Kilt jackets?

[MacLowlife]

Hi Frank,

As the song says, there are two paths you can go by, but there's still time to change the road you're on...

If you are adventurous or skillful ( or best, both) you can shorten a jacket yourself. If you have money to spend, you can have someone else do it. If you start and feel overwhelmed, you can take it to somebody- or send it.

I believe the best conversions start with 3 button jackets, not so much because you can chop off one button's worth of length, but because the "gorge" (i.e, the part that is open above the buttons) is higher on most 3 button jackets. On some lightly constructed jackets ( those with less firm shaping and innerfacing) it may be possible to add a button above the others and re-shapoe the lapels. That sounds like something you'd need to ask your tailor about.

Search on the forum for "conversion" threads, many of which will show you step by step processes. Here is just one:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...buttons-68720/

In the end, what you get will depend on what you want- and what you want will depend on what you know. Read a lot, look at a lot of pictures, and be sure to consider what you want to do with the pockets, the vent(s) and the cuffs. I believe many men start out wearing dark solid jackets and over many years, come to enjoy wearing patterned jackets with tartan kilts.

One advantage to having more than one jacket to work with: after you have done one and learned how, you have another one to do, avoiding the first round of mistakes. Of course, if you are like me, you will find a second round of mistakes to make.