Quote Originally Posted by OC Richard View Post
Yes that's ideal but none of the Games I attend have much in the way of used Highland jackets.

Happily I'm an easy-to-fit size and I know if I buy a jacket it will fit, so these online ex-hire sales are great for me.
I picked up a Prince Charlie at the Bitterroot Highland Games in Hamilton, MT 4 years ago, discovered at a used clothing kiosk along the vendor mall in the very last few minutes of our visit, and while I was browsing, my son found a matching PC Waistcoat at ANOTHER vendor.

I don't have many occasions where wearing a PC is necessary or even recommended, retired and living far from big cities, but the combo has come off my rack and onto my body at least half a dozen times since then. I probably spent no more than 20% of what I would have for a new (non-Pakistani) properly made off-the-rack jacket and vest, but every time I wear it I wonder a bit if other people notice signs of its heritage. For example, the black satin lapels are just a bit but obviously wrinkled, and my guess is that stems from repetitive post-rent dry cleaning. Also, the sleeves were just TOO tapered from shoulder to wrist, and a bit too long, but I have a VERY skilled local seamstress who shaped and shortened the cuffs so that my 3-Robertson-beast-crest cufflinks fit and protrude nicely.

And, although I wear it rarely, it's the one item that, were I to replace it, I'd probably do so with a jacket sourced from one of the high end shops in Scotland where I could have it tailored or altered to fit perfectly.

(and, check out today's other posts for a question about what's acceptable at the other end of the body from the kilt hose).

But I also have a few related questions for people who have experience with ex-hire garments:

First, how do mainline shops; e.g., Gordon Nicolson, manage their inventory? Is cleaning (or washing) and pressing after EACH rental customary?

Second (and noting the varying pricing for seemingly identical garments), what stimulates that variation? Is it more likely that there's just one or two items left for a tartan that the shop has decided to suspend from availability, or is it more likely that an an offer garment is in such an odd size that it is likely to languish (take up space in the shop) for a LONG, long time? Or is it more likely a reliable index of the condition of the garment?