Spats

**Jack Daw** · 12th July 08, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by MacMillan of Rathdown

I have two pair of gray spats-- one pair is moleskin, the other is either melton or doeskin wool. My white spats are made from wool (they are beginning to yellow), canvas (ex-military), and what appears to be some sort of polished cotton (chintz, perhaps?). It's worth noting that in the illustration by "Spy" (the top illustration) the noble lord in question is wearing black shoes...

Wow! May I ask where you got all these wonderments of spats? I only have a pair of black-buttoned white canvas spats.

**Clockwork John** · 12th July 08, 11:46 AM

I found two sets of spats at an antique store here in Montrose... Fairly cheap, too. But one set looks too small and the other looks too short... What should I be looking for in spats for kilt wear?

**Nervous Jock** · 12th July 08, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by Clockwork John

I found two sets of spats at an antique store here in Montrose... Fairly cheap, too. But one set looks too small and the other looks too short... What should I be looking for in spats for kilt wear?

If the short spats have 4 buttons and chains they are for wear with trews. Difficult to know what you mean by too small without seeing

**Clockwork John** · 12th July 08, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by Nervous Jock

If the short spats have 4 buttons and chains they are for wear with trews. Difficult to know what you mean by too small without seeing

By "too small," I mean that they wouldn't fit over my shoes, or possibly even around my ankles! They must have been made for someone much smaller than I.

**MacMillan of Rathdown** · 13th July 08, 08:34 AM

Originally Posted by Jack Daw

Wow! May I ask where you got all these wonderments of spats? I only have a pair of black-buttoned white canvas spats.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a lot of old duffers like my uncles bought this sort of stuff. Being tight fisted gentlemen they never threw anything away because they thought spats might just make a come back in their lifetimes... how wrong they were! That said, I never threw them away because I thought they were cool. So I inherited my civilian spats... My canvas spats (ex-military) were bought at the Leith Army Store on Leith walk back in the '60s when they sold genuine army surplus stuff. Mine have square cut toes, although I am given to understand the the 42nd Reg't. spats had rounded toes... just a minute and I'll go look in a book... sorry, can't find my "Observers Book of Spats" so will leave it to the Spatz-Nazis to correct me if I'm wrong. The best place to look for this sort of thing is your local gun show and failing that, try the various militaria auctions (Wallis and Wallis, etc.) that abound on-line. If you don't want military spats, probably your best best is to contact one of the suppliers of pipe-band stuff and see if you can special order "civilian spats" (these are cut square at the top; military spats are cut higher in the back) in a special fabric, or colour. Hope that helps!

**Nervous Jock** · 13th July 08, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by MacMillan of Rathdown

Mine have square cut toes, although I am given to understand the the 42nd Reg't. spats had rounded toes...

42nd had squared Spats the remainder of the Highland Regiments were round, as an aside I would prefer to be considered as Spatznaz rather than a Spats-Nazi.

**MacMillan of Rathdown** · 13th July 08, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by Nervous Jock

42nd had squared Spats the remainder of the Highland Regiments were round, as an aside I would prefer to be considered as Spatznaz rather than a Spats-Nazi.

Da!