Piper Attire Question

[ridir]

Is it acceptable for a piper to wear just a fly plaid with a jacket? Or is it best to stick with either a full piper's plaid and doublet, or no plaid at all?

[JPS]

What's the context? There are levels of formality to take into account. Few occasions call for full no1 dress, assuming a piper even has the necessary elements.

[ridir]

I guess context would be playing in a setting where a jacket (argyll, prince charlie, etc) is necessary, by convention or climate, instead of just a vest and shirt. I realize no1 is typically reserved for memorials, and funerals and the like. Maybe a wedding, as an example?

[EagleJCS]

Speaking as a piper with almost 20 years experience, I wouldn't wear anything to restrict the bag arm (usually the left) or interfere with being able to strike in and cut off cleanly.

Typically, most pipers I know would only wear a plaid of any kind (full, belted or even fly plaid) if they were wearing what the RRS pipe bands call Full Dress (with tunic, full plaid and feather bonnet, etc.). Also, most pipers I know hate wearing the full kit and try to get away with the least amount of kit to deal with.

A full plaid and belted plaid would not look good with a open-fronted jacket like an Argyll or Prince Charlie since the full plaid wraps around the torso and the belted plaid is a lot of material that could drag on the shoulder of the jacket. A fly plaid, if one were to wear one at all, would be the one to wear. That said, these days the fly plaid is a rare beastie, often only seen worn by grooms at their wedding or someone 'gilding the lily', if at all. In my opinion, it should be reserved for the most formal of occasions.

[YOJiMBO20]

I would do the no plaid route.

When I was in high school, my pipe band wore full No. 1 dress with full plaid and feather bonnets for certain events and I hated it. The plaid made me regularly feel like I was gonna drop my bag. Granted that was 15 years ago and I didn’t have the same control of my pipes then as I do now.

I’m not a fan of the look of fly plaids, they just look a bit over the top for me.

[OC Richard]

I'm a piper, been playing since 1975.

If in Evening Dress I would wear no plaid, no dirk, no dirk belt.

In "traditional civilian Highland Dress" these accessories had gone out of fashion by the 1920s.

Here's one of my TCHD Evening outfits:



I wouldn't wear a plaid with Evening Dress or with Day Dress, in civilian attire.

Here are examples of traditional civilian Highland Day Dress (tweed jacket, brown leather sporran, etc)



Back in the 1980s when I had a full military-style civilian outfit yes I wore the long plaid with doublet:

[Patty Logan]

Richard, where did you get your tartan hose?