I have been contemplating getting a made to measure jacket and waistcoat for a while now, but they ain't cheap. So yesterday when I had a bit of spare time while in Glasgow I popped into a well known and reputable high street retailer of highland wear for a look at the off the peg options. It pains me to say I was unimpressed. I'm not in great shape, I'm aiming to lose and keep off between a stone and a half and two stone (21lbs to 28lbs for our overseas members), but I was surprised by the fit of the (3) jackets and waistcoats selected for me by the professional looking assistant; pinstripe trousers, tape measure round the neck, you know the look. I think its fair to say that in each case, both items fitted where they touched and were all considered by the assistant to look good on me. Waistcoat was okay round the gut, but was flapping about at the top of the chest. Jacket was fine across the shoulders and upper arms, but way too big round my belly and the sleeves finished a half inch above my knuckles. One of the jackets had a very sharp crease in the sleeve that would not have been out of place on a pair of trousers, apart from the fact that it was running diagonally down and round the sleeve. How much was all this sartorial elegance going to cost me? The shop has a sale on and the jacket and waistcoat were now priced at a very competitive Ł299.

So I'm back to thinking on the bespoke kit. For about double the off the peg price I can pick my tweed from Lovat Mills, pick the lining I want, omit the epaulettes and gauntlet style cuffs and have as many buttons and pockets as I want on the jacket and waistcoat.

Now for the big decision, which is where the great and good of the Xmarkers come in. i have narrowed down my selection of the tweed to two. Which one do you guys prefer the one at the top or the one at the bottom? its not too clear in this picture but there is a fine yellow and red over check in both the samples of the tweed.

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