[ardchoille]

I am of clan Gregor, and as such, I have always worn the two MacGregor tartans.. those being MacGregor green and red, and MacGregor red and black (also known as the Rob Roy tartan). Lately, though, I have been "branching out" and wearing other tartans.. I have even ordered two tanks (one in Blackwatch and one in Pride of Scotland) from Scotland Yard. I continue to be amazed at the beauty of the various tartans and Royal Stewart is quite awesome.

This thread has shown the beauty of an, as yet, unknown tartan. But, I'd wear it in a kilt because I like the colour arrangement.

How do you all feel about tartan? Should people stick to "authorised" tartans or is it ok to wear a "fashion" tartan in a kilt? Are there "rules" on this or is it a case of "wear what makes you happy"

Just curious,
Ian MacGregor

[Packhound]

If solid colors (including PINK, I mean MAROON) are okay, then why not "fashion" tartans.

[turpin]

Check out this thread - you'll find lots of opinions. Mine is, I wear what I like, but for clan gatherings it's eitherthe tartan of my clan or a non-clan (fashion) tartan.

[pdcorlis]

I say wear what you like with pride. If its a clan tartan then at least know something about the clan. If its a fashion or district tartan - so be it. Personally I shy away from dress tartans simply because I'm a pig and worry the added white found in most dress tartans would be just that much easier to mess up - but that's me not you.

[ardchoille]

Originally Posted by turpin

Check out this thread - you'll find lots of opinions.

That is a very nice thread! Thank you for posting that link

[slohairt]

Wear what you like!

If you think about it, ALL tartans are fashion tartans until they adopted.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I'll post a couple of excerpts from an article of mine that appeared in the May 2005 Scottish Banner, in which I commented upon the book The Kilt and How To Wear It, written in 1901 by Stuart Ruaidri Erskine.

The first thing people usually discuss is the appropriateness of wearing a particular tartan. The typical assumption is that clan tartans have existed from time immemorial and one ought to wear a proper clan tartan. Scholars today debunk this myth, asserting that it was over the course of the nineteenth century that tartans began to be affiliated with clans. Even in 1901 we find Erskine stating “that I believe the practice of clans wearing particular tartans to be of comparatively recent origin.”

To this end, he quotes from a letter written by a Mr. Campbell of Islay dated October 3, 1882. “My old tailor, a Campbell… knew nothing of clan tartans; neither did my piper, Mure; neither do I.” So if our ancestors had no clan tartans, what did they wear? Erskine writes, “Tartan… was simply a chequered or spotted material whose manufacture was peculiar to our people; and that, so far from being on all occasions careful to wear a particular pattern of their own, our forefathers were quite content to be clad in ‘tartan,’ without troubling themselves about the ‘sett’ or pattern thereof.”

In other words, people wore generic tartan patterns, in colors and designs they found attractive, with no thought as to the “name” of the tartan. Erskine refers to these generic tartans as “hill checks.” “I much regret,” he writes, “that this pretty custom of wearing ‘hill checks’ has fallen into disuse. Apart from sentimental reasons, it is a very agreeable pastime the designing of these tartans. I have designed not a few of them myself… I have tartans for hill wear and tartans for low country wear, and tartans for spring, summer, autumn and winter. With a little practice, very striking and beautiful combinations of colours can be formed; and if the designer is careful to follow nature, he may be sure his efforts will be crowned with success.”

And...

If we take his advice and apply it to modern day Highland dress, what he is telling us is to avoid looking like a “cookie-cutter Scotsman,” dressed like we just walked off the stage of a Brigadoon production. Be individual in your wardrobe. Avoid, also, the extreme of dressing down the kilt so much that you degrade the nobleness of the garment with sloppy accessories. The way you are dressed portrays a certain image to the world and you want that image to be one of good taste and refinement.

Does this mean you must only wear the kilt formally? No, not at all. Erskine writes, “The Highland dress is essentially a ‘free’ dress – that is to say, a man’s taste and circumstances must alone be permitted to decide when and where and how he should wear it… I presume to dictate to no man what he shall eat or drink or wherewithal he shall be clothed.” So yes, wear the kilt casually – and often! – but when you do, wear it in good taste.

As for the kilt itself, Erskine advocates the wearing of “rough homespun or some tartan (hill-check)… agreeable in colour and design” for every day wear of the kilt. “Some quiet, unobtrusive tartan or homespun is far more suitable for country wear.” For “games, county meetings of all kinds, and other similar extraordinary undertakings,” he suggests the clan tartan be used. “The public knows (more or less) its clan tartans or liveries, whilst it knows little or nothing of tartan (i.e. hill check) in general; hence it is, reader, that on all occasions in which you may desire to appear branded or labeled as it were with the stamp of your origin, you will do well to discard your hill check.”

[Howard Clark]

Think "blend into the environment", aka camoflauge with the seasonal color selections. :-)

(and here we thought the digital camo was an original idea)

Oh yeah, and wear what you like.

[acstoon]

OK, I'm an absolute noob, and I sincerely hope I am not transgressing here, but here's my 2 cents:
If you like it... wear it.
Now, if you are going to a formal event, clan function, or even family gathering, then it might be appropriate to wear authorised tartan.

An analogy: I was a proud member of the Boy Scouts. Proud as I was, I didn't wear my (specified & authorised) uniform everywhere. Scout functions, yes, of course... but everyday? No, I wore what I wanted. Still had on pants and a shirt, just not in B.S.A. fashion.

[ardchoille]

Originally Posted by slohairt

Wear what you like!

If you think about it, ALL tartans are fashion tartans until they adopted.

That is a very good point.