Kilkenny Jacket & Vest

[shamrock715]

I got my kilt today from USA Kilts & it fits perfectly!

Also purchased the Kilkenny vest & jacket. Have to get the jacket tailored a bit and taken in but my ultimate question is about the button on the jacket.

Is the button on a Kilkenny jacket supposed to be able to button or is the jacket supposed to be open? Most pictures I've seen it is unbuttoned and the jacket is open but there are a few here & there that I have seen it buttoned.

Just trying to figure out if there is a proper way to wear it or is it a matter of preference? Just want to know before I get it taken in.

Thanks,
Matt

[Jock Scot]

I am not sure what a Kilkenny jacket looks like , but as a general rule kilt jackets are left un-buttoned .

[Steve Ashton]

The Killkenny and Brian Baru style jackets are supposed to be the Irish inspired versions of the Argyle & Prince Charlie respectively. The differences are round harp buttons, a two button front vs the single button of the Argyle and slightly different cuff treatment on the Killkenny - and shawl collar and distinctive two buttons on a chain front closure on the Brian Baru where the Prince Charlie has no buttons to close the front.

In the days when a man did not go out of doors without a jacket you would button your jacket anytime you were standing. You would unbutton it when sitting.

But today most jackets when worn with a vest are left unbuttoned so you do not hide your pocket watch chain and fob.

Today it is personal preference. But with a two button jacket you only button the top button. A three button jacket you button the middle button and sometimes the top. But never the bottom on either.

[Tarheel]

In the days when a man did not go out of doors without a jacket you would button your jacket anytime you were standing. You would unbutton it when sitting.

But today most jackets when worn with a vest are left unbuttoned so you do not hide your pocket watch chain and fob.

Today it is personal preference. But with a two button jacket you only button the top button.

I second Steve's explanation. This is what I was taught as a kid and still practice today.

[Tobus]

In the days when a man did not go out of doors without a jacket you would button your jacket anytime you were standing. You would unbutton it when sitting.

But today most jackets when worn with a vest are left unbuttoned so you do not hide your pocket watch chain and fob.

Today it is personal preference. But with a two button jacket you only button the top button. A three button jacket you button the middle button and sometimes the top. But never the bottom on either.

These guidelines may be common to so-called Saxon dress protocols, but I don't think they apply at all to Highland traditions. When I look at portraits and photos dating all the way back to the 1800s (i.e. when men generally did not go out-of-doors without a jacket), the majority of the Highland kilted examples have their jackets completely open at the front.

For example:



Very few of them buttoned their jackets, and of those who did, the number of buttons used varied. There was a period where jacket styles had shorter lapels and would only be buttoned at the top, high up on the chest just under the neck, with the bottom draped open.

Examples:



And then again, some preferred to completely button their jackets, even including the bottom button.

Examples:



I guess my point is that Highlanders have never followed this "always button your jacket when standing" rule, or any other rules concerning which buttons should be used or not used.