Differences between Tam O'Shanter vs Balmoral

[Bugbear]

As a follow up on my post, I looked up Puffer's post in my Sticks and Bonnets thread from last year.

Ted, good ???

Basicly a Tam O Shanter (TOS) is LARGER in diamiter. ( a "full size" one is a balmoral on STEROIDS)

Here is my take on the subject.

Balmorals-
a. Military style are the smallest, 9-9 1/2" in diam. (refer to the upper left pic ( my 1960 "Berret") Note both the "modern US & Brit issue are sim.)
The upper mid. one is of modern Brit issue TOS, BUT I rate this as a Balmoral because of it's size (10")

b. Civilian style are a little larger, usually 10-11" ( the upper right one is 11"

Tam O Shanter
a. The lower left one (WPG TOS) measures 12 1/4"in diamiter ( about the smallest size, IMHO)
b. The lower right one is a "Traditional " style TOS measures 13 1/2"

I hope this helps


NOTE that I wear my US version with the flash/badge on the RIGHT & the Scot's styles on the LEFT.

Puffer

So, that's what he said.

[DWFII]

Ooops!

You know, of course, that I was just "ribbing" you? I realize that the WWII era TOS is probably not worn all that often nowadays but I don't like the looks of the smaller Balmoral on me.

For me it's either the WPG size TOS or a flat cap......the big, "newsboy" type that's about 15" across.

PS...FWIW, I also own, and really like wearing, a P-37 battledress, with my kilt.

[Bugbear]

[Kiltman]

It appears to me that the balmoral is made in one piece. The tam is made of two pieces. I sure size is related but the main difference is construction. Historically it probably makes no difference.

[Jock Scot]

Interestingly wearing a bonnet, whilst wearing the kilt, is a tradition on the wane, here in Scotland.

[Bugbear]

You know, my minds eye just is not Scottish, so I'm not able to see what may or may not work from that prospective. I do know that because one kind of headwear was worn for a time in the passed, does not make it traditional or acceptable.

I don't have a problem with the Balmoral, and I wouldn't mind wearing one. I've accepted that it is what would be worne. I can't change it, so I guess it's just time to move on.

[Zardoz]

Interestingly wearing a bonnet, whilst wearing the kilt, is a tradition on the wane, here in Scotland.

One of the things I often notice as I look at photos of more 'traditionally' kilted guys here on the forum is the lack of bonnets, or any headgear at all for that matter, when outside. Personally, my honest opinion on this is that there is such a drumbeat from the "traditionalist community" as it were, that the Glengarry and the Balmoral are only the two appropriate hats for kilt wear, and one of them is mostly for pipe bands, that guys just don't know what to wear sometimes!

My bottom line is, I don't really have the desire to own a Balmoral or a Glengarry, as a person of primarily Irish heritage they don't have much cultural resonance with me, and I think the Balmoral in it's current form just looks like a weird beret. But I do like to keep covered outdoors. So I mostly wear a Tam or flatcap. I have found the Tam to be a versatile cover, I have them in black or green, and they can be worn from casual to semi formal, with or without a badge, from the renfaire to the St.Patrick's Parade.

We all know that the hat deal has been beat to death on this forum, and I really feel the topic causes a real quandary in many minds. So much so that a lot of guys are so worried about it they would rather go bare headed, even in the sun or cold, than chance offending the local kilt police with "inappropriate" headgear.

Look at this crew;

These are all guys from our forum, Steve, Max, and me. As you can see it is a nice warm sunny Texas day, and while Steve is blessed with a nice head of hair, Max and I are not. I am of course protecting my completely bald noggin by sporting the controversial flatcap! But I guarantee you that Max had a sunburn on his head that day.

Here's another;

This is a Burns day gathering here in Houston, on a cool (about 50 degrees, cold by Houston standards) cloudy January day. And while there are many nicely turned out kilties there, notice the lack of headwear. I am again keeping my head warm by sporting the dreaded flatcap!

One more; I couldn't find one of me wearing the tam with 'normal' daywear, but here's a shot from a Dicken's Victorian festival last year;

I'd wear pretty much the same kit to a day wedding, only with out the tall collar shirt. Nice that the outfit has not really changed in a hundred years!

[DWFII]

I think hat wearing has fallen off all over the world...or at least in western societies. I am not surprised that Scots don't wear balmorals or tams or Glengarries much. I suspect that the same could be said of French society...not many wear a beret. Or English society...how many wear a bowler? Or even American society...heck, about the only segment of American society that wears a hat regularly is the "cowboy" culture...oops, them and baseball-cap-turned-backwards, wool-watch-cap-in-the-heat-of-summer crowd.

Even women have stopped wearing hats on a regular basis.

But that's why I like my tam, it is by most traditional definitions, "traditional" and it's different enough to become my own "look/style."

Frankly, although they may not be regarded as Traditional Highland Dress, I have no problem with flatcaps or deerstalkers or even pith helmets. I bet you could find a photo, somewhere on the Internet, that shows a typical Scotsman anywhere in the time period from the last century, wearing any one of these.

But before anyone mistakes me...I am not so wild and crazy that I would think it appropriate to wear my big, 100% beaver, "Montana Peak" with my kilt.

[macwilkin]

But before anyone mistakes me...I am not so wild and crazy that I would think it appropriate to wear my big, 100% beaver, "Montana Peak" with my kilt.

http://www.britishbattles.com/great-...ntein/mag1.jpg

(All right, they're not "lemon squeezers", but they're still slouch hats.)



T.

[Zardoz]

http://www.britishbattles.com/great-...ntein/mag1.jpg

(All right, they're not "lemon squeezers", but they're still slouch hats.)



T.

And practical for that enviroment, the African sun is a killer.