traditional bonnet colors

[Arnot]

And when you spoke to Mackie you just asked them to reproduce the black watch bonnet?

No. The Black Watch bonnet is of a slightly different construction. I asked for a regular Balmoral in the midnight blue color of the Black Watch bonnet. If you do order from them, just be sure you are very clear about what you are ordering so you don't get a regimental bonnet instead.

[PatrickHughes123]

I just remembered that I also have one handmade custom color azure blue bonnet that I bought off of etsy a couple years ago. It is a nicer darker blue than my classic royal blue but definitely lighter than my Mackie navy:




Top left: Mackie Balmoral in Navy diced self colored toorie
Top right: Mackie Balmoral Black red diced and red toorie
Bottom Left: my custom knit azure blue bonnet with a functional band ribbon and oversized brim
Bottom right: off brand Royal Blue Balmoral red/black diced red toorie

If I remember my custom azure was available in various diameters, with or without a functional ribbon for sizing fit, with or without a light lining, with or without a toorie, and was about half or less of what my new Mackie's have typically cost (under $40 if I remember correctly). And it is built in a far heavier weave than my Mackies -- a bit more rustic and only slightly less dressy.

Other than my hand knit bonnets, IMHO nothing else beats a Mackie bonnet for quality fit and finish.

Happy hunting

That's amazing ForresterModern! I love seeing the different colours and decorations that the balmoral bonnets can come in. I think you have an excellent selection of balmorals.

With me personally, I just keep it simple and standard;

Plain black Glengarry with red toorie.
Diced black Glengarry with red toorie, red/white/black dicing.
Plain black Balmoral with red toorie.
Diced black Balmoral with red toorie, red/white/black dicing.

[PatrickHughes123]

Top left: Mackie Balmoral in Navy diced self colored toorie
Top right: Mackie Balmoral Black red diced and red toorie
Bottom Left: my custom knit azure blue bonnet with a functional band ribbon and oversized brim
Bottom right: off brand Royal Blue Balmoral red/black diced red toorie

simple and standard

Although I was tempted to buy a dark green balmoral, so dark it looked black. And the toorie was mint green, beautiful bonnet.

[FossilHunter]

No. The Black Watch bonnet is of a slightly different construction. I asked for a regular Balmoral in the midnight blue color of the Black Watch bonnet. If you do order from them, just be sure you are very clear about what you are ordering so you don't get a regimental bonnet instead.

How is their construction different?

[Arnot]

How is their construction different?

There is no cockade. The edging band is narrower and stiffer (due to some internal construction). The crown (wool part) seems smaller. The bow at the back is a flat bow (as opposed to tied or loose). As far as I'm concerned, it's not as comfortable as a regular Balmoral either.

[OC Richard]

Just some observations...

Back in the 1980s I worked for a couple years at a Highland Outfitter which carried Mackie bonnets.

We kept all their usual colours (at that time) in stock; I'm referring to their ordinary production colour-schemes (yes I realise one can get a bespoke bonnet).

With both Glengarries and Balmorals they made the following:

1) the traditional extremely dark blue, as worn by the army, with scarlet tourie, and plain band

2) ditto with red/white/black diced band

3) ditto with red/white diced band (Argylls dice)

4) black, with black tourie, and plain band

My impression at the time was that the black bonnets were to be worn with black civilian (Evening) jackets, the dark blue bonnets with civilian Day Dress as well as military uniform. That probably stemmed from the normal fashion rule of not mixing dark blue and black, and may well not be Highland practice.

Suddenly beginning in the 1980s the vast majority of the Pipe Bands on earth went to black Argyll jackets and Glengarries. Many pipers and bands didn't realise that Glengarries came in extremely dark blue, and black. Some did know, and stipulated black.

But in the Pipe Band world it appears to be impossible to get all the hats to match, and there are probably few Pipe Bands that don't have a mix of blue and black.

As I've mentioned before this became starkly apparent the first year they began filming the World Pipe Band championships with a professional camera team, featuring plenty of close-ups. Oh, that first year! You could see all the mismatched hats, mismatched and missing touries and cap badges, neckties and hose and flashes all-ahoo, wrinkled kilts, beat-up old shoes, not to mention pipers with mismatching bag-covers and cords. The Pipe Band world took notice, and the second year most of these issues were cleaned up. It's got better with each passing year, and now the top Grade One bands are excellently kitted out.

The other Mackie colours were similar to several of the standard hose and jacket colours: bottle green, royal blue, St Andrews blue, Lovat blue, Lovat green, and fawn (as best as I can recall).

These coloured bonnets were available with plain band, and with two-colour dicing matching the particular bonnet-colour, for example Lovat blue had Lovat blue and offwhite dicing. The grosgrain ribbon trim on the bonnet likewise matched the bonnet-colour, except for the extremely dark blue which had black ribbon (which, by the way, turns pale purple eventually).

About military bonnets, note that their construction has varied quite a bit over the years, and also can vary from regiment to regiment, and from Other Ranks to Officer.

Khaki bonnets (TOS) were worn by Scottish troops in the World Wars, these were quite large



Sometime during or shortly after WWII the Black Watch adopted a dark blue Balmoral; here in Korea



In 1953 when the new No1 Dress was introduced it included a fullsize dark blue bonnet for all Highland regiments.



This photo of an Argyll soldier in the new No1 Dress shows a bonnet worn flat as a pancake



Seems to me that the Black Watch led the way in the bonnet-reducing realm, here's a Black Watch officer in the late 1970s



British military bonnets have been shrinking ever since, here are the new amazingly small ones

[FossilHunter]

There is no cockade. The edging band is narrower and stiffer (due to some internal construction). The crown (wool part) seems smaller. The bow at the back is a flat bow (as opposed to tied or loose). As far as I'm concerned, it's not as comfortable as a regular Balmoral either.

I see that house of labhran lists argyll indigo and indigo as colors for their military mackie bonnets. I wonder if indigo is the blue you got for your black watch bonnet? I wish the retailers were clearer about their colors as I’ve seen some listing the same thing under different names.

Maybe argyll indigo is the “blue so dark it’s almost black.”

[Arnot]

I wonder if indigo is the blue you got for your black watch bonnet?

No. I'm not going to buy a bonnet unless I know the color. Have a look at this:
https://houseoflabhran.net/product/b...ssue-balmoral/

You'll see that it says "midnight blue". Besides, I have a trade account and called the order in to Robert Mackie myself. We discussed midnight blue, I placed the order, and received an invoice that said "midnight blue".

[OC Richard]

By whatever name, the blue of the traditional civilian and military bonnets (both Glengarries and Balmorals) is extremely dark blue, so dark as to be often confused for black, except when seen side-by-side with a black one, in direct sunlight.

I see blue bonnets described, and sold, as black all the time.

Here in The States we usually call that colour "navy blue" and indeed it's the colour of the traditional Navy uniforms, as well as the uniforms of many Police departments.

Here's a model modelling a blue police shirt worn with black tie. (No it is not a photograph of an actual Police Officer.) You can see how nearly black the blue is. The relationship between blue and black bonnets is the same.

[Arnot]

By whatever name, the blue of the traditional civilian and military bonnets (both Glengarries and Balmorals) is extremely dark blue, so dark as to be often confused for black, except when seen side-by-side with a black one, in direct sunlight.

This is true, but my bonnet looks blue on its own when not side-by-side with black in direct sunlight. That's why I chose the color.