Argyle Jacket question

[Eonicholson]

I recently purchased a wool. Argyle jacket and waistcoat. This new jacket and waistcoat are very heavy. I have a wool, men’s dress coat that I wear when it is really cold and this jackets is nearly as heavy. I need to say that I were wool sport coats and suits fairly often in my work most of which are not nearly as heavy. Are there lighter wool versions of Argyle jackets and waistcoats? I am afraid this one is going to be just a closet stuffer except for the few really cold days here in South Carolina.
Any advice or feedback will be appreciated.

[Tobus]

Is it barathea or tweed?

[Eonicholson]

I believe it is barathea, certainly not tweed.

[Karl R]

I recently purchased a wool. Argyle jacket and waistcoat. This new jacket and waistcoat are very heavy. [...] Are there lighter wool versions of Argyle jackets and waistcoats?

My Argyll jacket and waistcoat (barathea wool, ex-hire from Kilts4Less) seem to be medium-to-lightweight. It's no heavier than my normal spring weight (wool) suits.

If you're south of the Mason-Dixon Line, wool is going to be pretty brutal under most circumstances. But it should be possible to find a barathea wool jacket/waistcoat that are comfortable when you're in AC.

[Eonicholson]

Thanks, I will. Take a look at Kilts4less. I am fine with Spring weight wool suits.

[bodhran4me]

I have seen wool jackets advertised online at 13 oz and 15 oz and possibly even 11oz. Do you know the weight of your jacket's cloth? There are also Argylls available in P/V which some may argue would be cooler.

[Mike S]

I own examples of the Kilts4less Black Barathea Argyll and Prince Charlie, and both are suitable for wear in warmer, Southern temperatures (relatively). The fabric weight appears to be in the 12/13oz range.

[kingandrew]

Living in China, I have easier access to a tailor, which has given me a couple of options.

I had an argyll jacket and waistcoat made for my by Yuen Tailors in Hong Kong. They are the tailors who used to outfit the Highland regiments serving there when it was a British colony, so they specialize in kilt wear. Although the jacket and vest are tweed, I selected a "summer weight" tweed from one of the many fabric books they had available. So although the pattern is a lovely mossy greed with red and blue overcheck and looks very traditional, it is comfortable in quite warm weather (which we get about 9-10 months of the year in the HK area. The climate is similar to Miami). For warmer events, I can wear just the jacket and usually be OK.

When I lived in Beijing, I had my tailor whip up an argyll style jacket made of 100% cotton shirting fabric in a kelly green shade. The jacket is unlined, to be as cool as possible. This jacket works in even the warmest weather and really does look good, although it is of course a bit rumpled at the end of the day.

So if you have access to an affordable tailor, you might explore doing something similar. Given the high price of even ready-made kiltwear, it might be a plausible option.

What Price Glory sells repros of the British army tropical uniform jackets of the past. I have given thought to picking up one of the Scottish-style jackets (all-cotton khaki), but haven't done so yet. However, these jackets should be comfortable (I have a pair of shorts from the company in the same material that are excellent) and the price is very reasonable. Such a jacket would also look very stylish with my pith helmet. So that may be worth investigating.

It's not so much the wool as the weight of the material and the tightness of the weave that will make a jacket hot or cooler. Also, watch out for the linings. The best jackets use bemberg (which is made of cotton waste) or silk linings, but many off the rack jackets will have acetate or polyester, which are just plastics and about as breathable as a Glad bag. So take a look at the label info for the lining as well as the main jacket material, if you are looking to keep cool. An unlined jacket will be hard to find, but will be cooler still.

Andrew

[Eonicholson]

Thank for all the great advice.
I think my error was not looking more closely at the weight and the tightness of the weave. This was a fairly inexpensive testing of the waters so I also believe the lining is synthetic. I will investigate much more before I make a another purchase. I do like the look so I am ready to buy a higher quality jacket for next round.

[OC Richard]

In my experience (having owned a dozen or so different black Barathea Argyll jackets since the 1980s) Barathea cloth does vary in weight but tends to be relatively lightweight and comfortable here in the USA.

The tweed Argylls I've owned varied much more, from very heavy Harris tweed, to tweed to around the same weight as some of the Barathea cloth.

A warning about Indian and Pakistani jackets! Oftentimes they are made of a wool blend (wool/polyester) which doesn't breathe like 100% wool fabric does. The wool/polyester blend feels much hotter for a given weight.

About WPG jackets, AFAIK some are made of a wool blend rather than 100% wool.