Acceptable attire?

[JSFMACLJR]

Of course one may wear a bonnet with formal attire when traveling to and from a formal event -- but surely you agree that one should never wear a bonnet indoors...

Apologies for not being more specific.

T.

I agree wholeheartedly. Sorry I didn't think more before responding. Of course no gentleman would wear a hat indoors.

Cheers,
Sandford MacLean

[Panache]

Who makes up this stuff? Never wear a bonnet with formal attire!

Well at least not indoors Sandford!

It would seem you have some input, and as a hat lover, I would be interested in your take on formalwear and hats with Highland apparel.

Assuming I was to require headwear while en route to a formal function I would likely wear my glengarry instead of my berets, balmorals, or deerstalker. I have seen photos of Kevin Kinney wearing a balmoral with his formalwear and black Inverness cape and he looked quite smart.

Is there any set level of formality linked to hat styles or is it open?

The great thing about XMTS is that we are all interested in learning more.

Cheers

Jamie

[Ryan Ross]

I agree that if you look at such things as hard and fast rules, it is a bit silly. That said, individuals will have their own take on what is considered good form. Though they may express said opinions as: "one should never...", I imagine that a good many of them would never expect others to conform to their expressed opinions, in spite of how they're phrased.

I might be heard saying: "You can't wear kilt hose in the Georgia summer!", but I would understand that to be a rule meant only for me to follow.

...just a rambling rhetoric rant, really.

Seriously though, rules are a good thing... but come to highland dress, the only ones we should be sure to follow are our own. My first highland dress rule is: "Don't interfear with another man's rules, unless he asks your advice or he's not wearing the pleats in back."

[kevinkinney]

...wow my ears are burning!

I think I'll get a hold of some tweed and diversify my choices.....

BTW: I made this <above> one from a $3 beret, using some RIT dye, and taffeta trim.

Kevin.

[Steve53]

Well... I've not thought about headwear in this line for some time. I grew up on a farm in the mid-west, and wore a hat of some sort (baseball cap, straw wide-brimmed in summer, something really warm in winter, etc.) all the time. Except when "dressed up". Then I tended to be bareheaded.

I think this tendency to wear a hat when outdoors is a result of not knowing when you will be coming back indoors again. I've intended to be out for five minutes, and it was over five hours before I returned... all of it out in the elements. A survival matter, really.

As an 18 year-old in Air Force basic training in 1971, about half the flight was from the Kansas City area, and the other half from the Boston area... What a wild mix! The city people couldn't understand the need for a hat at all, while us farm kids knew all to well. Prevention of hypothermia!

Ah, well. I've ranted enogh on this. My preferred wear is the Balmoral, only because I've never liked the Glengarry (nor the overseas cap)... If I'm not kilted (which is seldom these days as I can't wear it to work), I'm usually wearing a baseball cap (as I get them for free -- Usually labelled with a cigar company name/logo on them).

[berserkbishop]

While on the subject of hats, I have some questions about where to acquire a good beret. I have seen Turpin and Panache sporting berets and they look quite dapper. I would like to see if I can pull that off myself, but there are as many styles of beret as there are opinions on proper kilt wearing. Can I get some exact links on where you gents buy your berets? I know that Turpin's is from WPG but which one? They sell several and a few dont have pictures to show what you are buying. Any help would be appreciated.

BB

[Thistle Stop]

Unless it's part of a uniform, most people don't wear woollen hats in warm weather, so you might want to omit it then. A Glengarry bonnet definitely looks like military/piper/band attire, but I think a Balmoral is OK for civilian wear. (I wear one all winter, but as I'm female, that's irrelevant to this discussion!) There's no "rule" about what sort of headwear goes with a particular style of sporran, except in the case of a uniform.

By the way, the conventional thing is to let the ribbons at the back of a Glengarry hang down loose, but on a Balmoral, to tie them in a small neat bow at the back (trim the ribbon ends if necessary). To help keep it tied and positioned properly, you can sew a couple of stitches through the knot.

Slainte,

Cyndi

[ardchoille]

Ian,
I find nothing wrong with your attire and your choice of headgear. You might find wearing the chain with your sporran will wear on your kilt? I really like the Buckle and have been looking at one like that but right now I am saving for another Kilt.

MrBill

Actually, I've been wearing kilts for years and have never had a sporran chain wear or fray the kilt - I guess I've just been lucky. I recently purchased an all-leather strap, though, and am planning to switch because I feel it looks better.

[Thistle Stop]

In the rural areas a tweed deer stalker or a "fore and aft"(deer stalker without flaps(ish)) are popular still, flat tweed caps not so much.

It seems that no one wears a deerstalker in the States -- too much association with old Sherlock Holmes movies, I think. Flat caps are popular, in tweed and other materials. Kangol caps are very trendy, espcially in urban areas. I wear a deerstalker when it rains -- I don't care what anybody thinks about it, it keeps the water out of the back of your collar!

Slainte,

Cyndi

[ardchoille]

By the way, the conventional thing is to let the ribbons at the back of a Glengarry hang down loose, but on a Balmoral, to tie them in a small neat bow at the back (trim the ribbon ends if necessary).

This is interesting because I was under the impression that a married man tied the bows of his hat but an unmarried man did not, not sure where I heard that. Was I mistaken in that assumption?