So what did they call this jacket?

[slohairt]

I think we need to remember that "off the peg" jackets with a standardized description name for a particular style is a modern idea. In those days, bespoke jackets were the norm,or an adaptation of a second hand jacket that came into the hands of the piper's family. In those days,don't forget, every home would have a more than average seamstress on hand as a matter of necessity,so an individual styled jacket was almost inevitable.

Very true, Jock. Even in fairly recent times there was still a lot of variation within one jacket 'style'. I have a Regulation Doublet that is 41 years old and, while the basic construction is similar, it is very different from the Regulation Doublets I sell in my business. It was a bespoke item made for an individual by a (now-defunct) tailoring firm in Toronto. The faded tag on the inside pocket still has all of his pertinent information. It's an interesting doublet, as I don't know which of the features were typical of the tailor's products or if they were just personal preferences on the part of the original owner.

[HarborSpringsPiper]

Very true, Jock. Even in fairly recent times there was still a lot of variation within one jacket 'style'. I have a Regulation Doublet that is 41 years old and, while the basic construction is similar, it is very different from the Regulation Doublets I sell in my business. It was a bespoke item made for an individual by a (now-defunct) tailoring firm in Toronto. The faded tag on the inside pocket still has all of his pertinent information. It's an interesting doublet, as I don't know which of the features were typical of the tailor's products or if they were just personal preferences on the part of the original owner.

If you had a chance to post a pic of it, I for one would be interested in seeing it. The pictures of the RegDoubs I see offered on the internet look more like it has evolved into a PC with Inverness flaps/taches tacked on the front, though they do have the Argyll cuff. I might feel differently if I saw one close-up, but that is what the pics convey to me. Older varieties I have seen looked much more distinctive.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

One thing that I have noticed is that today's Regulation doublets do not button in front, or else they are held closed with two small buttons attached by a short link, the diagonal rows of three buttons on either side (as found on the Prince Charlie) seem to have replaced the three functioning buttons that used to be in the front of the Regulation doublet in examples back to the 1950's and earlier.

I don't believe the buttons on regulation doublets are intended to actually button, despite the presence of button holes on the opposite side of the jacket. Looking at a number of photos and illustrations from the period 1900-present day, I can't find a single example of the jacket closing. Just as a tails coat is intended to be worn open, so it seems that the dress Argyll, the Regulation Doublet, and the Prince Charlie coatee are also intended to be worn open.