Plaid Brooch

[McMurdo]

Actually, one can thread the plaid under the epaulet, then pin the brooch onto the plaid, thus keeping it from sliding backwards w/o actually pinning the brooch to the jacket. the brooch will then ride right at the epaulet.

Good point, however I was merely commenting on the photos here none of them show any epaulet. I suppose it can be done the way you describe, however clearly in these photos it was not done that way at all.

[The Barry]

Actually, one can thread the plaid under the epaulet, then pin the brooch onto the plaid, thus keeping it from sliding backwards w/o actually pinning the brooch to the jacket. the brooch will then ride right at the epaulet.

You don't think that this might pull on the epaulet, potentially causing it harm?

[unaspenser]

I'm going to do an experiment and try wearing the pin in different places. I think another reason people wear the brooches on the chest area now is so they can be seen... the brooches have become more decorative than functional. I know when dancing I pin the sash to my shoulder with safety pins and then pin the brooch to the front of my shoulder area... it's small enough that I actually just pin the pin to the sash and pin the sash to my bodice with safety pins. For dancing, though, this doesn't always guarantee that the sash will stay in place, especially since my sash is full-sized (about 1 yard by two) rather than the half-sized many dancers wear, hence all the safety pins. I may try finding a bigger brooch and wearing it higher up. Thanks for all the great old pics!

EDIT: Here's a picture of where I usually wear mine... high on the front of the shoulder:

[turpin]

You don't think that this might pull on the epaulet, potentially causing it harm?

My plaid is of 10 0z wool. No problem.

[Panache]

Here is my thought on the subject.

Having the brooch on the shoulder seems most logical with the longer plaids (I would call them piper's plaids) that wrap around the wearer's body.

For the smaller more modern fly plaids the brooch acts as a visual (and actual) counterweight to the material in back.

Cheers

Jamie

[triolamj]

It's a mixed bag. The majority of the photos are of plaid brooches which only pipers wear nowadays. The width of the material crossing over itself is enough to hold the brooch where it is. You can use a solid body brooch like a Glencoe, close the clasp around the folded plaid and wedge the top edge of the brooch over the epaulet. That doesn't work with an open work plaid brooch like a stag's head, thistle, St Andrew, or rampant lion where the bottom half of the brooch shows the tartan and the top half shows the epaulet.

I used to take a large safety pin and pin it vertically 2 or 2-1/2 inches below the epaulet with the coil or eye on top. Then I open the brooch, thread the pin through the coil, lay the plaid on top, and close the brooch over the plaid. It left a hole, but a relatively small one. The last time I wore one, I just used an Inverurie brooch with a small-bore pin and pinned the plaid right to my epaulet, but I have a plain flat strap instead of a braid.

If anyone has ever threaded the pin of their clasp through a braided epaulet, post with your experience.

[Bart_In_A_Kilt]

Theres a certain part of me that feels it's all fair game. I like these photos showing off so many different variations on the theme. To my untrained eye and uninformed - unpredjudiced knowledge on the subject, they all look splendid.

I think I'm getting bold enough that if someone were to tell me that I was wearing a fly plaid "wrong" , they may see my War Shillelagh two seconds too late.



Ya never know

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I recently came across this nugget of information, which I thought might be worth sharing:

The plaid should be folded twice the long way, and then doubled across and put over the left shoulder, doubled edge to the left, fringe to reach about the level of the waist; then carry one end back, over the shoulder to the right, under the right arm, across the chest, over the left shoulder under the other portion of the plaid. The shoulder strap (epaulette) is then fastened over both and the plaid opened out to cover the left arm. (from the c.1938 Fraser Ross Co. Ltd. brochure)

The brooch secures the front and rear portions of the full plaid, keeping them in place by having it's pin pass through the plaid, and under the epaulette.

The belted plaid is fastened by the strap around the waist under the waistcoat, the top end (passing under the shoulder strap) fastened to the shoulder by the brooch.

To obtain the same smart look with a fly plaid the brooch still has to fasten at the shoulder, not on the upper chest. If the plaid pulls the jacket out of shape (and this is most likely to happen if one is wearing a coatee or Eaton jacket, neither of which was really designed to be worn with a plaid) then the problem is more than likely due to the weight of the plaid rather than anything else. These small plaids were originally woven out of silk, or super-fine wool, and had very little weight to them. Most of the small plaids provided today are of a much heavier weight, the same as those worn by drummers in pipe bands, which is why they "pull" when worn.