Prince Charlie Coatee

[Bugbear]

Ted
As for footwear, buckle brogues would be proper. Mine are Kilties from Nichol Brothers, though no longer in business they can still be found from time to time on ebay, there are of course other options as well.

I was aiming more at the color than the style, but I have noticed that there are several options in style.

Just exploring how limited the options are if one wants to go with colors other than black in the jacket and accessories.

[McMurdo]

For footwear always black with this level of formality.

[Bugbear]

Thanks McMurdo. Just checking...

* Ehh, they would be shiney and pick up what ever colors are in the hose anyway. *

[orangehaggis]

But a bright blue and orange paisley jacket wouldn't exactly be tasteful now would it?
l.

That would depend entirely on the nature of the function!!!

Mark O - Ohio

[Bugbear]

... That's a bridge too far to cross. That accolade belongs to the Argyll jacket, which used to be called the Dress Kilt Jacket. MacKinnon of Dunakin (as quoted initially by Sandy) has this to say on the subject:

"The Dress Kilt Jacket corresponds to a Lowlander's dinner jacket. It can be worn with bow tie or jabot, and is sometimes worn without cuffs, pocket flaps, and epaulettes."

Try removing those bits from a coatee and you end up with what it really is-- a tail coat with the tails whacked off. ...

That is an extremely interesting quote from MacKinnon of Dunakin. I think it is worth discussing, or at least re-reading several times.

[orangehaggis]

It's a bit of a challenge to clothe this body of mine. I appear to have been cobbled together from spare parts. My top half looks too small for my hips and legs. I find jackets with skirts (such as the Dress/Argyll) camouflage my less than aesthetic figure. I would look dreadful in Prince Charlie coatee or mess-style jacket.

Far too many people fail to dress according to their body's shape - and the result is very displeasing to the eye!

Mark O - Ohio

[Phil]

Hi Ted,
Jabots generally are of one colour, white, although I have seen some that have aged some and have more of a creamy colour to them! I believe that silk jabots are sometimes worn and their colour tends to be more of an ivory.

The white ones are modern machine-made lace. If they become off-white it will be down to careless cleaning. Older ones such as mine were made from Spanish silk which has a natural off-white colour.

[Bugbear]

The white ones are modern machine-made lace. If they become off-white it will be down to careless cleaning. Older ones such as mine were made from Spanish silk which has a natural off-white colour.

And there would be no way to bleach the silk either, so I would think one would have to be careful. I do like the look of the white lace, but I wanted to be sure it worked for black tie attire.

I'm still interested in that MacKinnon of Dunakin quote by MacMillan of Rathdown. It says the jabot can be worn with the formal argyle.

Perhaps it is taboo to do so now, however, it is interesting to me that it was at one time acceptable.

[David Dalglish]

I have both Navy blue & Black PC, both worn with a black bow tie. The navy PC is just as formal as the black one.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

And there would be no way to bleach the silk either, so I would think one would have to be careful. I do like the look of the white lace, but I wanted to be sure it worked for black tie attire.

I'm still interested in that MacKinnon of Dunakin quote by MacMillan of Rathdown. It says the jabot can be worn with the formal argyle.

Perhaps it is taboo to do so now, however, it is interesting to me that it was at one time acceptable.

It is still perfectly acceptable today. To pull it off you need a fairly full jabot and a 5 or 6 button waistcoat. At my brother's wedding (30 years ago!) my father, brother, and I all wore jabots-- my brother wore an Argyll, my father wore a spencer, and I wore a coatee.

If I can get my scanner to work I'll post a photo to the wedding attire forum.