Civilian Mess Jackets

[Cygnus]

Okay, just a couple of points concerning the kilt and hot, sticky, weather:

The clan Campbell RSR seems to totally the opinion/invention of a member of that clan. The military was quite clear that RSR was trews, cummerbund, white shirt, black bow tie.

Worn with any sort of formal attire, a red bow tie is very infra dig.

Cummerbunds aren't worn with a kilt. When worn with trews they should be black, or the same colour as the body of the jacket. Without the jacket (shudder) then black. Also, and this is important, a proper cummerbund is about 4 1/2 inches wide and goes completely around one's tummy; the pleated bit of satin with an elastic band across the back is designed to be worn with a jacket, never with the jacket removed.

Linen and light weight cotton. If it's hot, this is the way to go. Also the US forces wear a white mess jacket in the summer, and these can be found on ebay for a couple of bucks, or purchased new on line from Marlow-White for a lot more bucks. Finally, most Southern tux rental shops can kit you out in a white mess/spencer jacket this time of year.

So, rather than refer to RSR, allow me to suggest a new form of formal attire: SSR; Sweltering Summer Rig.

I can get behind the SSR movement; though you might want to let the Australian armed forces know that bit about not wearing cummerbunds with kilts!

I'm not as opposed to a red bow tie as MacMillan of Rathdown, but I really only see it being worn with RSR (and have worn one as such during my days of playing in band).

And as long as we're on the subject, I've always been under the impression that a cummerbund is worn with the pleats pointing up, though it appears the US military's regulations are for downward-pointing pleats.