17th Century Scottish garb

[Droid]

I plan on going to a Ren Faire in a couple weeks and want to show my Scottish pride, but with the more and more research I do I'm seeing that the kilt (other than a great kilt, which I do not own) is not exactly period appropriate.

Any suggestions on what I should/could wear?

[Tobus]

For a typical Ren faire, I'm not sure that being historically accurate matters. These tend to be fantasy faires. It's more fun to wear something that looks cool or tough than to be historically accurate, it seems.

If it were an event for reenacting or displaying historical correctness, then I'd say a belted plaid and very simple crude shoes (like cuarans or pampooties) would be more appropriate. No Ren faire boots. No modern kilt hose with flashes. No modern sporrans. No kilt pins. No ghillie shirts or leather swordsman vests.

So I guess it really comes down to whether you really want to try to be period correct, or just dress in costume like everybody else and have fun with a day of make-believe. I can see advantages to both.

Matt has two pages with good explanations of 'correct' historical kilts here and here.

[Zardoz]

here's a pretty good outline;
http://www.marariley.net/celtic/scotland.htm

But honestly, I'm with Tobus in believing that at faire being 'historically accurate' (HA) does not matter as much as having a day of make-believe fun.

I've worn 'modern' tailored kilts (mostly USA Kilts Semi-trads) and other modern kit as part of faire garb for years. I've never really wanted to invest in any kind of great kilt/belted plaid etc. styles, not over the money, but because I don't think of them as very practical wear compared to the 'regular' kilts I wear all the time anyhow. Lots of guys wear kilts at faires around here, but I'd guess that only about 2 out of 10 wear some sort of great kilt.

Basically at faire one is either in "garb", ie; some kind of 'ye olde fantasy' getup, or one is in "mundanes" which are plain street clothes. Nobody at faire, at least nobody you want to know, is gonna look down on your garb for not being HA if you are making an effort.


Look at this mob; Fun ? Yes, in abundance! historic accuracy? heh, not so much...


But really, if you hang around the right people nobody gives a damn what you look like

[Woodsheal]

Highland gent in belted plaid:



Lowland gent in doublet and hose:



Plainer fabrics as you go down the socio-economic ladder. When it's hot I go as a poor clansman:



Belted plaid ("great kilt") is the only form of kilt that was worn in the period (but NOT by lowlanders, who despised the "wild" highlanders at the time!).

Or, simply chuck authenticity and dress for fun - which is the more common practice at Faire, anyways...!

[Tobus]

Hey, since we're on the subject, I've been wondering something about this picture:



Is that really a belted plaid? It looks like he's wearing petticoats or some other form of fluffy stuff underneath. The quality of the picture isn't very good, but it sure looks to me like I can see the bottom edge of 'something' under his skirting. What is that?

I mean, I don't wanna argue with the experts who insist it's a belted plaid, but it sure looks to me like one of the usual skirt-like garments worn all over the British isles at the time.

When it's hot I go as a poor clansman:

Authentic though it may be, I'd bet that most Ren-faire types would look down their noses at such an outfit, since it doesn't look "tough" or expensive. That's the kicker about these faires... the costumes seem to get more elaborate and expensive and fantastical with each passing year, to the point where nobody cares about authenticity. It's all about looking better than everyone else. It's fun in its own way, but only if you play that game. I even find myself shying away from wanting some of the more authentic accessories because nobody but me would appreciate the historical accuracy.

[Dale Seago]

Hey, since we're on the subject, I've been wondering something about this picture:



Is that really a belted plaid? It looks like he's wearing petticoats or some other form of fluffy stuff underneath. The quality of the picture isn't very good, but it sure looks to me like I can see the bottom edge of 'something' under his skirting. What is that?

Plaid belted over a leine?

[Rob, ClanMacMillan, NM]

...


But really, if you hang around the right people nobody gives a damn what you look like

OH! You are in that picture -- I had to look at it like six times before I could see you .

[Woodsheal]

Hey, since we're on the subject, I've been wondering something about this picture:



Is that really a belted plaid? It looks like he's wearing petticoats or some other form of fluffy stuff underneath. The quality of the picture isn't very good, but it sure looks to me like I can see the bottom edge of 'something' under his skirting. What is that?

I mean, I don't wanna argue with the experts who insist it's a belted plaid, but it sure looks to me like one of the usual skirt-like garments worn all over the British isles at the time.

It looks like a plaid with the upper portion drawn up over his shoulders cloak-fashion. This is one of the advantages of the "great kilt" and very nice on a cold or rainy day! You see the same thing going on in this famous image:



I also think the hem of his yellow-ish shirt (saffron dyed?) is showing below the bottom edge of his plaid. Shirts of the period were knee-length. Or, it could be a colored border added to the plaid itself, another known practice:

[Captain_Cogle]

I was thinking it was simply the artists interpretation of the garment reflecting the typical European style of the time?

[Bugbear]

Here's a weird question, though I'm having trouble with the wording. Did the people in the cultures of the British Isles ever dress up in costumes during these periods? I mean like fantasy costumes?