Jacket material

[Randycan]

I live in East Texas, and the weather is usually pretty warm. It's early October and the weather will soon be cooling off.
My question is this:
What jacket material would I need for climates that are not as cold as say, Colorado or Kansas weather?
I would want a jacket that is like my suit jacket, wearable year round.

What say you?

Thanks!

[ctbuchanan]

If you mean to wear with your kilt? You can pretty much pick up a sport jacket in any material (from a thrift store or new) and have it tailored to wear with the kilt. That's what I do.

[Randycan]

If you mean to wear with your kilt? You can pretty much pick up a sport jacket in any material (from a thrift store or new) and have it tailored to wear with the kilt. That's what I do.

That's a thought, but I don't think there is anyone in my area that would have a clue as to what kilt jackets should look like.

[ctbuchanan]

If you own a kilt jacket you could probably take it with you to any good tailor and they could figure it out. If not perhaps a good set of photos front and back would work as well. A good professional tailor should have no problem getting it sorted. Just be aware that the pockets won't be exactly right and avoid patch pockets entirely.
Oh, and my tailor wants me in my kilt to make sure the length is right so take that along as well.

I am lucky to have a good tailor from India who is very familiar with highland wear.

[ShaunMaxwell]

Randycan:

I live in Cypress, Texas (the west-most suburbs of Houston), so from a temperature perspective you and I are in pretty much the same boat.

I have one charcoal "Crail" jacket/waistcoat that's very similar in weight to a standard "spring weight" suit jacket, and the rest of my jackets are tweeds. Though the tweeds are a bit heavier, if it's cool enough to be comfortable in a jacket, then I don't notice much difference. Truth be told, my Crail is the jacket that's least likely to be worn, as it's the most subdued and least interesting in terms of color/texture. It also seems a little dressy for day wear but not quite dressy enough for a more formal function. I find that a tweed jacket is suitable for most occasions.

If you're wanting a single jacket for all purposes, I suppose you could get a black Argyll Barathea jacket with silver buttons if you anticipate wearing it for black tie events as well, or a "Crail" (the name varies by vendor) if a suit equivalent jacket would suffice.

Here's an example of an Argyll (left) compared with a Crail (right) from the House of Edgar website:



As the temperatures seem to fluctuate greatly from year to year, it's hard to know when you might have occasion to wear a jacket at an outdoor event in Texas. I generally wear jackets to the Salado Clan Gathering in November, but not always! Last year was quite chilly, so I was thankful for the heavier tweeds. In fact, in the last couple of years, I've had several chances to wear jackets at Spring events as well. You know how the weather is around here...

If I were you — unless you're hard to fit — I'd keep an eye on used kilt jackets for sale on eBay. I've gotten almost all of my jackets there for a fraction of what it would have cost otherwise. (Send me a PM with your measurements and I'll keep an eye out for you.)

You could have a blazer/suit jacket cut down for use as a kilt jacket, but very often it's obvious that it's a conversion, as the pockets are too low, etc. A skillful tailor with the right jacket can pull it off, but for the same money you could probably purchase a proper kilt jacket.

I'm sure others with a great deal more experience and knowledge than I possess will chime in with their thoughts.

Curious to see what you end up with!

Cheers,

SM

[OC Richard]

I second the recommendation for Barathea.

It tends to be much cooler than tweed, for Highland jackets.

Somebody might ask "why wear a jacket when it's too warm? Why not just wear a waistcoat?"

For me, it's because I'm a piper and when somebody hires me to play at their wedding or funeral I feel I ought to look the part, which means wearing a jacket. I wear a Barathea jacket without waistcoat (which adds an unnecessary layer).

By the way, Barathea can be had in many colours including dark blue, dark green, light grey, etc so you're not limited to black.

When I'm not performing on the pipes, but in Highland Dress, in warmer weather I do away with the jacket and just wear a waistcoat.

About cutting down an ordinary "Saxon" jacket to create a Highland jacket, that's fine, but I myself prefer the look of actual Highland jackets. Almost never does a cut-down Saxon jacket not stand out for what it is.

[Pleater]

Well - your average Scottish granny would just advise wearing the same jacket but donning a vest (singlet) in cooler temperatures....

[Nemuragh]

Well - your average Scottish granny would just advise wearing the same jacket but donning a vest (singlet) in cooler temperatures....

Or a ‘semmit’

[Highland Logan]

Here's a question on jacket material. What is the thought on doeskin for formal jackets/doublets?

Frank

[kingandrew]

In China, I have had access to very affordable tailors. Although my Beijing tailor knew nothing of Highland wear, I had her make me a couple of Argyll-style jackets, using photos I printed off the internet as references. I used a waist-length "varsity" jacket I have as a length reference and had her measure me wearing my kilt.

The results look perfectly respectable. One jacket, which has a matching vest, is in brown herringbone tweed. The other jacket is kelly green cotton shirt fabric, unlined to keep it as cool as possible. While the herringbone jacket is warm in even Beijing winter conditions, the cotton jacket is comfortable in humid summer weather. Our climate outside Hong Kong is comparable to South Florida, so pretty similar to the Texas coast.

I later found an actual Highland tailor in Hong Kong (Yuen Tailors), who used to make items for the Highland regiments posted there. They made me a jacket and vest in a "summer-weight" tweed, which also works in warm weather. Although the jacket from Yuen is certainly more detailed than my Beijing jackets, all 3 of them look close enough that only another tailor is likely to notice much difference.

So, in my experience, a lightweight wool can work in hot, humid weather, but a lightweight cotton may be even better. I think the idea of linen, or perhaps a linen/silk blend, would also do well if you can find it.

Andrew