Highland costume in world context

[OC Richard]

Comments made by somebody the other day made me realise that not everyone sees Highland costume the way I do, as part of humankind-wide, world-wide, folk costume.

Place after place, people after people, tribe after tribe have ancient traditional costumes which have certain things in common.

One is the urge to cover as many surfaces as possible with designs.

A range of techniques are used to do this: fabrics can be woven with designs, articles can be knit with designs, plain fabrics can be embroidered, leather can be tooled and decorated with studs, metal can be engraved, wood can have designs turned or carved.

Here's a quick visual which (to me anyhow) shows that the Highland love of colour and pattern is far from unique.

Here are Quechua and Aymara people, people from Africa and Bulgaria and Tibet and Scotland.

[Jock Scot]

On first sight and my first impression is that generally speaking the Traditional Civilian Highland Dresser(THCD) and not band attire(military or civilian) has for about a century followed a more conservative route, certainly from a day to day point of view.

[Pleater]

My own experience with kilts - having worn them in the 1950s, was of a patterned but muted colour garment.

I did have a fairisle jumper, however, which was navy blue with embroidery silks for the patterns - now that was bright.

The physical shock of coming across an elderly gentleman in bias cut red based tartan trews and waistcoat, with jacket and bonnet, was considerable - they are not often seen on the south coast. Although some decades ago, I still recall it now.

Anne the Pleater

[OC Richard]

I know it's not the modern thing! Which is to, one might say, Saxon-down the Highland outfit, to change tartan coats for somber black, to get rid of all pattern save for the kilt itself.

But the older Highland way was to be in tartan from the neck down. There are many old images that show it, two of which I posted above. Here are more:

[Ninehostages]

Comments made by somebody the other day made me realise that not everyone sees Highland costume the way I do, as part of humankind-wide, world-wide, folk costume.

Place after place, people after people, tribe after tribe have ancient traditional costumes which have certain things in common.

One is the urge to cover as many surfaces as possible with designs.

A range of techniques are used to do this: fabrics can be woven with designs, articles can be knit with designs, plain fabrics can be embroidered, leather can be tooled and decorated with studs, metal can be engraved, wood can have designs turned or carved.

Here's a quick visual which (to me anyhow) shows that the Highland love of colour and pattern is far from unique.

Here are Quechua and Aymara people, people from Africa and Bulgaria and Tibet and Scotland.

Note the peaceful folk from around the World Proudly displaying their folk dress and the Scots hacking each other to pieces as they swing their claymores. When you consider the history of the Celtic peoples, "peaceful" does not come to mind.

[Highland Logan]

Note the peaceful folk from around the World Proudly displaying their folk dress and the Scots hacking each other to pieces as they swing their claymores. When you consider the history of the Celtic peoples, "peaceful" does not come to mind.

To be fair, the Scots chosen are from a war painting from the 1700's, and everything else is a modren photograph. If he wanted to, OCR could have chosen a colour photo from any of the large balls, which still take place. You would still find full tartan dress, jackets of many colours, styles and cuts, as well as a variety of hose, argyle, diced, and the odd single colour. Not to mention the many styles of sporrans.

Frank

[McMurdo]

To be fair, the Scots chosen are from a war painting from the 1700's, and everything else is a modren photograph. If he wanted to, OCR could have chosen a colour photo from any of the large balls, which still take place. You would still find full tartan dress, jackets of many colours, styles and cuts, as well as a variety of hose, argyle, diced, and the odd single colour. Not to mention the many styles of sporrans.

Frank

I was thinking exactly the same thing.

[jf42]

To be fair, the Scots chosen are from a war painting from the 1700's, and everything else is a modren photograph. If he wanted to, OCR could have chosen a colour photo from any of the large balls, which still take place. You would still find full tartan dress, jackets of many colours, styles and cuts, as well as a variety of hose, argyle, diced, and the odd single colour. Not to mention the many styles of sporrans.

Frank

To whit, Culloden 1746 by a David Morier an Anglo-Swiss painter retained by the Duke of Cumberland...
but also Macdonnel of Glengarry fifty years later, who despite being a prize ****, did at least cut a fine figure.