ABF tie chain (aka Review my Attire 5)

[Tiny]

Its a grand look. The tie looks great and so many options for highlight colors with the regimental ties.


I think I've created a monster with that thread lol. I never thought it would snow ball like this, though I'm glad it has. I'll accept the challenge to participate in the chain. I've been searching goodwill for jackets to convert and tattersal shirts. The only bit of kit I'll be waiting on will be one jacket to be converted.

Once the jacket is ready I'll PM you to continue the chain and we can get the next member in line.

[Schiehallion]

Excellent choice and that bit of red in the tie does look good with the red of the flashes!

[English Bloke]

I really like these threads. Really great idea getting them started Jock. Nice one!

For anyone who is on a limited budget and who isn't already aware, There is a cheaper polyester version of the ABF tie available. It's gettable online from the Forces Store for Troops on Tour website. It's £8.00 (+ P&P) which might be an option for those who aren't in a position to stretch to the full blown silk jobbie and profits from these sales also go to ABF.

[CMcG]

<snip>
I do appreciate what you're saying about the shirt's pattern not being apparent at a distance... it works, but I agree with Jersey Lawyer that you could get away with a bolder pattern still.

The different green shades (hose and kilt) might have bothered me a touch in the past, but not so much any more as my adapts. BTW, I think one of the most versatile colors of hose you can have is claret. They can work well with an "unmatched" array of almost any tone, and they also work well, IMHO, for formal wear.

So with this first outfit, I think you put your toe in the water, but let's see you dive in!... I'm looking forward to the "Jock specs" outfit next!

Thanks for the encouragement and advice Ken.

As for the shirt, I have managed to acquire a proper tattersall at the thrift shop and will showcase it in the Jock specs outfit. The subtle pattern of the shirt in the pics above seemed more appropriate for a dressier outfit... would something like gingham still have worked, or is that more for daywear?

As for the hose, my eye has yet to adapt and the two different shades of green are still clashing for me. Matching aside, I do appreciate the license to wear my highest quality kilt hose (thick green wool, nice cabling, yellow marl). As I mentioned before, they came with an eBay jacket and I had never worn them because they don't match

Finding a variety of hose colours on a tight budget becomes a bit of a problem though, claret or otherwise. In my price range (i.e. less than $20 including shipping and tax) one finds mostly the dreaded white, but also black, bottle green, lovat green, lovat blue, navy, and maybe brown.

I have black, lovat green, and navy but those all match my tartan! I don't much care for brown... I'm contemplating a pair of lovat blue hose for the Jock specs outfit... but I should probably stick with what I've got and "sock" my money into paying tuition There is always Christmas though...

[KFCarter]

Thanks for the encouragement and advice Ken.

As for the shirt, I have managed to acquire a proper tattersall at the thrift shop and will showcase it in the Jock specs outfit. The subtle pattern of the shirt in the pics above seemed more appropriate for a dressier outfit... would something like gingham still have worked, or is that more for daywear?

As for the hose, my eye has yet to adapt and the two different shades of green are still clashing for me. Matching aside, I do appreciate the license to wear my highest quality kilt hose (thick green wool, nice cabling, yellow marl). As I mentioned before, they came with an eBay jacket and I had never worn them because they don't match

Finding a variety of hose colours on a tight budget becomes a bit of a problem though, claret or otherwise. In my price range (i.e. less than $20 including shipping and tax) one finds mostly the dreaded white, but also black, bottle green, lovat green, lovat blue, navy, and maybe brown.

I have black, lovat green, and navy but those all match my tartan! I don't much care for brown... I'm contemplating a pair of lovat blue hose for the Jock specs outfit... but I should probably stick with what I've got and "sock" my money into paying tuition There is always Christmas though...

I get your drift about the smaller pattern and the dressier look you were going for. I do think that the "less constrained" approach is particularly suited to daywear.

Certainly with the "two greens" issue, I think it's better to be in a totally different color than in two "arguing" shades of the same color... again, why claret is so great... it isn't going to "argue" with most kilt tones, even with red-based tartans IMHO.

Understand you need to "sock" () that money away for the important stuff, but you could start a change jar and empty your pockets (or your sporran!) and the end of the day of whatever has collected there. You'd be surprised how fast you'd accumulate enough for some nice Lewis Hose from the Scottish Tartan Museum Gift Shop

Keep up the good work!

[CMcG]

Well done laddie! The tie looks well on you and unsurprisingly,for me, it fits in with your attire well and I have no doubts whatsoever that the tie will fit in with much of your attire in the future.

The great thing about regimental style ties is that you can choose to, as in your case with the ABF tie, pick out stripe(s) to highlight. In your case you have chosen blue and green(not trying to subconsciously match things are we?) stripe. If you wanted to you could highlight the red and blue by tying the knot in a slightly different place. Versatile these ties.

Thanks Jock As I've never had a regimental tie before, I had never considered that one might pick out stripes to highlight. If I highlighted matching colours, I assure you it was purely by chance!

<snip> I'll accept the challenge to participate in the chain. I've been searching goodwill for jackets to convert and tattersal shirts. The only bit of kit I'll be waiting on will be one jacket to be converted.

Once the jacket is ready I'll PM you to continue the chain and we can get the next member in line.

That's great Tiny. Just let me know when you're ready.

<snip>
Certainly with the "two greens" issue, I think it's better to be in a totally different color than in two "arguing" shades of the same color... again, why claret is so great... it isn't going to "argue" with most kilt tones, even with red-based tartans IMHO.

Understand you need to "sock" () that money away for the important stuff, but you could start a change jar and empty your pockets (or your sporran!) and the end of the day of whatever has collected there. You'd be surprised how fast you'd accumulate enough for some nice Lewis Hose from the Scottish Tartan Museum Gift Shop

Keep up the good work!

Fear not, I already have a change jar going. But I was trying to save for a hand-sewn kilt... upgraded hose will have to take a number and get in line

I agree that claret is a unique enough colour that it probably wouldn't argue with most kilt tones. Can anyone think of other hose colours with similar properties?

Ultimately, I think part of the non-matching thing is to not think about it too much... from that perspective, just picking out my best hose and putting them on is probably better than playing spin the colour wheel...

[Cygnus]

I agree that claret is a unique enough colour that it probably wouldn't argue with most kilt tones. Can anyone think of other hose colours with similar properties?

I'm quite partial to purple.

[KWD]

CMcG I love the look and the contrasting colors! I do have a question for you.
What shoes are you wearing? I love the look!

[CMcG]

CMcG I love the look and the contrasting colors! I do have a question for you.
What shoes are you wearing? I love the look!

Thanks KWD. The shoes are the Michael model brogue made by John Fluevog. I like them because they have a rounder toe and a chunkier sole. I was quite lucky to find a pair on eBay, new in the box for a fraction of what they are worth:

[CMcG]

OK, I finally got some pictures taken with Jock's specifications and am ready for a proper review. I tried two variations on the theme and included a "before" (matchy) photo for comparison's sake. Any and all comments are welcome, so please don't be shy in your review!


1)

For this outfit, I went with the "grab some clothes and go" approach. Not much effort put into matching or not-matching.

Best hose, brightest flashes, a waistcoat because it was a bit chilly (even though it isn't part of a set with jacket), Harris tweed jacket, tattersall shirt, plain daywear sporran, and regimental style tie. After pulling all that out of the closet, I took a picture of some of it together.


There are multiple different-but-close shades of the same colours going on here. Various textures and patterns too. What strikes me is how good it looks all together, whereas if everything were matched except one or two elements, those things would stick out like a sore thumb.

I attempted Jock's suggestion of tying the knot on my ABF tie to bring out a chosen stripe. In this case, I wanted the red to show against my waistcoat. Very versatile things, these striped ties!





2)

For the second variation, I made more of an effort to not be matchy. I swapped the red flashes for grey so they wouldn't match the tie. I swapped the dark green hose for olive coloured ones so they wouldn't be as close to the green in my tartan or the green stripe on the tie. Ditched the waistcoat to show off the tie more and because it wasn't part of a set with the jacket.

I also did up the buttons on the collar of the shirt, which in the other picture I left undone. Normally, I don't wear a tie with shirts that have button-down collars... are you supposed to do them up or not?






And now a before the "Scots eye for the matchy guy" makeover pic. Here is my lass and I at a recent wedding. Hose matching the jacket, flashes matching the solid colour tie, plain looking shirt (it does have a bit of a pattern which can't be seen in this photo) . Whole outfit coordinated with my lass: