Chesterfield Coat?

[creagdhubh]

I very much appreciate the input Jock and everyone else.

As a summary of the recommendations here it would appear that the consensus is either to wear no overcoat, to wear a causal coat that is preferably somehow connected with Scotland (like a Barbour coat), OR if you really need a formal overcoat for the occasion go big or go home. The Inverness is the highland equivalent of the Chesterfield coat and nothing else compares.

I think I have been persuaded that for an event that really calls for a formal overcoat while kilted, the only real solution is the Inverness Cape/Coat if it really matters. And if it doesn't then a casual coat would suffice since you are checking it at the door anyway.

Looks like I need to either start saving for the Inverness or figure out a way to make one.

This thread has been very helpful to me and I hope to others as well.

Slainte to all.

http://www.kinlochanderson.com/mens/...nverness-capes

[Carlo]

http://www.kinlochanderson.com/mens/...nverness-capes

Obviously you might consider one of the X Marks Partners. I know that scotweb offers Harris Tweed Capes and if you want another fabric, they might be able to offer that too. It might be a cheaper option too.

[JSFMACLJR]

But to steer the thread back to my point, it seems I am hearing that a person in Scotland at night in the dead of winter on Skye walking 20 minutes to a black tie event would most likely not be wearing an Inverness Cape OR a Chesterfield but rather just dealing with the cold or wearing a practical rather than formal coat because who cares what you were wearing before you arrived at the party. Is that an accurate summary or am I missing something here?

Slainte and thanks again all for the input!

In my experience, yes that is an accurate summary.

[Liam]

I guess it's a weather thing. Every Canadian man I know that regularly wears suits has a proper wool dress overcoat and a smart dress scarf for winter. Older gents have rubber overshoes or overboots to protect their shoes as well. Come to think of it, those are a smart innovation and I can't figure out why they have fell out of fashion in my demographic...

As for walking from the car to the venue, an umbrella is ok if it's not windy, but why be cold, wet, windblown and dishevelled? I wouldn't want to get snow on my fine jacket walking from the parking lot over the ice to the venue so I would wear a long dark wool overcoat. I also have more casual jackets and parkas, some goretex and some not unlike the barbour ones pictured, but I wouldn't reach for those in this circumstance. I save those for when I'm wearing jeans. Well...to be perfectly honest, I might reach for the parka in a blizzard, because during a Canadian blizzard all fashion errors are forgiven in the name of survival.

Well said from our Canadian perspective....