pipe band uniform change.

[highland mafia]

Well just got back from band practice. I think we have decided on hose colour. We are lucky enough to have a bagpipe shop here in town. The Pipe Major is infact the owner. So we get uniform stuff at cost. Here is the hose we are going with

http://scottshighland.com/catalog/pr...asfgk38bqes0j4

The blue really picks up the suttle blue in the kilt. The shirt on the other hand is proving to be a hard sell. Alot of the members aren't keen on switching. Many have 2 or 3 shirts in white and don't want to drop more money to switch. So white shirts may stay. But many liked the idea of switching ties! Thanks to you all for putting that in my head. So what do you all think would be good colours for a tie? I'm thinking a diangle pattern with 2 maybe 3 coloured strips that pick up some nice colours of the tartan? I really appreciate the feed back..

http://www.lochcarron.com/reiver/maclean_of_duart.html

Thanks all!


Here's the tartan again to save you having to scroll.

[Irish Jack O'Brian]

So what do you all think would be good colours for a tie? I'm thinking a diangle pattern with 2 maybe 3 coloured strips that pick up some nice colours of the tartan? I really appreciate the feed back..

HM,

I just came across this site from San Francisco, and they seem to have nice striped ties at reasonable prices.

I thought maybe something in red (for the kilt) and blue (for the hose) with a touch of white would be good. This one or maybe this one.

Regards,
Jack

[SlackerDrummer]

Well just got back from band practice. I think we have decided on hose colour. [snip]

The blue really picks up the suttle blue in the kilt.

An excellent choice.

So what do you all think would be good colours for a tie? I'm thinking a diangle pattern with 2 maybe 3 coloured strips that pick up some nice colours of the tartan? I really appreciate the feed back..

http://www.lochcarron.com/reiver/maclean_of_duart.html

Have you said which color scheme and I missed it?

I just came across this site from San Francisco, and they seem to have nice striped ties at reasonable prices.

I thought maybe something in red (for the kilt) and blue (for the hose) with a touch of white would be good. This one or maybe this one.

Lots of good choices on that site. It looks like there might even be some potential winners in the "Necktie Outlet" section which are dirt cheap.

[OC Richard]

The whole purpose of a band uniform is to "stand out" on the parade ground.

Attend a lot of pipe band events, and you'll note that most of the bands dress alike.

There's a Japanese saying "the nail that sticks up gets hammered down".

What bands have discovered is that there's a certain "look" that's established by the leading Grade One bands. This "look", whatever it happens to be at a given point in time, is seen by other bands and by the judges to look professional. The majority of the lesser bands strive to imitate that look, for if a band deviates too much from it, the other bands, and judges, will perceive them as being "out of the loop". Bands that judges perceive as being "out of touch" usually don't win.

There is, in short, a strong motivation to conform.

I could produce endless data to confirm what I'm saying. I'm a Pipe Band Dress nerd and I take note of what's worn.

For example, at the height of the White Hose Era, in the Grade One Finals at the Worlds one year, every single band was wearing white hose, black ghillies, black or navy Glengarrys, and black bagcovers. All bands save one were wearing black Argyll jackets, the exception being dark blue. All bands save a couple were wearing the typical pipe band sporrans (black leather Hunting sporran with chrome Evening cantle). All bands were wearing black drone cords, or white, or two-coloured black and white.

It's changed. "Black is the new white" as they say.

At the 2009 Worlds the Grade One bands were on the cusp of change, four bands still wearing white hose. All the rest were wearing black or navy hose, save for the two USA bands wearing grey hose.

I think this trend will continue and in a couple years practically none of the top bands will be wearing white hose.

My advice to any band is: if you want to look professional, if you want the best chance to win, dress like the "big boys".

[Jack Daw]

I'm inclined to agree with OC Richard in regard to the hose, but I think the striped ties are a good idea and shouldn't ruffle the cocked feathers of the adjudicators as long as they are conservative.

[The Barry]

I'm inclined to agree with OC Richard in regard to the hose, but I think the striped ties are a good idea and shouldn't ruffle the cocked feathers of the adjudicators as long as ther are conservative.

This is why I love this forum!

I'm inclined to do the exact opposite, NOT to agree with OC Richard.

No offense is intended of course, but with the diversity of what the "big boys" are wearing these days, it's a perfect opportunity to "strike out on your own", so to speak.

Go ahead, look professional, but cultivate your own look. I for one (as a past member of a band and a recent and future applauder at competitions) would love, love to see a band that isn't trying to look (and sound) like the grade one band in the area.

Be your own band!

[Jack Daw]

This is why I love this forum!

I'm inclined to do the exact opposite, NOT to agree with OC Richard.

No offense is intended of course, but with the diversity of what the "big boys" are wearing these days, it's a perfect opportunity to "strike out on your own", so to speak.

Go ahead, look professional, but cultivate your own look. I for one (as a past member of a band and a recent and future applauder at competitions) would love, love to see a band that isn't trying to look (and sound) like the grade one band in the area.

Be your own band!

You must be a drummer.

[OC Richard]

BTW those hose you went with look great!

Just like some of "the big boys" as it happens...



Bands are scrambling to go to any hose colour BUT white nowadays.

The vast majority are going with black or navy, but some bands are going with Ancient Blue, Lovat Blue, Lovat Green, Bottle Green, Grey, etc.

SFU by the way, when they've come down here, have travelled with two sets of hose, one the blue seen above, the other navy as I recall.

[OC Richard]

with the diversity of what the "big boys" are wearing these days, it's a perfect opportunity to "strike out on your own", so to speak.

Well let's look at the data about the diversity of the world's top bands.

NOTE: Edited after I got the 2010 Worlds Grade One Finals DVDs, which were clearer than the live streaming. The Qualifiers were noted from the live streaming.

The 2010 Grade One, Qualifiers and Finals taken together, looked like this:

There were 23 kilted bands (Bagad Cap Caval do not wear Highland Dress).

The hose: black or dark navy 12, white 7, mid grey 2, charcoal 1, ancient blue 1.

(Even on DVD it's often impossible to distinguish between black and the extremely dark navy blue seen on Glengarries, waistcoats, hose, and bagcovers. Most bands have a mix of black and navy Glens, many not aware that Glens come in those two colours.)

What about waistcoats? 21 of the 24 bands were wearing black or extremely dark blue waistcoats. 1 band deep royal blue, one band charcoal. Auckland & District, alone, did not wear waistcoats but wore fully badged military shirts. NONE of the bands wore jackets.

All the bands wore black or navy bagcovers save 1 deep royal blue, 1 bottle green (Auckland), 1 burgundy (SLOT).

Every kilted band wore black or navy Glengarries.

Of the 14 bands in the finals, only 2 had their kilts pleated to the sett. (I wasn't playing attention to pleating in the Qualifiers.)

Of the 23 kilted bands, six wore grey seal sporrans, all the rest being black leather. 10 of the black leather were the same style, the typical modern pipe band sporran (a black hunting sporran with a chrome evening dress cantle stuck on).

Not much diversity to my eye!

[Jack Daw]

The St. Thomas Episcopal School Pipe Band (gold medalists in Glasgow for several years in the junior division) used to wear white; like this:



Now they look like this: