Yet Another Jacket Thread

**ForresterModern** · 18th March 09, 06:14 AM

Originally Posted by Kilted Rogue

Very True on that note, and that is what lead me to ask this question.

my wife always tells me that the fabrics have to match, or it doesnt look "right"

While it is generally true that most wives have more fashion sense and color sense than most husbands (you can substitute girlfriends and boyfriends) that is not always true. I buy all my own clothes, match the colors myself and am complemented regularly on my style choices. My wife can't go shopping without me to give her advice and find the right fit and colors for her (this goes back to my college days where all my girlfriends girlfriends insisted I go shopping with them to act as their fashion consultant), and as such her advice for me in the morning is limited to a second look in the mirror by me only when she turns to vomit in the garbage can. She is not too bad recognizing bad choices by other men but it just does not work for her on me. Then again, I am the kind of person who can see a tie in one shop, a shirt in another, pants in a third, and a jacket in a fourth, and without ever seeing them all together beside one another pretty much match up a nice outfit---just have that natural color and texture sense.

Don't forget that sometimes mixing textures can be very nice, especially if the pieces are near each other in color tones. Look at people like Mel Gibson and Michael Douglas in their choices of all greys or blacks but different fabric texture mixes, maybe with one piece having an accent color of a subtle nature (a stripe or check). Tweed goes well with corduroy as long as both are not busy, wool and linen can coexist quite well in the right setting.

Nice thing about the kilt is you can either choose to work it into the color scheme of your outfit (or rather bulid your outfit around the colors in the kilt) or you can go with basic multipurpos colors like black, grey, white, cream and sometimes even Navy blue and they will work with almost any tartan (well usually) if you keep the accoutrements simple and basic. Busy rarely works with busy, unless that is your intent---i.e., tartan kilt, matching tartan jacket and waistcoat cut on the bias, matching tartan tie and tartan hose---to some of us (read me) a bit of an over the top look, escpecially when most believe the kilt shoud be the center of attention in your outfit.

Haunt the gallery for pictures of other folks to see what you think looks good. Take style cues from MacMurdo and Panache who have distinct and bold but restrained styles, or Hamish who has a more sedate autumnal palate. Expecially look at the many wedding photos for reasonably accurate dress styles (escept for maybe the white hose).

Really look at the colors in your tartan, not just the basic undercheck (thanks Barb for the lesson) but also each and everyone of the overchecks, as a nice accent color may make itself available to you to add that dash of flair (I have a subtle yellow stripe in my FM family tartan kilt that I sometimes like to pick up in the flashes when the rest of my outfit is the predominant red or green of the basic tartan---I matched tan shirt and hose with the bolder colors of the Isle of Skye but it worked becasue the tan was in there, albeit in a fairly sublte fashion). Tries things once, either at home in front of the mirror or out in public, if your level of boldness allows it, and see what it looks like in all different lightings and situations. You might even try keeping track with notws of things that seem to work well together so you can refer back to them at a later date for a repeat performance.

Lastly, I cannot stress enough each person finding their own color palate that suits their complexion, personality, and overall style, as this helps guide you in what general direction to go looking for things that will suit your personal style best. Generally they fall into four categories known as the seasons: Spring (think lots of pastels and easter egg colors with white as your base and other colors like navy blue or light grey as additional bases), Summer (bold reds and royal blues and kelly greens, again generally with a white, navy blue, and sometimes black base), Fall (think Annie Hall with browns, tans, rusts greys, medium olives, ochres with a tan or olive or grey or cream or medium to dark bronw base), and Winter (me)(think blacks, greys, dark olives with hard contrasts to creams, whites, various medium to dark blues, even very dark browns, with the occasional summer color only as a subtle accent). As a Winter you would almost never find me in either a Madras jacket or an easter egg color shirt, unless it was fairly subdued under my other winter color base. (today I am dressed in all black except for a little white accent at the edges of my sleeves and collars).

Sorry for the prolonged style lesson, probaby uninvited and overblown. Maybe somebody learned something useful from my diatribe, though.

**mouse 1** · 22nd March 09, 07:51 AM

I am on order for an Eaton jacket from Uniformalwearhouse.com. I may match a vest to the most predominant color in the tartan of the kilt I am intending on wearing to an event. If i am wearing a jacket to the pub, or just out and about a smart tee shirt works just as well! My barlyjuice tee looks sharp under a formal jacket!

**JSFMACLJR** · 22nd March 09, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by mouse 1

I am on order for an Eaton jacket from Uniformalwearhouse.com. I may match a vest to the most predominant color in the tartan of the kilt I am intending on wearing to an event. If i am wearing a jacket to the pub, or just out and about a smart tee shirt works just as well! My barlyjuice tee looks sharp under a formal jacket!

Do these shops really call the jacket an "Eaton jacket?" Surely the jacket is an ETON jacket, named after the coats worn by the boys of King's College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor, AKA Eton College. I do not think the jacket is named after the great Canadian family.

Cheers,
Sandford MacLean