a beret is even more sutable. But this is only in a casual wear thing. In more formal kilt situations these hats are absolutly no no.
As for the baseball cap I think its a mismatch with the kilt in any situation. I don't know why, I just don't lik it.

[Good Egg]

I think a flat cap is an exelent headwear with the kilt, and a beret is even more sutable. But this is only in a casual wear thing. In more formal kilt situations these hats are absolutly no no.
As for the baseball cap I think its a mismatch with the kilt in any situation. I don't know why, I just don't lik it.

No they aren't. Now if you accept that its not the right thing to wear with a kilt but say to yourself bugger it I don't care I'm going to wear it anyway that's fine. You are accepting that people are going to look at you and think you are eccentric or ignorant.

Perhaps my earlier leiderhosen and cowboy boots parallel was wide of the mark. Perhaps a better simile would be a tweed sports jacket. I have a damn fine tweed sports jacket. However if one day I put my kilt on and said to myself ah hah! I need a tweed jacket to top this off, I know I put on my old faithful sports jacket it would be wrong. I'd look an arrse in it - same goes for the flat cap: Discuss...

[Jock Scot]

I don't suppose that anyone will be surprised that in my humble opinion and I rather think most of kilt wearing Scotland too, that a flat cap with the kilt looks downright awful. I know someone will chip in with an "Edwardian" type picture to "prove" that caps and kilts were worn together and it's true they were. It did not stop it looking, awful then just as it does now. I am a fan of tweed caps, but not with the kilt. As to those baseball hat things I make no comment.

How and what people choose to wear is ,of course, up to them and it is also their right to look like a lemon, if they so choose.

[macwilkin]

Why is this thread in the heraldry & tartans section?

Todd

[Good Egg]

Why is this thread in the heraldry & tartans section?

Todd

Not sure how it ended up there, I had intended it to go into the accessories forum and given that its daytime here I can't even claim vino as an excuse for idleness/clumsiness in typing and mouse button pushing.ith:

[Rex_Tremende]

I know someone will chip in with an "Edwardian" type picture to "prove" that caps and kilts were worn together and it's true they were.

You mean like this one?

It's Victorian, but...

Happy to oblige,
Rex.

[Arlen]

I don't suppose that anyone will be surprised that in my humble opinion and I rather think most of kilt wearing Scotland too, that a flat cap with the kilt looks downright awful. I know someone will chip in with an "Edwardian" type picture to "prove" that caps and kilts were worn together and it's true they were. It did not stop it looking, awful then just as it does now. I am a fan of tweed caps, but not with the kilt. As to those baseball hat things I make no comment.

How and what people choose to wear is ,of course, up to them and it is also their right to look like a lemon, if they so choose.

Well, Jock, I'm one of the Kilt-wearing Scots who disagree.
I think flat caps in a more traditional style can look great with a Kilt.
I wear one of the 'Jacobite' (Read 18th century) Kilt bonnets my wife made. They are floppy so that they can be worn in many styles as shown historically. I often wear it pulled forward in the style of a flat cap and think it compliments the look of my Kilt outfit.
I'd even wear it pulled into a Balmoral style for formal events!

[Jock Scot]

Well, Jock, I'm one of the Kilt-wearing Scots who disagree.
I think flat caps in a more traditional style can look great with a Kilt.
I wear one of the 'Jacobite' (Read 18th century) Kilt bonnets my wife made. They are floppy so that they can be worn in many styles as shown historically. I often wear it pulled forward in the style of a flat cap and think it compliments the look of my Kilt outfit.
I'd even wear it pulled into a Balmoral style for formal events!

Hi Arlen,how are you doing? I am thinking more of the tweed type of flat cap not the "Jacobite" sort, although I am not keen of those either! Of course you are in the midst of flat capped American kilt wearers so I would expect you to have had a certain amount of influence brought to bare!

[davedove]

No they aren't. Now if you accept that its not the right thing to wear with a kilt but say to yourself bugger it I don't care I'm going to wear it anyway that's fine. You are accepting that people are going to look at you and think you are eccentric or ignorant.

Perhaps my earlier leiderhosen and cowboy boots parallel was wide of the mark. Perhaps a better simile would be a tweed sports jacket. I have a damn fine tweed sports jacket. However if one day I put my kilt on and said to myself ah hah! I need a tweed jacket to top this off, I know I put on my old faithful sports jacket it would be wrong. I'd look an arrse in it - same goes for the flat cap: Discuss...

I personally think a flat cap looks great with a kilt and have worn one often. And I don't agree that people will think you look eccentric, at least no more than they do when you wear a kilt. Many people have told me that the flat cap looks great with the kilt. I think this may be another of those across the pond cultural differences. But then, I'm not looking to wear a kilt exactly like someone else would. I look at the kilt as another article of clothing to blend into my wardrobe.

The tweed jacket isn't a good example either. The normal sports jacket isn't cut for a kilt; that's why it looks wrong. A nice tweed jacket cut in the right fashion looks great.