Jacket and waistcoat

[Randycan]

Greetings and Salutations!

I am new to kilt wear, and was looking for a jacket, tweed, I guess, and a waistcoat. I will not be wearing kilts full time, but on the occasions I do, I would like a jacket. Am not interested in formal wear, but something casual.
Is there something to meet my needs under $200?
As I mentioned, this is not something I intend to wear a lot. If I did, I would spring for the $300-500 jacket.
I have a local Taylor shop that can get the exact measurements when I find a place to purchase one.

Thanks!

[California Highlander]

Greetings and Salutations!

I am new to kilt wear, and was looking for a jacket, tweed, I guess, and a waistcoat. I will not be wearing kilts full time, but on the occasions I do, I would like a jacket. Am not interested in formal wear, but something casual.
Is there something to meet my needs under $200?
As I mentioned, this is not something I intend to wear a lot. If I did, I would spring for the $300-500 jacket.
I have a local Taylor shop that can get the exact measurements when I find a place to purchase one.

Thanks!

If you are in the 38-42 US sport coat size, you can find many lovely tweed argyll and crail jackets on eBay in your price range. Even quite a few in the 42-44 range. Us larger folk have fewer options for second hand and ex-hire.

[Tobus]

I'll second the suggestion for eBay. The only caveat is that it's pretty rare to find vintage jackets with matching waistcoats. You can find jackets all day long, but the accompanying waistcoats are harder to find on the vintage market.

$200 ought to get you something decent if you're patient and persistent. All 5 of my tweed daywear jackets came from eBay (two of them with matching waistcoats).

[Father Bill]

...and the waistcoat doesn't have to match either. You can buy them separately if they complement one-another.

[plaid preacher]

I concur with all the above. All my jackets have been e-bay find so far; and I do like the cut of the older kilt jackets. They do then to run about a size smaller, however, so make sure to check the measurements.

The other great option is the ex-rental market. Some of these folks are on ebay or can be found via google. They tend to keep their stock for a year and then sell off. So you can find some stuff that is almost new at a great deal.

[McMurdo]

Ex-Rentals or eBay are great options you can find jackets for as little as $40 if you watch and wait.

[OC Richard]

My size (50) comes up rarely on Ebay, but wouldn't you know it, I picked up two jackets in perfect condition from respected firms over the last week. One was $75 (free shipping) the other was around $140 (including the added shipping cost).

Here, for $140, a lovely tweed Argyll bearing the label of Cooper & McKenzie, Dundee:



That's the photo from the Ebay listing, when it came it's just as nice, or nicer. Here it is with a quick photo showing what I might wear with it



The label says 52 but the seller provided measurements and I saw that the jacket would fit, being the size usually labelled 50.

Goes to show that labels can be misleading, and it's best if the seller provides measurements. Most useful (I think) are

1) armpit-to-armpit inside, which tells you the chest size, and

2) bottom of cuff to shoulder seam, which tells you the sleeve length.

You can get an idea of what to look for by taking a couple jackets that fit and measuring them in these ways.

The other jacket I picked up is a black Argyll bearing the Lochcarron label, for $75.

Both fit perfectly.

If you're a smaller size, jackets come up on Ebay all the time.

Many of the jackets one sees nowadays are made in Pakistan or India. Some are pretty good. The main thing I've noticed is that the tweed doesn't feel as substantial as British tweed.

Here's one for well under $200

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Argyll-twee...zmu:rk:27:pf:0

About waistcoats, I usually don't wear them when I'm wearing a jacket. Why? Because I'm in the US Southwest were it's usually warm. I'm a piper and a jacket is expected when I'm hired for a funeral or wedding. A waistcoat would make me even hotter.