Tweed jacket question

**HippieLee** · 7th October 13, 04:04 PM

Because of all the great threads on finding tweed sport coats and converting them for kilt-use, I've been peeking into vintage/Second-hand clothing stores and other places for some tweed of my own. Found quite a few interesting jackets but, so far, nothing quite the right size.

But yesterday I was in a store and found a Harris Tweed (so said the label inside) jacket that only had 1 button and 2 patch pockets right near the bottom. I know I'm a dummy as I didn't think to take a picture. I'll try to get back to that store this week.

But I'm wondering if it's likely that it was already a kilt jacket? I would have bought it on the spot had it been 2 sizes larger. I loved the color and think it would have gone well with my Buchanan modern.

If you HAD to guess (And since I was a knucklehead and didn't take a picture that's about all you can do lol) would you suspect it might have been a kilt jacket? Are there many one-button tweed jackets that are NOT for kilts? That one was the only 1-button jacket I saw. There were no gauntlet cuffs or anything though - the sleeve did seem to be flared out at the cuff and there was what appeared to be a leather, basket-weave type button on each arm.

I have the ladies at the store keeping an eye out for more tweed that comes in - I tried on some 46R jackets that were not tweed and they fit me but all the tweed was 42 or below and just too small. Still trying to learn all the different terms so sorry if I got them wrong too...

**Downunder Kilt** · 7th October 13, 04:24 PM

I have not seen a kilt jacket come with patch pockets from a vendor. It may well have been a conversion that someone did not want. The length of the jacket should tell you whether it is a kilt jacket. I go by the rule that if the jacket is longer than the sleeves, it is generally not suitable as a kilt jacket

**MacCathmhaoil** · 7th October 13, 04:26 PM

There are one button styles for normal every day sportcoat/blazer type of jackets not just for highland wear.
A simple way to quickly determine is to see if the bottom hem is shorter than the sleeve, if it isn't then it almost definitely is not. If however the hem is shorter it still may not be you'll have to look it over and if possible get a photo if all else fails.

**piperdbh** · 7th October 13, 07:41 PM

In addition to the hem length, look at the fronts of the jacket. If the two fronts (where the button and button hole) are curved from right above the button down to the hem, then you probably have a conversion jacket. If the fronts are still straight, with a slight curve at the bottom leading into the hem, then it's likely not a conversion. What size is the jacket, and what is the price of it?

**HippieLee** · 7th October 13, 08:30 PM

Thanks all! I'll be going back to this store soon and will check the sleeve vs hem length again and take pictures. I think this one was a 40 or 42 - it was quite a bit smaller than the 46R non-tweed jacket I tried on. This hadn't even been priced yet (we asked if the tweeds on the rack were all they had and the lady went back in the back and found some more that had recently come in but they hadn't gone through and made them rack-ready yet) but the other ones I saw were between 25 and 50 dollars. This one was obviously a little older and more worn than some of the others they had on display (the wool was fuzzier anyway) so I'm figuring it wouldn't have been priced as high as 50 - I didn't see a manufacturer tag in it but did notice the Harris Tweed label.

**MacLowlife** · 9th October 13, 09:29 AM

Do watch out for ladies' jackets that button right over left. Particularly in tweed, they might get mistaken for men's and put on the wrong rack. I would echo the advice above about sleeves and hem. If you look at a lot of jackets, you can begin to get a sense of lapel length, which waxes and wanes, along with lapel width, but particularly with 2 button jackets shortened to 1, there is an altered proportion that sometimes jumps out. I believe that is part of what Thompson talks about in his discussion of conversions in SO YOU'RE GOING. When he was writing, 3 button jackets were out of style and 2 button ones were in. These days, the reverse seems to be true. It is only my opinion, but I believe a 3 - 2 button jacket conversion generally looks better than a 2 -1.