First Dedicated Kilt Jacket Question

[KnittedReenactor]

I am finally looking to acquire a dedicated Kilting Jacket and Vest and have been perusing Ebay for deals. I came across the tweed jacket/vest sets from this vendor and liked the general look. I can already see I will have to upgrade the buttons to something more attractive before I wear it. Any thoughts from the Rabble?
The first is a Lovat Green herringbone tweed, the second is a medium green checked.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lovat-Green...rmoHL0wM0ddntA
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Traditional...HabfqkPtuA8ygA

[gsmacleod]

A couple years ago a took a chance on a Pakistani tweed jacket; the fabric was ok but the cut and fit was less than ideal. It was supposed to be a 44L but the jacket measured more like a 48 or 50 and the waistcoat was a very short 46. The finish of the lapels was poor and the sleeves were extremely room; almost twice the circumference of any other jacket I've worn. With the cost of the jacket compared to shipping and duties, it wasn't worth it to exchange.

Since then, I have managed to find some vintage jackets for less than I paid for the Pakistani jacket and waistcoat.

IMG_20190914_122800~2.jpg

IMG_20190821_153751~2.jpg

IMG_20200103_094953.jpg

IMG_20200121_182445.jpg

If I were you, if give serious consideration to watching local classifieds along with Etsy, eBay and the classifieds here as opposed to the ones you've linked.

Depending on sizing, it may take some patience but I suspect you'll be much happier in the end.

Shane

[ShaunMaxwell]

What shane said...

If you look at the detail on the Pakistani made jackets, you'll see that the pockets are oddly placed (too high), and that the waistcoat buttons up very high, and other odd things (besides the buttons!).

To my mind, you're better off buying something vintage or saving up for a "proper" new jacket/waistcoat combo from a vendor that's a known quantity.

If eBay and Etsy fail you, you might try the Ministry of Tartan.

Good luck in your search!

SM

[Tomo]

Instead of the Pakistani options take a look at McCalls - they have some jackets on offer that will not break the bank. I bought one last year for £150 (a shade under $200 - but the pound might tank tomorrow after Brexit so could be a good time to buy... and certainly a better buy than the ones on ebay).

The ship to the US etc.

This is the link to jacket I bought: https://www.mccalls.co.uk/products/c...tweed-set-wool and a couple of pics of me wearing it - I am very pleased with the quality and the cut, which is quite slim/tailored.

Instead of the Pakistani options take a look at McCalls - they have some jackets on offer that will not break the bank. I bought one last year for £150 (a shade under $200 - but the pound might tank tomorrow after Brexit so could be a good time to buy...).

The ship to the US etc.

This is the link to jacket I bought: https://www.mccalls.co.uk/products/c...tweed-set-wool

A couple of pics of me wearing it - I am very pleased with the quality and the cut, which is quite slim/tailored.

[Dr Bee]

Very sound advice in the three replies above. Probably you won't be satisfied until you have purchased a crisp new jacket and waistcoat from a reputable Highland tailor - of which there are many. If you feel you need to save up your cash for that then in the meantime you can probably spend less on vintage genuine than you would on new far-Eastern.

In the meantime congratulations to Tomo on his jacket and waistcoat and on his pics - all are excellent. It's interesting that McCalls (along with some other Highland tailors) call this style of jacket a Crail, while many call that style a Braemar. As they are not uniforms they are of course free to call them whatever they wish. In my decades of kilt wearing I started off with an Argyll and if Tomo's jacket were to be given gauntlet cuffs I'd call that an Argyll. As it is I'd call it a Braemar and if it were given the cuffs, shoulders and pocket-flaps of a modern jacket I'd call it a Crail. Paradoxically, my current lovat green tweed kilt jacket is in the modern style I've always thought of as Crail but it was bought from Kinloch Anderson who simply call it a day jacket. Perhaps it's best to tread with care when using the terms Crail and Braemar - they seem to be interchangeable.

[McMurdo]

As the others have said go with vintage from EBay or new from a reputable vendor. I have several vintage jackets going back to 1894 I have never spent a fortune on these and in my years of regular kilt wear have never regretted the purchase of any of them. Some were purchased on consignment or ex-hires from local tartan shops, others from the for sale section of this forum, still others were from online retailers such as EBay or Facebook Marketplace. I did once inadvertently purchase a black argyll with silver buttons from an offshore vendor from EBay, it was for my Nephew's wedding, when it got here it was not made from Barathea but rather some form of polyester the cut was bad one sleeve wider than the other etc. I sent it back and ordered another from another EBay seller based in Glasgow and was happy with the purchase.

Here are a few photos:

$40 from this forum, not sure of the date of this jacket but think sometime in the 1980's or so.


This one was purchased from a friend from Facebook for I think $100 but it is from 1931 and came with providence in the form of a photo of the original owner wearing it an a note from his daughter. It was a bespoke garment and it fits like it was made for me.



This set I found at a local tartan shop for sale for I think $250 or so, it is in a different size than my other jackets as I lost some weight and have gone from a 42 down to a 38, so it is the only one that truly fits at the moment, purchased for a dear friends wedding this past summer.


A bespoke tartan kilt suit worth every penny so much so that I cannot remember the price tag jacket and waistcoat by a local company, kilt by Barb Tewksbury.


This set dates to 1894 I found it on Facebook Marketplace and am very proud to be the custodian of such a piece, with something like this I feel I am but a small part of the history of the garment.


There are other examples but my point it purchase the best you can afford and you will not be disappointed, go for a reputable vendor who will stand behind their products and you will get years of wear from them, even passing them down as family heirlooms.

[KnittedReenactor]

True words. I have been following and inspired by many here, including several who responded- thank you.
I do enjoy vintage (should, considering my name) but trying to find vintage or simply used highland wear I can use is difficult. I can't find it locally in my thift and goodwill stores, and the only ones I can find on Ebay are impossibly small for my frame or ex-hire prince charlies. I do not plan on attending gala events.
I would follow Tomo's source, but every time I try purchasing online outside the US, my card is declining, flagged and locked down until I call to reset it; even through multiple tries it fails. The only exception is ebay, because everything is processed in the US. Would I be better off sending an email and having them process my card directly or sending a check?

[Tomo]

Would I be better off sending an email and having them process my card directly or sending a check?

McCalls have an online chat - so you could ask them the question, or contact them by phone or email. They also take payment via PayPal if that helps.

[OC Richard]

That's beautiful, Tomo!

And MacMurdo is dapper as always.

Last time I was in Glasgow I of course visited all the Highland outfitters I could find. I think McCalls, MacGregor and MacDuff, not sure what all.

In one of them were the most lovely tweed kilt jackets, Lovat with a claret overcheck (what we in the USA call Windowpane). I really wanted one but the price was quite steep- as I recall they would have been around 800 dollars US for jacket and waistcoat.

I scrounge Ebay for vintage jackets my size- US 50R- which come up very rarely.

I see dozens, hundreds, of lovely tweed kilt jackets in 38 for every one in 50R (oh there are plenty in 50S).

Nevertheless I wear only high-quality Scottish-made vintage jackets, like this one, got on Ebay for around $100.



The thing about Pakistani jackets is that there's quite a range in cut and quality. Just last year at one of our Highland Games a booth (from an Edinburgh shop) had an entire rack of nice-looking tweed kilt jackets for $100, which on close inspection were obviously Pakistani-made. Their cut was traditional, and when I tried one on the fit was perfectly acceptable (to me anyhow, I'm not persnickety about fit). The tweed felt pretty good, obviously not UK woven tweed but not the shoddy tweed one sometimes sees with Pakistani jackets.

With the Pakistani jackets you really need to feel the fabric and try them on to tell. With UK-made jackets you know that the fabric and tailoring will be good.

Now what does a "real Scottish-made kilt jacket" look like? Let's see.

Here's one by Andrew Douglas. Note the high points at the back of the Argyll cuffs. (Too bad they buttoned the bottom button, which spoils the cut of the jacket front.)



Here you get a better idea of the cut of the front of a proper Scottish-made kilt jacket



Now here's one being sold by a firm in Pakistan, not too off, but notice that the front is cut like an ordinary suit jacket.

Also note the odd way the tops of the sleeves meet the jacket shoulder seams. I have seen this on a great many Pakistani kilt jackets, while UK-made jackets have normal looking shoulders, seen in the Scottish-made jackets above.



From another Pakistani firm, a true horror show. The cut is strange in several ways.



Take note of those distinctive Pakistani features; you will see them sold by UK firms, sometimes implying that they're UK-made, sometimes baldly stating that they're UK-made.