Stetson with kilt

[Matty Ross]

Here are a couple of my Favorite pics in my Stetson.
101_6442.jpgIMAG0253.jpg

[Hexdef101]

As a former member of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry 1st. CD at Ft. Hood, I say go for it... Though I probably wouldn't go with the Vest.
I would suggest either The Class A or B Shirt or a White or Blue (black?) Mess Jacket/ White Shirt combo, to go with the Army Tartan and Stetson. Definitely have to go with solid black kilt hose and Corframs if you have them. Though I suppose if you were awarded the Spurs you should wear Combat Boots in black. Of Course this depends upon whether this is a formal or informal reunion. If you were a member of the 7th Cav you would of course choose the 7th Cav. Tartan. In fact This is almost the exact uniform the Australian Army uses with the Kilt. Of course when using uniform Items as a civilian one must be sure not to Break tradition and regulations. That said As long as you remove any Rank Symbols I don't see an issue.

[Hexdef101]

@ Matty Ross: I forgot about the Drill Stetson.... I was thinking of the Cav Stetson. And I definitely Forgot the Green Army Pullover. Though I believe the Black one would look better with the black Cav Stetson.

[Father Bill]

Interesting. My original comment (above) was

You could probably do it in the US. In Canada, nobody would likely say anything but they'd all walk away shaking their heads and rolling their eyes a bit.

I note that where the comments of approbation (along with some of disapprobation) come from, is in the US. Different national sense of propriety I guess.

[tripleblessed]

The nonexistent but often cited "rules" of kilt wearing were created by upper class Scots in the revival of tartan wearing
following the visit by King George, not by working class folk. Different sensibilities, different needs, and different results.
Scots have always been romantic realists. Creative, adaptable, hands on, hard working. They didn't leave that behind
when they went elsewhere. Much of the modern world was engineered by diaspora Scots solving problems they never
would have encountered had they managed to stay home. One such problem is weather. Parts of the Highlands can have 4500mm of rain in a year, Atlanta might have 48 inches. Many more sunny days here, more in the Southwest. Summers in my childhood in south Georgia frequently were above 35C, and I survived 45C with no AC. You better have a hat with a substantial brim. Were I to be fortunate enough to spend time in Scotland again, I MIGHT wear a kilt, but not with a Stetson. I don't, in point of fact, wear mine with a kilt here in Atlanta. Were I again spending time outdoors where I grew up, or in parts of the Southwest, I might well consider it.

Though I rarely wear any sort of hat, at 69 I am apparently cancer free. A thought: those who don't want to see such might start and support a GoFundMe site to cover skin cancer care for those who attempt to follow the rules.

@Father Bill, I was unaware the US is in possession of much sense of propriety at all any more, much less a national one. Please direct
me toward it, I was becoming disconsolate.

[Cavalry Scout]

@ Matty Ross: I forgot about the Drill Stetson.... I was thinking of the Cav Stetson. And I definitely Forgot the Green Army Pullover. Though I believe the Black one would look better with the black Cav Stetson.

The black stetson isn't the only cavalry hat. The Blackhorse wears the OD stetson, which is the modern version of the campaign hat the army wore when the regiment was formed in 1901.

http://www.blackhorsestore.org/apparel.cfm?pid=79

All the best, Mark

[Loxlie]

It would not be for the formal dinner, but for one of the nights out drinking and story telling. I daresay there won't be a single person there without a Stetson, Tanker jacket or vest (or a combination thereof). I guess with some of the answers, it's a good thing I never earned my spurs!

[Loxlie]

The black stetson isn't the only cavalry hat. The Blackhorse wears the OD stetson, which is the modern version of the campaign hat the army wore when the regiment was formed in 1901.

http://www.blackhorsestore.org/apparel.cfm?pid=79

All the best, Mark

I wear a dark brown along with my Ordnance cord.

[Loxlie]

As someone who has served in both the British Army and the US Army (Cav Scout & Armr Cav), I don't see a problem with wearing your Stetson, providing it is in a non-formal setting. If it was a Regimental/Association dine-in, them absolutely not. Take loads of Pictures, I might see a face or two that I know.

Though we are the United States Army Brotherhood of Tankers (USABOT), we have Marines and foreign "Tankies", also. If you were on the Tank, you are welcome. Be happy to have you!

[Hexdef101]

@Cavalry Scout: I did not know the 11th ACR wore the 1901 Brown Stetson. And you would think I would have considering that I was always wearing a Cammo jacket with the 11th's patch as a teen.


@tripleblessed: I was unaware that the U.S ever even had such a thing as propriety. Now as to the rules of kilt wearing....I agree with you they are not the rules by which the actual highland clans lived, That said I was working from Military Rules not Victorian Romanticism, As Loxlie just pointed out that this is a less then formal setting both sets go out the window. In such a setting the Vest would be apropos, The Stetson (either version) would fit in as well. The kilt would probably get a few stares, but I am sure that Loxlie knows how to handle those.


@Loxlie: As this is a less then formal setting I would suggest that you wear what you like. You earned the right to wear the Stetson by virtue of your service with a cavalry unit. I would suggest that you follow the rules that your namesake might have followed in this situation. If others don't like it, that's their issue not yours. This simply isn't a situation in which either Victorian or Military or the Overblown Opinions of Texans apply. Quite frankly Sir, I may have to save up and get myself a New Stetson just to wear it with the kilt, if for no other reason then it irritates the Highbrow. As to Military Etiquette I was unaware that either the Cavalry Stetson or the Drill Stetson was the exclusive Domain of the U.S Military. I believe that it was pretty common to see the Cavalry Stetson in civilian use in the 1880's, And I know for a fact that the Boy Scouts as well as others wore the other version in the early years. The Cavalry Stetson is not to the best of my knowledge an "Issued" service item anyway. Thereby the rules that apply to Service Issue Items simply are irrelevant.

My previous post was simply the best way to mate the two traditions, Certainly not intended to imply the Proper Way . I do seem to remember someone wearing a kilt at a function in Korea while I was serving with the 9th Infantry, And If memory serves that was almost the exact Uniform he used (sans Stetson). Be aware this was an Officers and NCO's Function, We common troops were not invited to the party. I am sure that he probably had some kind of guidance from the Higher Ups as it certainly isn't covered by the Uniform Regulations .