weird tartans...

[Patty Logan]

Hi Serial Kilters,

I want to know what's a weird tartan you know and /or have seen? base on the backstory or just base on the look.

Mine is the Dirty Lung Tartan:

https://www.curiousandunusualtartans...ear/dirty-lung

[Silmakhor]

When I was first starting to consider getting a kilt I looked up a bunch of tartans associated with Scandinavia and Norway, as that's a prominent part of my heritage.

I dunno if this is weird, per se, but it is very cool

Sea Dog Bamse tartan

I also adore Norwegian Night, but it is not currently in production :/

[Flotineer]

That was a fun 30 min just browsing!

[Jock Scot]

This may not help, my very personal and traditional view that is not a commonly held view here on this website.I honestly think that we on this website, worry too much about tartans. For me and many in the Highlands here in Scotland, we wear the family tartan and care little about what other tartans look like, even our own tartan is not given much thought, it is what it is. Besides, few in Scotland want to wear tartans of other Clans or other non Clan patterns. YES! We could wear other Clan tartans that we have a connections to, but we choose not to.

Why this very obvious and not inexpensive need for some of those outwith these shores to collect assorted tartans in kilt form is a mystery to many of us and this rather unnecessary expense is lost to most of us over here.

Our culture probably has much to do with this , which seemingly and not surprisingly, is watered down by the large distances and inevitable dilution of other cultures. Nevertheless, there is really much to recommend the traditional thinking here. We prefer to concentrate on how the kilt, our kilt, is worn rather than worrying about patterns, combinations and shades of colours and that is made so much easier with the one tartan.

On the other hand, I suppose those in the weaving and kilt construction industry must be rubbing their hands with glee at the New World’s seemingly endless need to spend their money unnecessarily. But still, each to their own.

[Silmakhor]

Many kilters I know in the States wear them as daily clothing, and don't have strong connections to one clan. We simply like the look of the garment as fashion, and choose to wear kilts for situations other than weddings and graduations. So it makes sense to own multiple kilts, and to vary what they look like.

And no matter how many kilts a person has - one to twenty-one - a tartan can be appreciated as beautiful art without necessarily owning a kilt in it. I have a strong interest in heraldry. Though I lack a Scottish coat of arms, I still have many books on the subject and enjoy looking at heraldic art. Same with tartans.

And to those who would say "that's inauthentic!," inwardly or openly, I would reply "culture is not static, and authenticity is subjective."

[Father Bill]

This may not help, my very personal and traditional view that is not a commonly held view here on this website.I honestly think that we on this website, worry too much about tartans. For me and many in the Highlands here in Scotland, we wear the family tartan and care little about what other tartans look like, even our own tartan is not given much thought, it is what it is. Besides, few in Scotland want to wear tartans of other Clans or other non Clan patterns. YES! We could wear other Clan tartans that we have a connections to, but we choose not to.

Why this very obvious and not inexpensive need for some of those outwith these shores to collect assorted tartans in kilt form is a mystery to many of us and this rather unnecessary expense is lost to most of us over here.

Our culture probably has much to do with this , which seemingly and not surprisingly, is watered down by the large distances and inevitable dilution of other cultures. Nevertheless, there is really much to recommend the traditional thinking here. We prefer to concentrate on how the kilt, our kilt, is worn rather than worrying about patterns, combinations and shades of colours and that is made so much easier with the one tartan.

On the other hand, I suppose those in the weaving and kilt construction industry must be rubbing their hands with glee at the New World’s seemingly endless need to spend their money unnecessarily. But still, each to their own.

I've always seen tartan as a name tag. Why would anyone want to wear someone else's name unless it was part of a uniform?

[Silmakhor]

I've always seen tartan as a name tag. Why would anyone want to wear someone else's name unless it was part of a uniform?

Because the "anyone" you refer to isn't everyone - just people who happen to share your opinion . Tartan existed as clothing for hundreds of years before it became associated with clans. As part of a marketing gimmick.

Many of us don't trace our ancestry from a Scottish "clan." Or, by the time tartans-as-nametags were developed, romanticized clan-like institutions. Should we not enjoy wearing kilts? That's not a very sturdy gate you're trying to keep.

[Ninehostages]

I've always seen tartan as a name tag. Why would anyone want to wear someone else's name unless it was part of a uniform?

The military service to which I belong(ed) has a new tartan but it is a navy so I can't wear it as part of my uniform.
I desire it greatly, anyway.

[Tobus]

On the other hand, I suppose those in the weaving and kilt construction industry must be rubbing their hands with glee at the New World’s seemingly endless need to spend their money unnecessarily.

To be fair, the Scottish government and the entire wool/tartan industry spend a lot of time and money to market tartan to the world, showcasing wild new tartan designs in every extreme fashion permutation they can imagine. It's a financial boon to your tax rolls and keeps the industry alive. Without the New World's customer base, tartan weavers and kiltmakers would be out of business, or would exist as only a shriveled-up cottage industry. As it is, they still somehow manage to struggle and often fail even with our huge influx of money.

While I completely understand the urge to grumble about all those foreigners appropriating your very traditional culture and going off the rails with it, it's one of those things that can be both a blessing and a curse. Every single Scot benefits from tartan proliferation, like it or not.