Gaelic Themes Tweed Jacket

[John Miner]

Hey all,

I've had my eye on one of these for a long time and I'm thinking about biting the bullet. I think they look really sharp. Does anyone have a tweed jacket by Gaelic Themes? I'm wondering how much movement they have for comfortable (ish) playing.

https://www.hendersongroupltd.com/product/braemar-style-lomond-blue-tweed-jacket-vest/

Thanks!
John

[William McKenzie]

I do actually, Lomond Blue tweed in the "Piper's Cut" (Piper's Flex) from GT, with a waistcoat. I worked with USA Kilts this time around and had a really, really good experience.

• There is an additional charge from GT to order a Piper's Flex jacket in a different material other than their intended specialty flexible Barathea wool. I believe it is around +$70US. I was totally fine with this to have the proper playing cut and movement/look given the amount of money and years I will have it.
• If the jacket is well fitted (see next points) the movement is sort of what you'd expect from a normal Piper's Flex. I can move around decently, don't feel any appreciable restriction for piping per se, but the tweed is thick (as you'd expect compared to the regular, much thinner black Barathea wool). If I lift my arms out to the sides or straight out in front of me and/or arch over as if making a rowing motion or picking up a child then I can feel the back and shoulders get tight. This is where the specialty Barathea wool back panels of the Piper Flex jacket flex/give. Obviously tweed does not stretch. It's still a comfortable, feature hugging tailored jacket.
• I went to a tailor familiar with mens jackets before ordering to ensure I took the measurements exactly as GT and USA Kilts described and suggested. I also went back and forth with USA Kilts during and afterward to ensure it would be the correct fit and made any changes they suggested (such as upsizing, longer sleeves, etc). Years ago when I ordered my first jacket, a true Piper's Flex jacket, I went to a general seamstress who followed the GT directions but wasn't sure about allowances etc. Despite doing the upsizing as suggested by GT it was still not sized correctly and never fit well. It was a huge disappointment. I was determined to do this correctly given the time and money.
• The jacket and waistcoat still require some tailoring (unless you are very lucky). Once mine arrived 2 months later overall it felt good but the sleeve diameters are large and hang down, the sleeve lengths come in increments which I had ordered on the longer side to be conservative and what USA Kilts had suggested after hearing my concerns. The same tailor that measured me then remeasured me with the jacket now on and pinned areas as necessary. The diameter was taken in at the wrists and armpits, the sleeves slightly shortened to fall just above my first thumb joint. Again I was fine with this since the initial measurements get it in the ballpark and I knew I would have this jacket for years plus want to be completely comfortable. This tailoring made piping easier because it fitted the jacket more around my waist/chest area (pulled in the back seem in parts) while also taking away excess fabric on the sleeves. Before the tailoring you couldn't see daylight between my body and my arms hanging down, afterward it was more of an hourglass shape and space for my pipe bag. Much better.

[John Miner]

What a detailed and helpful response. Thank you!

[pancelticpiper]

I have on order a tweed jacket from the St Kilda Store which I believe is the same maker.

Here's the page I ordered my jacket from Standard Size Patterned Tweed Kilt Jacket (stkildastore.com)

I looked first at the USA Kilts offerings (which I believe are the same maker) but the St Kilda Store offers a much wider variety of tweeds.

That St Kilda Store "patterned tweed jacket" page gives fairly complete list of the Marton Mills tweeds, which you can see here

7648 - Marton Mills

I reached out to USA Kilts and Marton Mills for swatches, here is what I got. The top centre one is from USA Kilts, the rest I got direct from Marton Mills.

Upper left: CHE 120 Dunlin Coffee. Soft brown-taupe. In my opinion the nicest of the brown tweeds.

Upper centre: CGE 121 Heath Coffee. Soft neutral Lovat green-moss.

Upper right: CGE 158 Heath Bog. Muted Lovat-grey similar to Feldgrau.

Lower left: CGE 147 Plover. Lovely neutral Lovat-brown-grey, it goes beautifully with any tartan, the most flexible of these tweeds.

Lower centre: CHE 256 Evergreen & Redstart. Complex neutral darkish brown with flecks of green, rust, and Lovat.

Lower right: CHE 254 Lovat & Antique. Complex brownish olive green with rust and Lovat flecks, subtle herringbone weave.

[pancelticpiper]

When I got the actual swatches in my hands and examined them in natural light and under artificial indoor light I could see that the images on the Marton Mills site (linked to above) were accurate or very close, while the images on the USA Kilts site were not accurate.

You can see that even here the swatches look different from photo to photo.

In any case here are the swatches laid against my Hunting Stewart Weathered tweed (Marton Mills) kilt



and against my Isle Of Skye kilt

[burp birl]

I ordered a custom made Piper's Flex directly from Gaelic Themes and couldn't be more pleased with communication, service and fit. I had a co-worker measure me. I did have to be patient time-wise but it worked out positively. I tried going through USA Kilts and ??? (I forget) for a custom fit but they're 'custom fit' is for you to pick box for the generic 'small, regular, large' for the sleeve length which didn't work for me at all and they certainly didn't express an interest in custom ordering to my measurements!

A longtime professional alterations seamstress friend of mine looked at what would be involved in 'tailoring the arm length' to fit me and she said it's best to have them custom make it as it is very involved and would be quite pricey to have done after it was made.
Jenni

[pancelticpiper]

My Gaelic Themes bespoke tweed Argyll jacket just arrived!

I couldn't be more pleased.

It's always a bit risky not being able to try on a jacket before you buy it, but the fit is perfection. I ordered the "piper's cut" jacket that has the arm-holes more rounded, less the long oval of business suits, which restricts your arms' range of motion. With the piper's cut you can put the bag up into your armpit, and raise your arms as tenor drummers and drum majors need to do.

I ordered the Marton Mills Multicheck tweed, which in the finished jacket looks much nicer than I could have imagined.



I haven't had the chance to wear the jacket, but here it is laid out with my three kilts
L-R:

1) Hunting Stewart Weathered tweed 16oz (Marton Mills)

2) Isle Of Skye 16oz (Lochcarron)

3) Drummond Of Perth Muted 13oz (House Of Edgar)

[William McKenzie]

Looking good Richard, like the swatches too.