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.

[gsmacleod]

Last year I picked up a vintage light-weight jacket; it is much lighter than any of my tweeds and closer to the weight of some of my lighter weight sport coats. The one time I wore it this summer it was very comfortable and it'll probably be my summer go to.

Obviously as a vintage item, I can't point you toward a source but they are out there so if you have some time to search, perhaps you can find one as well.



Shane

[Tobus]

About 8 years ago, there was a brief fad where tropical weight linen kilt jackets were being talked about. Matt Newsome, who was with the Scottish Tartans Museum at the time, was offering them. To my knowledge, they are not available through that source any longer. But you might want to poke around on the internet and search for linen kilt jackets to see if anyone else is making them. I thought I saw someone doing it recently, but can't remember where.

Of course, the problem with linen is that it wrinkles and creases so easily, and looks disheveled in no time. But as an alternative to wool in hot climes, the reviews seemed to agree that it was very comfortable.

[OC Richard]

I know in the Western Wear world and in the reproduction historical costume world (Renaissance, Victorian) cotton is often used for waistcoats and jackets because it's less expensive and cooler than wool, yet can have a substantial look.

Here's a "brushed cotton" frock coat and waistcoat

https://www.historicalemporium.com/store/004802.php

It's not bad about wrinkling.

I would think that a Highland jacket maker could make one for you. I don't know if it would be any cooler than Barathea.

[Pleater]

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