Balmoral - sizing, style, etc.

[Lallans]

Being a person with a larger hat size (+8) I know a fair bit about hats shrinking, generally to my detriment. In my experience, if your balmoral is a little loose it will shrink up on its own even if you don't wet it down- fortunately with a knitted hat this doesn't really matter since if they end up too tight they can be stretched out a fair bit. But I would definitely avoid hot water for the first year. FYI, Glengarryhats.com's size 8 balmoral is a little smaller than other ones I've tried on.

In Canada where I live, balmorals are not even noticed and unlike glengarries have no military connotations, altho my dark green one with white dicing once prompted someone at a support-the-troops rally to ask what regiment I was connected to... (the answer being 'none', I took it off for the duration).

I couldn't keep a balmoral on in daytime in the summer, but with my 'Gillette-style' haircut they are fine any other time of the year, let's say 60 degrees F or cooler, as long as long as it's not ear-freezing cold weather. If you pull them over your ears then, they probably look pretty stupid.

The long-established Scots stores here only tend to sell balmorals that are (1) navy blue or (2) lovat blue, with only two types of dicing. That's another reason why the above-mentioned seller is such a great resource, and very probably why my green job was mistaken for a military one.

[slohairt]

In Canada where I live, balmorals are not even noticed and unlike glengarries have no military connotations, altho my dark green one with white dicing once prompted someone at a support-the-troops rally to ask what regiment I was connected to... (the answer being 'none', I took it off for the duration).

Actually, the Balmoral does have military connotations in Canada, as it is worn by the Black Watch of Canada, Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, the Lorne Scots, the Scotia Highlanders, and the Calgary Highlanders.

[Macman]

Actually, the Balmoral does have military connotations in Canada, as it is worn by the Black Watch of Canada, Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, the Lorne Scots, the Scotia Highlanders, and the Calgary Highlanders.

John, I took him to mean that lots of civvies wear balmorals, too, without the military connotation.
Wear I live, the balmoral wouldn't get a second glance, and lots of non-kilted gents wear them.
The Canadian Scottish Regiment wears khaki balmorals too, so we're used to seeing them around town on our reservists.

[Lallans]

John, I took him to mean that lots of civvies wear balmorals, too, without the military connotation.
Wear I live, the balmoral wouldn't get a second glance, and lots of non-kilted gents wear them.
The Canadian Scottish Regiment wears khaki balmorals too, so we're used to seeing them around town on our reservists.

Yes you are correct and when I used the term 'connotations' that was implied- when people in my area see you wearing one sans uniform, if they think about it at all, they do not think 'military,' they think 'heritage-obsessed Scotsman'- or perhaps 'babe magnet'

However the glengarry when worn here is for some reason almost always seen as either 'military' or 'pipeband' or perhaps 'military pipeband'. I imagine this sort of thing is regional.