Spats

[Clockwork John]

I found two sets of spats at an antique store here in Montrose... Fairly cheap, too. But one set looks too small and the other looks too short... What should I be looking for in spats for kilt wear?

[Nervous Jock]

I found two sets of spats at an antique store here in Montrose... Fairly cheap, too. But one set looks too small and the other looks too short... What should I be looking for in spats for kilt wear?

If the short spats have 4 buttons and chains they are for wear with trews. Difficult to know what you mean by too small without seeing

[ohneplo]

If this is the look you are going for with the hose tops and spats, yes you will be asked where your Pipe Band is. But without all the extra uniform parts I think you'll find it is still sharp. and well accepted. Military vintage spats tend to have a peak up the back of the leg when worn while civilian wear variants are level around the top of the spat.



Piping years ago at Carnegie Tech

I've seen them crafted of buff cloth and even deerskin worn to prevent wear from brambles and coarse rocks on the trail or mud on the ankles.

Go for it!
Bruce

[Clockwork John]

If the short spats have 4 buttons and chains they are for wear with trews. Difficult to know what you mean by too small without seeing

By "too small," I mean that they wouldn't fit over my shoes, or possibly even around my ankles! They must have been made for someone much smaller than I.

[PiobBear]

I wear them, but only when I'm piping. One thing I like about them is that I can wear really cushy padded hiking socks and really cushy soft-sole "walking" brogans with gel insoles; I can march all day in that rig, compared to about a 1/4 mile in gillies, most of which will cripple you.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Wow! May I ask where you got all these wonderments of spats? I only have a pair of black-buttoned white canvas spats.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a lot of old duffers like my uncles bought this sort of stuff. Being tight fisted gentlemen they never threw anything away because they thought spats might just make a come back in their lifetimes... how wrong they were! That said, I never threw them away because I thought they were cool. So I inherited my civilian spats... My canvas spats (ex-military) were bought at the Leith Army Store on Leith walk back in the '60s when they sold genuine army surplus stuff. Mine have square cut toes, although I am given to understand the the 42nd Reg't. spats had rounded toes... just a minute and I'll go look in a book... sorry, can't find my "Observers Book of Spats" so will leave it to the Spatz-Nazis to correct me if I'm wrong. The best place to look for this sort of thing is your local gun show and failing that, try the various militaria auctions (Wallis and Wallis, etc.) that abound on-line. If you don't want military spats, probably your best best is to contact one of the suppliers of pipe-band stuff and see if you can special order "civilian spats" (these are cut square at the top; military spats are cut higher in the back) in a special fabric, or colour. Hope that helps!

[Nervous Jock]

Mine have square cut toes, although I am given to understand the the 42nd Reg't. spats had rounded toes...

42nd had squared Spats the remainder of the Highland Regiments were round, as an aside I would prefer to be considered as Spatznaz rather than a Spats-Nazi.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

42nd had squared Spats the remainder of the Highland Regiments were round, as an aside I would prefer to be considered as Spatznaz rather than a Spats-Nazi.

Da!

[Casper]

I have white cotton spats with white buttons. I've never heard of patent leather spats.

Standard issue for the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada... one of my employees serves with them. Their white belts, and the spats (often ill fitting) look like they're vinyl.

[Nervous Jock]

Wow! May I ask where you got all these wonderments of spats? I only have a pair of black-buttoned white canvas spats.

Just picked up on this one. These are Gordon Highlander spats