Velvet Argyll jackets

[OC Richard]

Wowza.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mens-Velvet...p2056016.l4276



What does The Rabble think?

Apropos of the discussion of bow tie material, I don't see how you could avoid wearing a big matching velvet bow tie with one of these.

For comparison, here are vintage photos showing velvet doublets:







Not sure whether this is a doublet or an Argyll

[davidlpope]

Richard,

I'm thinking of having a velvet Argyll made up. My plan is to have bias-cut tartan waistcoats to wear with it, but intend to wear a silk or grosgrain tie. I can't imagine wearing a velvet bow tie. How would one tie such a thing?

David

[Jock Scot]

Personally, I would avoid a matching velvet bow tie at all costs. A Black tie(preferably not velvet) with a white shirt would be a classic contrast.

[McMurdo]

I wear a silk self tie bow tie with my velvet doublet. Hard to see here though.

[Pleater]

Richard,

I'm thinking of having a velvet Argyll made up. My plan is to have bias-cut tartan waistcoats to wear with it, but intend to wear a silk or grosgrain tie. I can't imagine wearing a velvet bow tie. How would one tie such a thing?

David

A velvet bow tie is usually one of the permanently made up sort, with a band which clips together inside the back of the bow - and the band is not velvet - I have to confess to owning such a thing in a slightly over the top size, and would not consider it manly in my own social circle - but of course these things differ according to place.

Do velvet doublets have silk lapels? All the more reason for a proper silk or similar fabric bow tie, I'd think.

[MacCathmhaoil]

I have both a black velvet Argyll as well as a black velvet Balmoral doublet and I always wear a silk self tie bow tie. I’m not a fan of the pre-tied bow ties and personally I think the velvet bow ties look a bit off, at least to my eye.

[KD Burke]

I have a red velvet Sherriffmuir doublet that I wish I had more occasion to wear! A trifle warm for Florida....
Sherriffmuir.jpg

[OC Richard]

Cool to see velvet jackets being worn nowadays!

Do you get slippage if you're wearing the velvet Sheriffmuir and using a velvet bag-cover?

Actually it's odd about the velvet bag-covers, I've played them for 40 years and never had a problem with them slipping.

Then a few years ago I got a velvet bag-cover with the Dycem patches, but when I debuted it at a wedding gig I could barely play my pipes! It was the first time I had a bag constantly slipping down. I never wore that cover again.

[Pleater]

Persons of a sensitive disposition might wish to avoid reading this description.

The oversized velvet bow tie was worn with a burgundy satin blouse and patent leather burgundy boots, and a green velvet suit - formerly a trouser suit but the trousers had been damaged in the shop, by someone walking past with a cigarette. I got it for very little money and made the trousers into knee length britches, added gold braid (sorry) made a cap from one of the cut off bits and wore it on stage for quite a long time.
As the boots had platform soles and six inch heels I was almost 6ft tall.
That would have been in the early 70s - when I had a 24 inch waist and could sit on my hair if it was loose.

Only this last Thursday at the Morris side Christmas meet, I wore a gown of dark green crushed velvet and added crimson ribbons - and sang as well as played the music. Why break the habit of a lifetime?

[kingandrew]

A velvet bow tie is usually one of the permanently made up sort, with a band which clips together inside the back of the bow - and the band is not velvet - I have to confess to owning such a thing in a slightly over the top size, and would not consider it manly in my own social circle - but of course these things differ according to place.

When I was a child, in the 1970s, the super-sized velvet pre-tied bow was an all too popular item of evening wear, often paired with a powder blue polyester tuxedo jacket featuring truly massive lapels and formal trousers of the same garish material (with flared legs). The ensemble would be completed with a ruffled shirt, with a gigantic collar that was thought to "balance" the double-wide lapels and clown-size tie. Prom pictures from the era memorialize this unfortunate look.

It's just one more reason I am glad that the era of Watergate and disco is behind us.

The black bow tie I wear on formal occasions is the same silk self-tie one I've had since my own prom in the 1980s, although it was an older item I bought at a vintage shop then.

I like the idea of velvet jackets, especially for evening wear. I am not so sure about the matching vest and definitely skeptical of the low price for a brand-new item. It would be more believable for a pre-owned jacket, perhaps ex-hire or discovered in Grandpa's attic.

Andrew