Dirk belts in formal/full dress attire

**Bigkahuna** · 13th July 09, 11:00 PM

I have seen wire embroidered belts listed as dirk belts and I was wondering why a separate belt would be worn when the waist belt could serve the same purpose. Is this something reserved for Levee Dress or some other special occasion??

**BEEDEE** · 14th July 09, 04:57 AM

I'm not familiar with this. Do you have a photo or link?

Brian

**McMurdo** · 14th July 09, 05:02 AM

I've not heard of that either, anytime I wear my dirk it is hanging from my dress belt from a leather frog as in the pictures below.

**JSFMACLJR** · 14th July 09, 07:00 AM

Originally Posted by Bigkahuna

I have seen wire embroidered belts listed as dirk belts and I was wondering why a separate belt would be worn when the waist belt could serve the same purpose. Is this something reserved for Levee Dress or some other special occasion??

Are the wire embroidered belts worn by officers of Highland regiments? If so, in that case that IS the waist belt and the dirk would be fastened to this belt with a frog.

Check these belts out here so we might know if we are talking about the same thing:
http://www.highlandbrigade.com/products/index.asp

Go under " byTypes" to the "Waist Belt Clasps and waist belts" link.

**JSFMACLJR** · 14th July 09, 07:01 AM

Sometimes a dirk is worn from a belt underneath the doublet.

**MacMillan of Rathdown** · 14th July 09, 09:05 AM

On formal occasions the embroidered dirk belt is worn in lieu of the usual black leather dirk belt, which most people nowadays refer to as a kilt belt.

Years ago in Los Angeles an elderly friend of mine used to wear a beautifully bullion-embroidered dirk belt with matching sporran straps that he had had made up in Argentina before the Second World War.

**Bigkahuna** · 16th July 09, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by JSFMACLJR

Are the wire embroidered belts worn by officers of Highland regiments? If so, in that case that IS the waist belt and the dirk would be fastened to this belt with a frog.

Check these belts out here so we might know if we are talking about the same thing:
http://www.highlandbrigade.com/products/index.asp

Go under " byTypes" to the "Waist Belt Clasps and waist belts" link.

Yes, this is the site that inspired my question. It makes it seem that there is a separate belt for the dirk rather than just using the waist belt and I was curious if this was for Levee or possibly mess dress.

**Jack Daw** · 16th July 09, 02:19 PM

Has anyone successfully ordered anything from the Highland Brigade? I've tried to communicate with them without result; yet, the website is maintained.

**JSFMACLJR** · 16th July 09, 02:57 PM

Originally Posted by Bigkahuna

Yes, this is the site that inspired my question. It makes it seem that there is a separate belt for the dirk rather than just using the waist belt and I was curious if this was for Levee or possibly mess dress.

No, the dirk is attached to the waist belt by a little loop called a frog.

This belt was worn with full dress and levee dress, but not with mess dress. Swords and dirks were/are not worn with mess dress.