My Attempt at 70% of No. 1 Dress

[PiperOfThePlains]

Here's all I have so far of No. Dress:
The front.
The back
Here are my thoughts:

• Doublet is too long & large in the chest
• Kilt is poorly done in the pressing of the pleats
• Crossbelt is incredibly too long
• Hose are too long(?)

And my reasons as to why:

• The doublet was my instructors back in the 70's, and it was given to him by a band member
• Yes, I'm still having pleat issues... I wish I could have Higgins alter it.
• L&M Highland "altered" it for me, but I've been considering buying a and moving the mounts
• J. Higgins' small hose were too short and their medium are too long.

Thoughts?

[Nathan]

You're still growing. If you don't need no. 1 dress yet, keep it in your closet until you fit into it. As for the hose, since you're using spats, why not hose tops?

[PiperOfThePlains]

Indeed, I indubitably do not need No. 1 dress just yet... It's more of a want, really. A very, very, very, very, very, very expensive want. In case you were wondering, I have no intentions of wearing this yet. I would never subject my clients, audiences, innocent bystanders, or people-of-the-like to such an atrocious looking outfit.

I like the feel of full hose over my feet. Hose tops just don't feel natural, and they make me feel like I'm doing it half-way.

[OC Richard]

I'm in the same boat.

30 years ago I had a very nice Full Dress kit, but that was many pounds ago, and I don't have a single component of that kit any more.

A number of years ago I bought a Patrol Dress jacket, which allows me to look a bit more showy than the ordinary modern Argyll jacket kit, and it's served me well in a large number of gigs.

But then I got all excited about putting together a Black Watch piper's Full Dress kit, just a year or so ago. I still don't have all the elements! Full Dress takes so many things!

Here's my old Full Dress in the mid-1980s



Nowadays if they ask for fancy dress all I have is the Patrol Dress jacket. Wearing a feather bonnet with it isn't proper at all!

[Stoneyburnpiper]

What tartan do you have on in the older picture Rchard? Looks sharp!

[Macman]

What tartan do you have on in the older picture Rchard? Looks sharp!

It's the British Columbia provincial tartan, SBP. I think it looks sharp as well, and I really like the matching hose.

[OC Richard]

Yes our pipe band wore that tartan (British Columbia) with ordinary pipe band kit (Argyll jacket, white hose, etc) but my Pipe Major and I got Hose Tops, Full Plaids, and Pipe Ribbons in that tartan, and back then we did a load of duet gigs in Full Dress. We also had Full Hose made, because we did a number of duet gigs in Evening Dress with Prince Charlies, full tartan hose, and buckled shoes.

We ordered a full bolt of tartan from Lochcarron, in 1986, in kilt weight, because they had previously only woven it in the weight they use for neckties.