uber formal on the cheap: dollar by dollar

[beerbecue]

Alan,

How did you get the buttons to lie/sit right on the coat?... The shank is pretty long on these PC buttons.....

[I M Kilted!]

Wow!

I really like the ideas! If I had known about this a week ago, I would have worn something like that for prom. Nice wool kilt navy blue hose, matching tartan flashes, matching tartan tie, white shirt with cufflinks, black sporran, black shoes, navy blue 5-button vest and Customized Eton jacket..wow! It would be great!

Now I dont need to spen $150.00 for a kilt rental, I can spend $80.00 and I get to keep all the stuff for another event!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Thanks!

[bangkok kilt]

Alan, fantastic advice. I've been wanting a good jacket, and now I know I can get the formal look done cheap.

Any hints on doing a tweed jacket on the cheap?

[Panache]

Alan, fantastic advice. I've been wanting a good jacket, and now I know I can get the formal look done cheap.

Any hints on doing a tweed jacket on the cheap?

Alan has a whole thread and a link to his website on how to modify a men's jacket into a kilt jacket. It's in the kilt accessories forum. I really love tweed but new tweed kilt jackets are twice as expensive as a regular cut one. I used Alan's information and had a tailor modify a tweed jacket I already had. It cost me $85. I was happy to have a kilt jacket at less than 1/4 the price of a new one.

Cheers

[bangkok kilt]

Thanks Panache, I'll check it out.

[Alan H]

Alan,

How did you get the buttons to lie/sit right on the coat?... The shank is pretty long on these PC buttons.....

I let my button flop a bit, because they were inexpensive and I didn't want to mash, em, but if your buttons are pewter with wire shanks, the put a rag or something on the top of the button to protect it (maybe 2-3 thicknesses?) and then smoosh the shank a little bit smaller/flatter with pliars.

If they're cast-in shanks, then you're stuck.

[switchblade5984]

do we have any pics yet?

[beerbecue]

I guess I should take some pictures...

Anyway, I had posted elsewhere that I made some ultra-cheap button fixtures to hold my PC buttons flat on my jacket...

A washer made of posterboard, and a cotter pin made from a paper clip...

Just make some buttonholes, sew the edges, and affix the buttons from the inside..

Didn't catch on my clothes at all and the buttons stay put very well. Nice thing is I can remove them from this jacket, wash the jacket sans buttons, use them on a different jacket, change button sizes... all kinds of possibilities...

A word from one supplier of buttons said that many people use little brass cotter pins that you can buy at Ace or other Hardware places....

I will post pictures once I find a place to host them.....

[Scott Gilmore]

This is a great thread. Thanks Alan for posting complete information. Looking forward to pictures, beerbecue.

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Beerbecue, check out Photobucket. Free, easy to use, and you can easily link your pics to here, or anyplace for that matter. I keep all my pics there now.