Balmoral or Beret ?

[Thomas H]

Balmoral or Beret ? Can we wear ethier one ? or should we stick to the Balmoral?
I ask because I can get a Beret today easy.
But a balmoral not so easy and I dont want to have to wait for ever to get it.

[creagdhubh]

I prefer a Balmoral bonnet, and have never worn a beret. I think the "look" of a Balmoral (or for some, a Glengarry) goes better with Highland day attire, than a beret - just my opinion. And Chris (Redshank) at Dunadd Trading Company, can get a brand new, Robert Mackie Balmoral bonnet shipped to you in no time!

Cheers,

[Thomas H]

thank You i will check on that

[Cygnus]

I agree with Kyle - Compared to a Balmoral bonnet, I think berets tend to be a bit too "petit" to really look the part.

[LANCER1562]

How about a military style baret with the cardboard stiffener left in as apposed to the Balmoral?

[Thomas H]

I was thinking of getting a Light blue beret to go with my Ferguson tartan Act. with the stiff collar to wear a Plant badge on.

Its just that I live in Geogria and there are no stores that sell Scottish stuff and I can not stand to wait.

It seems to me we have to wait alot on Scottish items.
I order parts from all over the world at my Job over night.
But in most case with Scottish items its (Wait)

[gary meakin]

I took the ribbon and toorie off my balmoral and beat it to death so it doesn't look new.
except for the cockade and clan badge, I don't see a big difference between it and a beret.
'tho never having a beret, I can't attest to the size difference

[Cygnus]

It seems to me we have to wait a lot on Scottish items.
I order parts from all over the world at my Job over night.
But in most case with Scottish items its (Wait)

I think the biggest contributor to the wait times is the fact that a lot of these items are custom made or made to order, so production on it doesn't even start until they get your information. Some of these craftsmen (and craftswomen) are very talented and very popular, and so have a long queue we have to wait in, making the wait even longer.

I'd still just wait it out- quality and authenticity are (in my opinion) worth a "Jones"!

[Cygnus]

To highlight the difference a bit better than I have in previous posts, here are two pictures:

Beret:


Balmoral:


The Balmoral doesn't sit quite as tightly on the head and seems (usually) to be both heavier and broader than the average beret. The Balmoral also has a broader band (sometimes diced), while the beret's headband is usually very narrow (i.e., the "floppy part" begins right at the narrow band, while the same part of a balmoral starts a bit higher up).

Of course, it is your decision to make - if you feel the berets available are similar enough to a true balmoral bonnet, then go for it.

[HeathBar]

Its just that I live in Geogria and there are no stores that sell Scottish stuff and I can not stand to wait.

There is Atlanta Kilts that rents and sells their items. They list balmorals on their website. But they are likely the black ones with dicing. There is also J. Byous Co in Savannah. But they mostly do custom headgear so there would be a wait. The Scottish Tartan Museum sends items out via FedEx, but they do not list Next Day service on the website. However, if you call, maybe they could arrange overnight shipment provided you are willing to pay for it.