Fashions at the 2019 World Pipe Band Championships

[OC Richard]

I just finished the live stream of Saturday's Grade One MSR contest. It started at 2:45am local time

This year's G1 was down considerably- only 15 bands- which rendered the two-day format instituted to accommodate the usual 25 or so G1 bands unnecessary. (The RSPBA continued the two-day format this year despite the protests of the bands.)

In any case, for someone like me who has played in pipe bands since the 1970s and is interested in the development and history of Highland Dress, each year's Worlds is a snapshot of the glacially slow evolution of pipe band dress.

The background is that in the 1980s a new pipe band kit emerged. It became standard, practically required, for serious competition bands. This costume was:

-black Ghillie brogues
-pure white bobble-top hose
-kilt (the only tartan item)
-flashes
-black leather Hunting sporran with chrome cantle
-black Barathea waistcoat with square chrome buttons
-white shirt
-necktie
-black Glengarry, with cap badge
-black or Navy blue bag-covers

As far as colour goes, the main aspect of this costume was for everything to be black or white except for the tartan of the kilt. Yes sometimes you would see red flashes and red touries on the Glengarries, but these were often black to complete the look.

Throughout the 1990s and well into the 2000s one could see contest after contest with every band so dressed.

Here's a perfect example: everything in the costume is black or white except for the tartan of the kilt. This is the classic c1985-present look, the more recent touches being wearing waistcoat only (by the early 2000s jackets had all but become extinct in competition) and the trend which followed ditching the jackets, the ornate sporran chain



(Boghall is unique AFAIK in wearing cap-badges on their kilts.)

Around 2010 white hose suddenly became out of fashion and serious competition bands went to dark hose, usually black but also Navy blue and charcoal grey. Occasionally the Lovats, St Andrews Blue, bottle green, mid-grey, etc made an appearance.

And there Pipe Band Fashion has been parked, for the last decade.

Recent trends making an appearance at the 2019 Worlds include:

1) the increasing number of bands switching to bespoke tartans. This year nearly half of the bands were wearing bespoke tartans, or bespoke weaves of existing tartans with colour-changes. The tartans of the 78th Frasers and Simon Fraser University have been discussed in the Tartans forum.

2) more bands switching from the black Barathea waistcoats with chrome buttons to waistcoats in various colours of Barathea and tweed (including fleck tweed) with horn buttons or plain plastic buttons. Only 6 of the 15 bands were still wearing the black & silver waistcoats.

3) more bands switching from the formerly standard black Hunting sporran to plain black Day sporrans and fur Evening sporrans. This year only 7 of the 15 bands were wearing the black Hunting sporrans.

4) a few more bands switching to mid-blue hose. Still 11 of 15 bands were wearing black, Navy, or charcoal. (Sorry, white and off-white are not allowed.)

The rest remains the same. Still most bands are wearing white shirts, dark striped ties, black Glengarries, black or Navy bag-covers, etc.

BTW all 15 bands today had their kilts pleated to the stripe.

(One poor fellow in Shotts had something strange going on with his kilt. Perhaps the top buckle had come undone? The top of the kilt was folded over and hanging down in front, so you could see the lining. Never seen that happen, in my 40 years in pipe bands.)

Where is Pipe Band Fashion headed?

It is my opinion that G1 bands like Inveraray & District and Glasgow Skye Association are blazing the path away from the stark black & white Service look to an earthier, tweedier (or dare we say Outlander-ish) look.

Glasgow Skye Association Pipe Band wears brown fleck tweed waistcoats, a brown & grey Weathered tartan (like the Outlander tartans) and furry brown sporrans.

Inveraray & District Pipe Band wears rustic mid-grey tweed waistcoats, kilts in Ancient Colours, and grey seal sporrans.

Perhaps a decade from now such things will be common.