so this is what we've come to? (Prince Charlie)

[MacLowlife]

That's pretty much how it is here, too, Nathan. Off-the-peg is by far the most common option for day-to-day clothing in my corner of California. Tailors exist here, certainly, but they are SO EXPENSIVE for made-to-measure suits and other garments. Bespoke suits (like Nathan mentioned, at the base model) will easily run way up beyond the means of most men. Highland outfitters are virtually nonexistent here.

Luckily for me, all of the women in my family are decent seamstresses in their spare time. Mum and my aunts (and both of my late grandmothers were) are all talented quilters, too.

A big Aye here, as plenty of people have benefitted from "amateur" sewing. Even those who can't bring themselves to start from scratch can do great things by altering and modifying existing garments. Those of us who don't have access to a sewing relative would do well to learn a few basics. If you start on a garment that cost you a dollar, you can't fall very far.

[CMcG]

"Saville Row Tailors" and web sites that don't quote prices (too vulgar, I suppose) scare me. I'd probably have to re-mortage the house. Recommending tailors of this ilk to me is like recommending the Automobile manufacturers Ferrari. No doubt excellent craftsmen but WAY out of my reach. At the price that I would have to pay for any bespoke clothes from M&Ms, I would probably be scared to wear it afterwards!

I'm with you on that, BCAC. Luckily for us there is a wide and diverse continuum between the extremes of tat and bespoke. There are many options for off-the-peg, made-to-measure, and vintage that are good to excellent quality, but still affordable. With a bit of aftermarket alterations, these less-than-bespoke options can still provide a great fit too!

[Downunder Kilt]

"Saville Row Tailors" and web sites that don't quote prices (too vulgar, I suppose) scare me. I'd probably have to re-mortage the house. Recommending tailors of this ilk to me is like recommending the Automobile manufacturers Ferrari. No doubt excellent craftsmen but WAY out of my reach. At the price that I would have to pay for any bespoke clothes from M&Ms, I would probably be scared to wear it afterwards!

Edited to change the quote (for better understanding of who I was talking about).

The only reason that this answer was provided was because Nathan asked for opinions as to what business was was the gold standard of Highland attire in Scotland.

[OC Richard]

Would you rather highland attire be a fashion and subject to new ideas and new looks or would you prefer it to be a historic costume?

It's certainly a valid point. There's often a thin line in Highland Dress between 'traditional' and 'historical' and sometimes I drift over it a bit. I do prefer a long tie with wing collar (so very popular around 1900) and I do prefer my slip-on buckled brogues (so popular in the 19th century).

I guess my point is that Prince Charlies aren't the only traditional Evening jacket style still in production by the mainstream Highland Dress makers, but whenever I go to a formal even all I see are black PCs, as if they're some sort of uniform.

I'm glad to see that Regulation Doublets are still around, with the Argyll pretty much the only 19th century styles still in regular production (and hence 'traditional' rather than 'historical').

Whenever a navy blue PC in my size comes up used on Ebay I will try to grab it, ditto a grey one. Black is what came up cheap, so black it is, for now, for me.

BTW I played pipes at a Holiday Brass concert the other night. All the brass players were in black tuxedos with black bow ties and I followed their lead by wearing a black bow tie with my PC. The PC strikes me as nothing but a recent Highland adaptation of the "Saxon" tailcoat, more or less.

Anyhow here is the always dapper Gordon Walker wearing the old Doublet in a lineup of PCs (also the only gent wearing shoe buckles)

[OC Richard]

I just think we should be careful when we malign the current fashion. A lot of men were married in that style and we shouldn't make them feel embarrased or ashamed of their wedding photos. They wore the kilt and did so according to contemporary standards and have every right to look at those photos with pride.

This is a valid point.

For the record I have never, and will never, criticise anyone's dress in their wedding photos. The photo in question was a professionally dressed and photographed model.

I saw, in a kilt hire shop in Glasgow, a large photo of a model wearing a nearly all-white outfit: white PC, white shirt, white tie, plain white kilt, white fur sporran with white tassels, white hose, white flashes, and... wait for it...
black ghillies!
Oh so near, but yet so far, to perfection. Where are white ghillies when you need them?

I rather doubt that anyone ever wore that outfit to an actual wedding; it was a photo-shoot getup.

For contrast, here's the Coatee in the current Anderson website, very akin to the way it appears in their 1936 catalogue, with tartan waistcoat



Classy, nearly timeless.

And they do show buckled brogues and tartan hose with Evening Dress

[sailortats]

Boy, I would love to have the blue velvet Montrose. There is only one minor problem, I would never have an occasion to wear it. Somehow it just wouldn't seem appropriate wearing it to the pub on a Saturday evening.

[Carlo]

Boy, I would love to have the blue velvet Montrose. There is only one minor problem, I would never have an occasion to wear it. Somehow it just wouldn't seem appropriate wearing it to the pub on a Saturday evening.

To me it looks like a pirat captain with the tricorn hat missing. (Might have something to do with me and the costume shop I went to yesterday.) And still I feel the same. It would be a great thing to own but the price per times worn would probably be at the price payed.

[Phil]

To me it looks like a pirat captain with the tricorn hat missing. (Might have something to do with me and the costume shop I went to yesterday.

If you are not accustomed to the particular look then it is quite understandable that you associate it with another similar example you may have seen in a fancy dress shop. I can assure you, however, that it appears quite normal Highland dress to someone brought up in Scotland this century. Whether it would be a good choice, however, does depend on your particular needs, particularly if you don't go to dress-up events. Also it is a particularly hot garment, made for the days before central heating!

[creagdhubh]

If you are not accustomed to the particular look then it is quite understandable that you associate it with another similar example you may have seen in a fancy dress shop. I can assure you, however, that it appears quite normal Highland dress to someone brought up in Scotland this century. Whether it would be a good choice, however, does depend on your particular needs, particularly if you don't go to dress-up events. Also it is a particularly hot garment, made for the days before central heating!

Well said, Phil.

[Nathan]

It certainly is a smart, traditional look, but I think this son of a native born Scotsman did more damage to the blue velvet, jabot and cuffs look than 100 pirate costumes...



Just an observation and I do indeed have a velvet doublet complete with a jabot and cuffs.