How do you put on a balmoral?

[Geoff Withnell]

I know it's a lost cause, but before you assume someone who doesn't remove his hat inside is an uncultured clod, there are other cultures. As an observant Jew, I keep my head covered essentially at all times when not swimming, bathing or in bed. For formal occasions, such as the Burns dinner just past, I will have a kippah (skullcap) with me to wear at the event. However, most of the time I just wear my hat.

As far as bars, I remember my Grandfather telling me a story where he lent an accident victim his hat, so the shaken man could go in the corner bar and have a shot. Times change.

For clarification, I don't avocate taking one's hat off instead of holding the door for ones's lady, but taking one's hat off should be the first act accomplished once inside the building.

[BCAC]

I know it's a lost cause, but before you assume someone who doesn't remove his hat inside is an uncultured clod, there are other cultures. As an observant Jew, I keep my head covered essentially at all times when not swimming, bathing or in bed. For formal occasions, such as the Burns dinner just past, I will have a kippah (skullcap) with me to wear at the event. However, most of the time I just wear my hat.

As far as bars, I remember my Grandfather telling me a story where he lent an accident victim his hat, so the shaken man could go in the corner bar and have a shot. Times change.

Comme on, Geoff, that's not the same thing, and you know it isn't. Wearing a kippah is certainly excused, understood , allowed and right in any circumstances. Wearing a kippah is following your religion and showing everyone else that you are doing it for religious reasons. No one will question you if you wear your hat indoors (in place of your kippah), anyway, but NO ONE will think that you are wearing it for religious reasons!

[Pleater]

In England public houses used to have public bars and lounge bars, in the former hats and caps were worn and in the latter, they were removed.

The military berets I have dictate the placing of the badge above the left eye by having a narrow strip of reinforcement sewn to the edge, which also makes the cap tend to tilt to the right. That is probably why I wear them tilted right and my unadorned balmorals are more freestyle.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[theborderer]

Thanks for the advice. You've pretty much confirmed that I am doing it correctly, but that there's not a way to put it on as quickly and easily as I can the glengarry. Think I'll use the glengarry for everyday wear and keep the balmoral for special occasions.

Many wear the glengarry as though the right ear is holding all the weight. During my military service the fold at the front was between the eyes. The edge 1 inch above the eyebrows and the Pom was central on the head.

[creagdhubh]

Many wear the glengarry as though the right ear is holding all the weight. During my military service the fold at the front was between the eyes. The edge 1 inch above the eyebrows and the Pom was central on the head.

I believe the canting of a Glengarry bonnet to the right was a regimental tradition for quite some time. You often see old photos (OC Richard, this is your queue) of regimental soldiers wearing their Glengarry in this fashion. A bit like U.S. soldiers canting their service covers, back and to the right, during WWII. Nowadays, this method of wear simply isn't done.

Cheers,

[Tobus]

Many wear the glengarry as though the right ear is holding all the weight. During my military service the fold at the front was between the eyes. The edge 1 inch above the eyebrows and the Pom was central on the head.

I've always been fascinated by the way that military headwear is worn intentionally off-regulation as a personal statement. This was extremely popular during the WWI and WWII eras, where virtually nobody wore their hat square on their head. It was always pushed over for a 'jaunty' look. Some fellows wore it so extremely cocked to one side that it always seemed on the verge of falling off, and I can't see how they actually wore it like that without pinning it to their hair (this was, of course, back before buzz cuts became the norm).

But the wearing of Glengarries cocked to one side (and Balmorals, for that matter) certainly goes farther back than that. It is pretty clear in MacLeay's portraits from the mid 19th century that they were typically worn slightly askew during that period as well. Some examples are below. There are only a few men depicted by MacLeay wearing their hats straight.

I would even be so bold as to say that the tradition of wearing headwear with the kilt leans strongly more towards wearing them askew than straight. Regardless of what current military regs may say, civilian hats are traditionally worn tilted to the right. From the mid-1800s well past the mid-1900s, this seems to have been the way they were worn. Modern examples seem to go back and forth.

[Crawdad]

I guess I didn't really ask my question properly to begin with. I can put on my balmoral using both hands as been described by several posts, but as I was raised to take my hat off when I entered a building and put it back on when I leave the building that gets to be a nuisance. I can put on or remove my glengarry with one hand while carrying something in the other hand. I was hoping somebody had a suggestion for how to do that. I think as I said earlier that I will stick to the glengarry for day-to-day use and keep the balmoral for the more formal occasions when I'm less likely to have something in my hands.

[Father Bill]

I'm a lifelong hat-wearer. Sometimes, using your right hand, you can "hook" a Balmoral onto the front, left "corner" of your head, and then stretch the back right corner of the hat into place with a couple of small tugs at the spots in between to bring it into place. Takes a bit of practice while watching the telly, but you can pull it off. You can pull it on too!
ith:ith: (Okay, not a Balmoral, but I don't think we have a Balmoral emoticon)

[Jordan]

I can pretty much do it one handed but it takes a little practice and I couldn't explain what it is I do.

[Ozark Ridge Rider]

Hold it right thumb and forefinger pinching the bow, drape the front over your forehead in the correct place, tug the bow down to the appropriate spot in the back, then pull the right side a bit toward your right ear. There, all done with the right hand.

If you're Kerr-handed that might be a bit more of a challenge.