Scottish dress and kilt
Celts have used checked material for thousands of years. And the Scoti in
particular, who settled from the 5th century and gave the country their name,
are said to have used striped garments to signify rank.
Today tartan has become a key symbol of Scottish Culture and an emblem of
Scottish descent around the world.
It is most notably worn as the kilt, plaids, or other Highland Dress.
The usage of the term
The term
Highland dress describes the traditional dress of Scotlans. It is often characterised by tartan (
plaid in North America) patterns in some form.
Male highland dress includeskilt (trews), sporran, sgian dugh and ghillies. Ghillies,
or ghillie brogues, are traditional thick soled shoes with no tongues
and long laces. The laces are wrapped around and tied above the wearer's
ankles so that the shoes do not get pulled off in mud. The shoes lack
tongues so the wearer's feet can dry more quickly in typically damp
Scottish weather. The ghillie brogue is named after the
ghillie, the traditional Scottish gamekeeper and outdoorsman.
Female highland dress includes women's shoes, also called ghillies,
that are tied in the same way but have thin soles for indoor wear and
dancing. Traditionally, women and girls do not wear kilts but may wear
ankle-length tartan skirts. A tartan sash or shawl may also be worn.
Women may also wear
dress tartans which are modified versions which include white in place of a more prominent colour.
Historical background
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Near the end of the seventeenth century, Martin Marnit gave a description of traditional women's clothing in the Western Islands, the
arisaid with its brooches and buckles.
"The ancient dress wore by the women, and which is yet wore by some of the vulgar, called
arisad, is a white plaid
,
having a few small stripes of black, blue and red; it reached from the
neck to the heels, and was tied before on the breast with a buckle of
silver or brass, according to the quality of the person. I have seen
some of the former of an hundred marks value; it was broad as any
ordinary pewter plate, the whole curiously engraven with animals etc. There was a lesser buckle which was wore in the middle of the larger, and above two ounces weight; it had in the centre a large piece of crystal
or some finer stone, and this was set all around with several finer
stones of a lesser size. The plaid being pleated all round, was tied
with a belt below the breast; the belt was of leather, and several
pieces of silver intermixed with the leather like a chain. The lower end
of the belt has a piece of plate about eight inches long, and three in
breadth, curiously engraven; the end of which was adorned with fine
stones, or pieces of red coral. They wore sleeves of scarlet cloth,
closed at the end as men's vests, with gold lace round them, having
plate buttons with fine stones. The head dress was a fine kerchief of
linen strait (tight) about the head, hanging down the back taper-wise; a
large lock of hair hangs down their cheeks above their breast, the
lower end tied with a knot of ribbands.
Other ideas about the origin
It was in the August of 1822 when what we still refer to as Highland
dress started its move centre stage to become the national dress of
Scotland.
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| http://scottish-weddings.scotclans.com/scottish_weddings/scottish_dress.html |
Before this the Scottish Highland Dress, of course has a long history. The
original covering of the Highland male was the Celtic feile-breacan or belted
plaid. It was a piece of tartan cloth four yards long and two yards wide folded
around the waist and held in position by a belt. The lower part fell to the
knees and the upper part was drawn over the left shoulder leaving the right
arm free for action. In due course the upper and lower parts of the plaid would
be separated, the feile-breacan now becoming the feile-beag and the lower part
with it's folds stitched eventually became the kilt.
The plaid became an item of dress also worn by ladies, as Edmund Bert writing in the 1720s would point out:
' The plaid is the undress of the ladies; and to a genteel woman, who
adjusts it with good air, is a becoming veil. It is made of silk or
fine worsted, chequered with various colours; is brought over the head,
and may hide or discover the face according to the wearer's fancy or
occasion; it reaches the waist behind; one corner falls as low as the
ankle on one side; the other part, in folds, hangs down from the
opposite arm'.
Morning dress
The morning suit version of Highland dress consists of:
- Black (or charcoal) semi-formal kilt jacket in superfine wool or
barathea; Argyll-, Crail-, and Braemar-style jackets are suitable
- Five- or six-button waistcoat in black, grey, putty, or tartan
- Kilt
- White shirt with turndown collar, French cuffs, and cufflinks
- Tie in a single colour
- Black brogues
- Tartan, argyle, diced, or dark hose (white and off-white hose should be avoided)
- Flashes or garter ties
- Day Dress sporran. These have less intricate designs and are often black leather. However a full dress sporran is not considered inappropriate
- Day Dress sgian dubh Again less intricate than a full dress one, these are typically made of horn or antler.
- Dirk
Black tie
- Black barathea jacket with silver buttons—Regulation Doublet, Prince Charlie, Brian Boru, Braemar, Argyll, and black mess jackets are
suitable. There is some contention about whether the Duke of Montrose
and Sheriffmuir doublets are too formal for black-tie occasions.
- Matching or tartan waistcoat
- Kilt
- White shirt with shirt studs, French or barrel cuffs, and a turn-down collar (wing collars are reserved for white tie in most locales)
- Black bow tie or white lace jabot
- Evening dress brouges
- Silk flashes or garter ties
- Dress sporran with silver chain
- Black, silver-mounted Sgian dubh
- Dirk (optional)
- Highland bonnet with crest badge (only suitable out of doors)
White tie
The traditional
white-tie version of Highland dress consists of:
- Formal kilt doublet in barathea or velvet— the regulation doublet,
Montrose doublet, Sheriffmuir doublet, and Kenmore doublet are suitable
in a variety of colours
- Waistcoast in white marcella, tartan (to match the kilt), or the same material as
the doublet; no waistcoat is worn with the Kenmore doublet
- Kilt with formal kilt pin
- White stiff-front shirt with wing collar and white, gold, or silver
studs and cufflinks for the regulation doublet, or a white formal shirt
and optional lace cuffs for the Montrose, Sheriffmuir, and Kenmore
doublets
- White lace jabot;
a black silk or white marcella bow tie may be worn in place of the
jabot with the regulation doublet (highland wear often includes a black
bow tie even at white-tie events)
- Black formal shoes or black buckle brogues
- Tartan
- Silk garter flashes or garter ties
- Silver-mounted Sporran in fur, sealskin, or hair with a silver chain belt
- Black, silver-mounted, and jeweled sqian dubh
- Short belted plaid with silver plaid brooch (optional)
- Scottish dirk (optional)
- Highland bonnet with badge (only worn out of doors)
The tartan
A tartan pattern emerges out of a single list of
coloured threads called a thread count.
Reading a tartan requires a little practice and involves finding two
unique points within the pattern called the
pivots.
Tartans consist of broader bands of colour called the under
check which are often decorated or embellished with narrower lines
of colour called the over
check.
Once the basic possibilities are understood, one can better appreciate
designs that combine and extend the simple ideas. The largest
group of tartan uses the three-colour design of Black Watch as its
basis.
Historical background
Today tartan may be mostly associated with Scotland; however, the
earliest evidence of tartan is found far afield from the British Isles.
According to the textile historian E. J. W. Barber, the
Hallstatt culture
of Central Europe, which is linked with ancient Celtic populations and
flourished between 400 BC to 100 BC, produced tartan-like textiles. Some
of them were recently discovered, remarkably preserved, in
Salzburg, Austria.
. Similar finds have been found in central Europe and Scandinavia.
The earliest documented tartan in Britain, known as the "Falkirk" tartan, dates from the 3rd century AD. It was uncovered at
Falkirk in
Stirlingshire, Scotland, about 400 metres north-west of the
Antonine Wall.
The fragment was stuffed into the mouth of an earthenware pot
containing almost 2,000 Roman coins. The Falkirk tartan has a simple
check design, of natural light and dark wool. Early forms of tartan like
this are thought to have been invented in pre-Roman times, and would
have been popular among the inhabitants of the northern
Roman provinces as well as in other parts of
Northern Europe such as
Jutland, where the same pattern was prevalent.
Tartan as we know it today, is not thought to have existed in
Scotland before the 16th century. By the late 16th century there are
numerous references to striped or checkered plaids.
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For many centuries the patterns were loosely associated with the weavers of a particular area, though it was common for
highlanders to wear a number of different tartans at the same time. A 1587 charter granted to Hector
Maclean of
Duart requires
feu duty on land paid as 60
ells of cloth of white, black and green colours. A witness of the 1689
Battle of Killiecrankie describes "
McDonnell's men in their triple stripes". From 1725 the government force of the
Highland Independent Companies introduced a standardised tartan chosen to avoid association with any particular
clan, and this was formalised when they became the
Black Watch regiment in 1739.
The most effective fighters for
Jacobitism were the supporting
Scottish clans, leading to an association of tartans with the Jacobite cause. Efforts to pacify the Highlands led to the 1746
Dress Act
banning tartans except for the Highland regiments of the British army.
″[I]t was probably their use of it which gave birth to the idea of
differentiating tartan by clans; for as the Highland regiments were
multiplied ... so their tartan uniforms were differentiated."
The Act was repealed in 1782 due to the efforts of the Highland Society of London. William Wilson & Sons of
Bannockburn
became the foremost weaving manufacturer around 1770 as suppliers of
tartan to the military. Wilson corresponded with his agents in the
Highlands to get information and samples of cloth from the clan
districts to enable him to reproduce "perfectly genuine patterns" and
recorded over 200 setts by 1822, many of which were tentatively named.
The
Cockburn Collection of named samples made by Wilsons was put together between 1810 and 1820 and is now in the
Mitchell Library in
Glasgow. At this time many setts were simply numbered, or given fanciful names such as the "
Robin Hood" tartan, not associated with any specific clan.
By the 19th century the Highland romantic revival, inspired by
James Macpherson's
Ossian poems and the writings of
Walter Scott, led to wider interest, with clubs like the
Celtic Society of Edinburgh welcoming Lowlanders. The pageantry invented for the 1822
visit of King George IV to Scotland brought a sudden demand for tartan cloth and made it the
national dress
of the whole of Scotland rather than just the Highlands and Islands,
with the invention of many new clan-specific tartans to suit.
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| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mosman;_John_Campbell_1749.jpg |
The kilt
The
kilt is a knee-length garment with plents at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly. It is most often made of woolen cloth in a tartan pattern.
Although the kilt is most often worn on formal occasions and at Highland games
and sports events, it has also been adapted as an item of fashionable
informal male clothing in recent years, returning to its roots as an
everyday garment.
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The history of the kilt
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The
History of the Kilt stretches back to at least the end of the 16th century. The
kilt first appeared as the belted plaid or
great kilt, a full length garment whose upper half could be worn as a cloak draped over the shoulder, or brought up over head as a cloak. The
small kilt or
walking kilt
(similar to the 'modern' kilt) did not develop until the late 17th or
early 18th century, and is essentially the bottom half of the great
kilt.
The word
kilt comes from the Scots
word
kilt meaning to tuck up the clothes around the body, although the 11th edition of the
Encyclopædia Britannica (vol. 15, p. 798) says the word is Scandinavian in origin. The Scots word derives from the Old Norse
kjalta,
from Norse settlers who wore a similar, pleated garment.
The Great kilt
The
Breacan an Fhéilidh (belted plaid) or
Féileadh Mòr
(great plaid) is likely to have evolved over the course of the 16th
century from the earlier 'brat' or woollen cloak (also known as plaid)
which was worn over a tunic. This earlier cloak or brat may have been
plain in colour or in various check or tartan designs, depending on the
wealth of the wearer; this earlier fashion of clothing had not changed
significantly from that worn by Celtic warriors in Roman times.
Over the course of the 16th century, with the increasing availability
of wool, the cloak had grown to such a size that it began to be
gathered up and belted. The belted kilt
was originally a length of thick woollen cloth made up from two loom
widths sewn together to give a total width of 54 to 60 inches, and up to
7 yards (6.4 m) in length.
For battle it was customary to take off the kilt beforehand and set it aside, the
Highland charge being made wearing only the
léine or war shirt.
The exact age of the great kilt is still under debate. Earlier
carvings or illustrations prior to the 16th century appearing to show
the kilt may show the
léine croich, a knee-length shirt of leather, linen or canvas
,
heavily pleated and sometimes quilted as protection. The earliest
written source that definitely describes the belted plaid or great kilt
comes from 1594.
The great kilt is mostly associated with the Scottish highlands, but
was also used in poor lowland rural areas. Widespread use of this type
of kilt continued into the 19th century, and some still wear it today.
The Small kilt
Sometime in the late 17th or early 18th century the
fèileadh beag,
filibeg, or philabeg (the small kilt) using a single width of cloth
hanging down below the belt came into use and became quite popular
throughout the Highlands and northern Lowlands by 1746, though the great
kilt also continued in use. The small kilt or philabeg is a clear
development from the great kilt, i.e. it is essentially the bottom half
of the great kilt.
.
After the Jacobite campaign of 1715 the government was "opening" the
Highlands to outside exploitation and Rawlinson was one of the
businessmen who took advantage of the situation. It was thought that the
traditional Highland kilt, the "belted plaid" which consisted of a
large cloak, was inconvenient for tree cutters. He supposedly brought
the Highland garment to a tailor, intent on making it more practical.
The tailor responded by cutting it in two. Rawlinson took this back and
then introduced the new kilt.
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| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Highlander-kilt.jpg |
The first instance we have of the pleats being sewn in to the
philabeg, creating a true tailored kilt, comes in 1792. This kilt,
currently in the possession of the Scottish Tartans Authority,
is the first garment that can truly be called a 'modern' kilt as we
know it today. Up until this point, the kilt was folded, rather than
pleated. This development served to speed the donning of the kilt and
was brought into use by the Scottish regiments serving in the British Army. The tailored military kilt and its
formalised accessories then passed to the civilian market during the
early 19th century and has remained popular ever since.
The Scottish kilt displays uniqueness of design, construction, and
convention which differentiate it from other garments fitting the
general description. It is a tailored garment that is wrapped around the
wearer's body at the natural waist (between the lowest rib and the hip)
starting from one side (usually the wearer's left), around the front
and back and across the front again to the opposite side. The fastenings
consist of straps and buckles on both ends, the strap on the inside end
usually passing through a slit in the waistband to be buckled on the
outside; alternatively it may remain inside the waistband and be buckled
inside.
A kilt covers the body from the waist down to the centre of the
knees. The overlapping layers in front are called "aprons" and are flat;
the single layer of fabric around the sides and back is pleated. A
kilt pin
is fastened to the front apron on the free corner (but is not passed
through the layer below, as its function is to add weight). Underwear
may or may not be worn, as the wearer prefers, although tradition has it
that a "
true Scotsman" should wear nothing under his kilt.
The Scottish Tartans Authority, however, has described the practice as childish and unhygienic.
Organizations that sanction and grade the competitions in
Highland dancing and
bagpiping
all have rules governing acceptable attire for the competitors. These
rules specify that kilts are to be worn (except that in the national
dances, the female competitors will be wearing the
Aboyne dress).
Design and construction
Fabrics
The typical kilt as seen at modern Highland games events is made of twill woven wosted wool
. The twill weave used for kilts is a "2–2 type", meaning that each weft thread passes over and under two warp threads at a time. The result is a distinctive diagonal-weave pattern
in the fabric which is called the twill line. This kind of twill, when
woven according to a given sett or written colour pattern, is called tartan.
Kilting fabric weights are given in ounces per yard and run from the
very-heavy, regimental worsted of approximately 18–22 ounces (510–620 g)
down to a light worsted of about 10–11 ounces (280–310 g). The most
common weights for kilts are 13 ounces (370 g) and 16 ounces (450 g).
The heavier weights are more appropriate for cooler weather, while the
lighter weights would tend to be selected for warmer weather or for
active use, such as Highland dancing. Some patterns are available in
only a few weights.
A modern kilt for a typical adult uses about 6–8 yards of
single-width (about 26–30 inches) or about 3–4 yards of double-width
(about 54–60 inches) tartan fabric. Double-width fabric is woven so that
the pattern exactly matches on the
selvage. Kilts are usually made without a hem
because a hem would make the garment too bulky and cause it to hang
incorrectly. The exact amount of fabric needed depends upon several
factors including the size of the sett, the number of pleats put into
the garment, and the size of the person. For a full kilt, 8 yards of
fabric would be used regardless of size and the number of pleats and
depth of pleat would be adjusted according to their size. For a very
large waist, it may be necessary to use 9 yards of cloth.
Setts
One of the most-distinctive features of the authentic Scots kilt is the tartan pattern, the
sett,
it exhibits. The association of particular patterns with individual
clans and families can be traced back perhaps one or two centuries. It
was only in the 19th-century
Victorian era that the system of named tartans known today began to be systematically
recorded and formalized, mostly by weaving companies for mercantile
purposes. Up until this point, Highland tartans held regional
associations rather than being identified with any particular clan.
Today there are also tartans for districts, counties, societies and
corporations. There are also setts for states and provinces; schools and
universities; sporting activities; individuals; and commemorative and
simple generic patterns that anybody can wear.
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| http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kilted.jpg |
Setts are always arranged horizontally and vertically, never
diagonally (except when adapted for ladies' skirts). They are specified
by their thread counts, the sequence of colours and their units of
width. As an example, the Wallace tartan has a thread count given as "K4 R32 K32 Y4" (K is black, R is
red, and Y is yellow). This means that 4 units of black thread will be
succeeded by 32 units of red, etc., in both the warp and the weft.
Typically, the units are the actual number of threads, but as long as
the proportions are maintained, the resulting pattern will be the same.
This thread count also includes a pivot point indicated by the slash
between the colour and thread number. The weaver is supposed to reverse
the weaving sequence at the pivot point to create a mirror image of the
pattern. This is called a symmetrical tartan. Some tartans, like
Buchanan,
are asymmetrical, which means they do not have a pivot point. The
weaver weaves the sequence all the way through and then starts at the
beginning again for the next sett.
Setts are further characterized by their size, the number of inches
(or centimetres) in one full repeat. The size of a given sett depends
not only on the number of threads in the repeat, but also on the weight
of the fabric. This is because the heavier the fabric the thicker the
threads will be, and thus the same number of threads of a heavier-weight
fabric will occupy more space. The colours given in the thread count
are specified as in
heraldry,
although tartan patterns are not heraldic.
The exact shade which is
used is a matter of artistic freedom and will vary from one fabric mill to another as well as in dye lot to another within the same mill.
Tartans are commercially woven in four standard colour variations
that describe the overall tone. "Ancient" or "Old" colours may be
characterized by a slightly faded look intended to resemble the vegetable dyes
that were once used, although in some cases "Old" simply identifies a
tartan that was in use before the current one. Ancient greens and blues
are lighter while reds appear orange. "Modern" colours are bright and
show off modern aniline
dyeing methods. The colours are bright red, dark hunter green, and
usually navy blue. "Weathered" or "Reproduction" colours simulate the
look of older cloth weathered by the elements. Greens turn to light
brown, blues become gray, and reds are a deeper wine colour. The last
colour variation is "Muted" which tends toward earth tones
The greens are olive, blues are slate blue, and red is an even deeper
wine colour.
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Accessories
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The Scottish kilt is usually worn with kilt hose (woollen socks), turned down at the knee, often with garter flashes, and a sporran
(Gaelic for "purse": a type of pouch), which hangs around the waist
from a chain or leather strap. This may be plain or embossed leather, or
decorated with sealskin, fur, or polished metal plating.
Other common accessories, depending on the formality of the context, include:
- A belt (usually with embossed buckle)
- A jacket (of various traditional designs)
- A kilt pin
- A sqian dubh (Gaelic: "black knife": a small sheathed knife worn in the top of the hose)
- Ghillie brogues
Styles of kilt wear
Today most Sportsmen regard kilts as formal dress or a national dress.
Although there are still a few people who wear a kilt daily, it is
generally owned or hired to be worn at weddings or other formal
occasions, much the same way as tuxedos in America, and may be worn by
anyone regardless of nationality or descent. For formal wear, kilts are
usually worn with a Prince Charlie or an Argyll jacket. (Commercial
suppliers have now produced equivalent jackets with Irish and Welsh
themed styling.)
Kilts are also used for parades by groups such as the
Scouts, and in many places kilts are seen in force at
Highland games and
pipe band championships as well as being worn at
Scottish country dances and
ceilidhs.
Certain regiments/units of the
British Army and armies of other
Commonwealth nations (including
Australia,
Canada,
New Zealand and
South Africa)
with a Scottish lineage or heritage still continue to wear kilts as
part of dress or duty uniform, though they have not been used in combat
since 1940. Uniforms in which kilts are worn include Ceremonial Dress,
Service Dress, and Barracks Dress. Kilts are considered appropriate for
ceremonial parades, office duties, less formal parades, walking out,
mess dinners, and classroom instruction/band practice.
Casual use of kilts dressed down with lace-up boots or moccasins, and
with t-shirts or golf shirts, is becoming increasingly more familiar at
Highland Games. The kilt is associated with a sense of Scottish national
pride and will often be seen being worn, along with a football top, when members of the Tartan Army are watching a football or rugby
match.
HOW TO WEAR A KILT?
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartan#Origins
Video suorce: youtube.com
