daywear jacket preferences

[CMcG]

CMcG, what you might try to find is a three piece suit that has lost its trousers, such as this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mens-M-Blue-Gray...item19c077e413


You may have to do some tailoring beyond the usual shortening, but do remember, a short suit coat might well be long enough in the sleeves and how much you chop off the skirt may be irrelevant. For some reason, short suits tend to prevail. I tried searching on eBay for harris tweed suit ( jacket, waistcoat) and searching the descriptions... If you are really lucky, you might be able to have a waistcoat made from the yardage of the trousers.

MacLl,

Perhaps I'm misreading you here but are you suggesting that with a suitably short jacket, one might not need to cut the bottom of it? That's an interesting proposition...

I can understand why people convert Saxon jackets but, in my eyes, the look of an altered jacket is rarely right. It seems like the whole bottom of the jacket, the pockets, and the body would need to be re-built in order to make it work. Too often, converted jackets look like someone just hacked the bottom off. Major alterations are pricey, however, and might obviate any savings over just buying a kilt jacket!

And no, I'm not much of a tailor myself

Maybe something like what fellow Xmarker Paul is wearing in a pic he shared with us?


Or like the jacket that the gentleman on the second from the right is wearing in this picture?

[Mike_Oettle]

Well, I’m not so sure about the jacket on the gent second from right, but I like his waistcoat (vest)!
And as for the gentleman in the blue shirt and blue tie, he is always well dressed in a kilt!
Regards,
Mike

[BruceBC]

I like the look of unaltered old tweed jackets for casual daywear. The home page of 21st century kilts has a great example of the look.

[Snowbear]

I only have two jackets for day wear. One argyll, and one crail. The crail jacket is a bit tight fit now, but the argyll is looser in order to play the pipes more relaxed. I don't use waistcoat a lot for a non-formal occasion.

Black argyll, and green crail. Good to have something to change between.

All my jackets are off the rack. It is a bit loose around the waist, and have good fit around my shoulders. I'm not A4, and my shoulders are bigger than my waist compared to the "standard". Still it fits really well, so I don't have to get a made-to-measure jacket yet.

[Danwell]

Or like the jacket that the gentleman on the second from the right is wearing in this picture?

Speaking of non-matching........have a look at the guy to the Duke's right! It kind of looks like he fell into his closet and wore whatever stuck!

[Jock Scot]

Speaking of non-matching........have a look at the guy to the Duke's right! It kind of looks like he fell into his closet and wore whatever stuck!

That "guy" is the Duke of Argyll and yes, that is what we Scots do when choosing our attire!

[Vegan Scot]

That "guy" is the Duke of Argyll and yes, that is what we Scots do when choosing our attire!

And best comment of the day goes to...

[Danwell]

I don't think he could possible have made everything match less even if he tried........yet it looks good!

[Mike_Oettle]

Danwell wrote: “I don't think he could possible have made everything match less even if he tried . . . yet it looks good!”

Ye-e-ess, apart from the fact that he is wearing a yellow tie. It actually contrasts fairly well with the blue shirt, but yellow (or gold) ties often seem to be worn without any thought for their actual contribution to an outfit as a whole.
The only yellow tie I possess is one in Jacobite tartan.
Regards,
Mike

[MacLowlife]

The reason the D of A's outfit does match is because he has presumed certain elements will be neutral and go with anything- the way a white shirt does in the US and the way a small patterned blue and white shirt has come to be considered in some circles- you know, the guy in the houndstooth jacket with the blue checked shirt and the patterned tie...

I have seen the Duke wearing pink socks, so I believe he just likes contrast from his hose, rather than a match.

Back to the jackets...Top of the collar to hem on an argyll jacket seems to be around 26 inches (66cm?) in my size ( 40-42R) and the same measurement on a Saxon jacket runs about 31 or 32 inches. Granted, simply chopping off 5 or 6 inches is going to give you a coat whose pocket flaps seem "off". BUT, if you start with a jacket whose length is 29 inches, like the vintage tartan sportjacket I recently got on eBay, you are talking about chopping two or three inches. I do not advocate wearing the 29 inch jacket with a kilt as is, though it would look three inches better than the 32 inch one, but I think it might more easily be altered at the hem. And quite often, there is room enough in the sleeves to let them down, if you find them to be correspondingly short.

Surprisingly, they aren't always.

For my money, the trick of sportjacket conversion is to remove the pocket flaps and re-install them a little higher, whether or not you raise the actual pockets underneath. Of course, you can only raise them so much, but they can easily come up an inch without revealing the pocket below. THERE lies the proportion trick that makes some converted jackets seem "off". If you happen on a jacket with patch pockets, the process is easier, as described in many other threads.

Speaking of neutrality, my favorite conversion started with a Swiss wool uniform tunic- it is a perfect grey-green color and has four pocket flaps and four buttons, but no cutaway in the front. These jackets used to be available from The Sportsman's Guide for about $5. As a uniform jacket, it is slightly shorter than a Saxon sportcoat, but probably not short enough to wear with the kilt as-is. However, cutting the hem and making a sporran cutaway does not require moving the pocket flaps because they are just that inch or so higher already. You do have to swap a few buttons and remove some metal belt hangers. Stag buttons or leather knots make it the perfect wooly day jacket, but mine seems to have shrunk through the waist...