Kilts???

[singforsam]

Hey everyone! I'm Sam and I'm just curious about kilts. Are there certain colors for a kilt that mean different things or does it represent something. Like if someone wore a red kilt would it represent a social class or what family you belong to?

Sam
Fontana

[Nick the DSM]

hello and welcome!

well, its not the colors that matter but the pattern or tartan as its called, is what the kilt can represent. their are hundreds of tartans and many variations of them. according to M.A.C. Newsome's research, at first the tartan was nothing but dark browns and greens for camoflauge and later in the 17th century, Clan tartans appeared. hope this helps, if not, others should.

[PiobBear]

Are there certain colors for a kilt that mean different things or does it represent something. Like if someone wore a red kilt would it represent a social class or what family you belong to?

Yes and no. A solid green kilt often (but not necessarily) connotes an Irishman; a saffron one always does. A red, black, or blue one doesn't mean anything to my knowledge.
Someone wearing a Maple Leaf tartan is quite possibly Canadian; a "Leatherneck" tartan a US Marine, a person wearing the Ramsay tartan might belong to the Ramsay clan, or simply like blue.
Social class is generally denoted by eagle feathers; a gentleman with a grant of arms one, a chieftain two, a clan chief three. Only a clan chief wears the clan badge; everyone else wears it enclosed in a buckler. A clanswoman would wear a tartan sash over her right shoulder, the wife of a clan chief or colonel of a Scottish Regiment over the left. An officer in uniform (or wearing decorations with formal dress) denotes his class, a piper his, and of course, just like in all societies, "the cut of your jib"; a tailored silk Armani suit denotes an entirely different social class than a polyester off-the-rack WalMart sportcoat does.

[Galician]

Yes and no. A solid green kilt often (but not necessarily) connotes an Irishman; a saffron one always does. A red, black, or blue one doesn't mean anything to my knowledge. Someone wearing a Maple Leaf tartan is quite possibly Canadian; a "Leatherneck" tartan a US Marine, a person wearing the Ramsay tartan might belong to the Ramsay clan, or simply like blue.

I would dispute that. While widely accepted by Irish groups, there's historical evidence that it was used widely by Celts on the continent, before migration to the British Isles.

[Monkey@Arms]

Welcome to X-marks, Sam.

You'll find a lot of answers in this free publication: Kilts and Tartans Made Easy by Dr. Nick Fiddes. There is also a wealth of information from kilt and tartan historian Matt Newsome available here.

Best regards,

Jake

P.S. If those sources don't hold the answer, don't forget that the search feature is your friend.
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[Woodsheal]

I would dispute that. While widely accepted by Irish groups, there's historical evidence that it was used widely by Celts on the continent, before migration to the British Isles.

Sorry, but this is simply incorrect. Bare-legged kilt wearing developed uniquely in the highlands of Scotland due to geographic and terrain considerations. All other northern-Europeans (including the large and diverse mass of Celts) were trouser wearers...!

[seanboy]

Yes and no. A solid green kilt often (but not necessarily) connotes an Irishman; a saffron one always does.

I disagree with this, saffron coloured kilts are mainly worn by loyalist ulster scots who would never refer to themselves as irish.

[slohairt]

I disagree with this, saffron coloured kilts are mainly worn by loyalist ulster scots who would never refer to themselves as irish.

Actually, Saffron kilts are also worn by the military pipe bands in the Republic of Ireland as well. Some experts also surmise that the saffron kilt may have got its start with Pádraig Pearse, who was most definitely neither a loyalist nor an Ulster Scot!

[McClef]

from South Wales UK!

The colours in an individual tartan are not indicative of rank or social class.

They may of course have significance relating to the clan or area or country or organisation they are named after.

[SteveB]

from Boston, Massachusetts.
As you may have noticed in the avatars of some of the posters to this thread, there are many colours to the kilt. Find what you are comfortable with and go from there. Mine is the Irish National Tartan by Stillwater Kilts. The whole point is to wrap yourself in a kilt and enjoy the comfort and freedom. You have been given a lot of resources already. All over this page are advertisers of kilts. Check out their catalouges on line. SWK, USA Kilts, both have indicators of what are "universal" tartans. Then there is always a self colour (solid colour) kilt. I hope you enjoy the board
Welcome to ye rabble.
--- Steve