What jacket goes where?

[Drac]

Good day all,

After a bit of looking at jackets sue to another thread I have to say I'm confused.

The Prince Charles is definately a formal dress type of jacket. That I get.

It's the other ones that have me scratching my head. The Argyll seems to run the spectrum from day to evening. From nice to formal. When you add the Braemar, Crail, Montrose Doublet, and Sheriffmuir Doublet plus you have sites listing tweed as a jacket type as its own and another as a material type for the Argyll. Add in the Irish and Welsh styles and it is enough to make this fasion backwards persons head spin. I can't even tell the differance between some of these jackets.

Jim

[Spartan Tartan]

Great questions!!! I'll be sure to check this thread often to get those very same answers

Just goes to show...if you have a question, you're probably not the only one.

[MacBean]

I asked the same question a while ago, so you're not alone. This is my, inexperienced, take on the set which divides in two:

Doublets (Prince Charlie or PC, Sherrifmuir, Montrose, Regulation) are all formal wear - black or white tie, though there are nuances within this set. Their differences relate to whether they close in the front, have flaps in front or rear, lapels, etc., and are to be worn with metal cantle sporrans. I've a Regulation doublet (flaps front and back).

As I understand them, the others can range from day to evening wear, even doubling as formal wear, especially black jackets. Their differences relate especially to the cuffs. Epaulettes may be lacking, may be braided or not, with lacking being a more contemporary look. Call them what you will, pictures are usually available and more helpful than the categories which aren't always strictly followed. Most (all?) of these can be found in various tweeds. I have tweed kilt jackets, but haven't a clue whether you'd call them Craill, Braemar, or Argyll, but they don't have cuffs.

Jackets\sport coats in the States can be a bit hot in summer and even indoors, may be dressier than required in our informal environment. Sweaters\pullovers\jumpers are informal but can also be too hot. I've found woolen vests to be a nice compromise for comfortability...but then I've have several hand-knitted options for decades. They are easy to find online as well.

[davidlpope]

Good day all,

After a bit of looking at jackets sue to another thread I have to say I'm confused.

The Prince Charles is definately a formal dress type of jacket. That I get.

It's the other ones that have me scratching my head. The Argyll seems to run the spectrum from day to evening. From nice to formal. When you add the Braemar, Crail, Montrose Doublet, and Sheriffmuir Doublet plus you have sites listing tweed as a jacket type as its own and another as a material type for the Argyll. Add in the Irish and Welsh styles and it is enough to make this fasion backwards persons head spin. I can't even tell the differance between some of these jackets.

Jim

Argyll, Braemar, and Crail are different names for the same jacket, depending on the sleeve style. "Argyll" refers to the gauntlet cuff, "Braemar" to the three point, mariner cuff, and "Crail" to a plain cuff with a single button at the location where jackets typically have buttons. These names are really just ways to market the jackets with "less" confusion. Most often they are seen in black barathea with chrome buttons. Because these jackets are often cheap and easily available, they are overrepresented among the kilted. In black/chrome they are most appropriate for very formal day dress (with a 5-button waistcoat) or less formal evening dress (with a 3-button waistcoat), although they are often overwhelming at Highland Games in the US.

The Prince Charlie is also ubiquitous and is probably best thought of as the counterpart to a formal dinner jacket (tuxedo).

Montrose, Regulation, Sherrifmuir, and Kenmore doublets are for evening wear and are appropriate for either black tie or white tie functions.

The "Irish" and "Welsh" jackets are "themed" take-offs on the PC. They are not among my favorites.

Tweed kilt jackets are probably the most versatile for day wear and can be made with either the gauntlet, mariner, or plain cuff.

If you're looking to purchase a jacket, plan on buying two and save your pennies. The first, a tweed day jacket. The second, a formal doublet. You shouldn't ever need more than that unless you are kilted daily.

David

[ForresterModern]

Start with the "1 KIlt, 10 Different Looks" stickied thread at the top of the General Topics section for a good reference guide. Braemer and Crail are simply interchangeable variants of the Argyll with different sleeves +/- epaulets, and Wallace/modern even more simple than those but in a similar vein. The Irish Holyrood is a PC variant, and the Kilkenny an Argyll variant. Doublets are high dress coats in general, above the PC in formality---that is about as much as I know or care to about doublets, personally. Just about any jacket below a PC can be had in tweed, which is generally reserved for daywear or more casual non-formal eveningwear. The black barathea Argyll is the jack-of-nearly-all-trades of Scottish highlandwear and can be worn for some day dress events or morph into the night for many of the formal events that do not strictly specify white tie, although it is a bit short on black tie in most people's eyes.

I am sure I have forgotten or mistaken some detail that will be corrected by following posters.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I wrote a little article called "Which jacket is right for me" to help people decide which style to purchase.
http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/which_jacket.htm

[Dall_Piobaire]

What was the more common type of jacket seen from the late 18th to mid 19th. It's hard for me to really identify a style in the portraits.

would the common frock coat be seen as an everyman's jacket.

[Drac]

Thanks Matt and everyone else.

I've got to think on it. I do quite a few black tie events, formal evening and casual evening plus smart day wear. I will have to think it through where I will get the best mileage.

I do have a cheap PC and waist coat that I have used for military occasions. I have been wearing a military v-neck sweater over a polo for a few casual day occasions. I finished up a kilt jacket conversion on a med gray coat. Its ok. I am going wear it going to a show/theater.

On a doublet, I like the look but I'm not a jabot type.

Jim

[MacBean]

A PC seems to be a doublet too. Don't be fooled by the pictures, a jabot isn't required even on most open-jacket doublets. If you do black tie, then I might consider one of the less common doublets if you can find one you like\can afford.

[davidlpope]

On a doublet, I like the look but I'm not a jabot type.

Jim

Jabots are often worn with the Sherrifmuir, Kenmore, and Montrose doublets.

Black bowties are usually worn with the Regulation Doublet.