Interesting how a different colour shirt makes things look sharper ...

[Eric D Scott]

During this weekend's events I tried a different coloured shirt with my Drum Major uniform. It's amazing how different black makes the ancient MacGregor pop.





Photos were from our parade at the Welland Rose Parade in Welland, Ontario (2013). Massed bands consisted of the Niagara Regional Police, Hamilton Police, Streetsville, Grimsby, and City of Thorold pipe bands. It's always the hottest day of the year. It was 33c but at least it was a little breezy.

[GMan]

It does show a big difference.

[unixken]

Any of the subdued colorways (ancient, weathered, etc.) can benefit from either a black or white shirt, when the intent is to add some "pop" to the tartan. Otherwise, I generally let the fabric be it's more subtle self, and wear my modern colorways when I want that kind of "pop".

Examples would be the difference between this Buchanan modern, which holds up to a colored shirt...



And my Buchanan reproduction, which shows brightest with lighter/cream colored shirts...

[crash]

Looking sharp Eric. Gee it's been so long since I've been up that way (born in Niagara Falls) I'd forgotten about the Welland Rose Parade.

[Lorna]

Very nice. Looks great.

[JohntheBiker]

I'm surprised you weren't melting. It may have been 33c, but it felt a lot hotter!

[OC Richard]

A shirt can make a big difference! With my Isle of Skye kilt, the kilt sort of "pops" as you say when I wear a royal blue shirt. The effect is good either with blue hose or claret hose, though I like it best with the claret.

As far as pipe bands go, back in the 90s all the bands were wearing stark white hose and white shirts. My old beloved Pipe Major didn't care for white shirts, dismissively saying "when a band wears white shirts it looks like the Pipe Major told everyone to grab a white shirt out of their closet. When a band wears blue shirts it looks like a Uniform."

To this day I prefer pipe bands wearing blue shirts to white ones, especially with red kilts



cf white shirts and hose, the classic 90s style which still survives with a few bands

[unixken]

My old beloved Pipe Major didn't care for white shirts, dismissively saying "when a band wears white shirts it looks like the Pipe Major told everyone to grab a white shirt out of their closet. When a band wears blue shirts it looks like a Uniform."

Everyone can easily pull the same shade of "white", from their closet. But how many shades of blue would show up, if you didn't, as a group, buy (or specify) a particular "uniform" shirt to ensure everyone had the same shade? (The word "uniform" does imply uniformity/sameness, after all.)

Apologies for digressing from the OP. The Pipe Major's logic just seemed backwards.

[TheOfficialBren]

How does khaki/drab look as a pipe band uniform shirt?

Very nice photos, gents. Thank you for starting this thread, Eric. It shows great promise.

[BCAC]

................cf white shirts and hose, the classic 90s style which still survives with a few bands

I deleted most of the quote to make it smaller.

That is one of my pet peeves right there, Richard. Arrrgh! Wearing a tie with a short sleeved shirt. I would consider that a faux pas. There are a lot of people that do it, though. IMNSHO, if it's hot enough to wear a short sleeved shirt, it's hot enough to dispense with the tie. If the situation requires a tie, it requires also a long sleeved shirt.