what do I DO with it?? (pipers' plaid)

[O'Callaghan]

Maybe your grandad was in a pipe band? Often there is no rhyme or reason to which tartan they wear.

As for the pictorial instructions, they assume you're wearing a military doublet, which granted many pipers do, but not too many non-pipers. I suppose you could also fasten it with a brooch, but you still need something substantial to fasten it to. I'm pretty sure I have seen pipers wearing a brooch to fasten their plaids.

OTOH, many people wear a piper's plaid to the local RenFest to simulate a great kilt, which would be in period (pre-1600) while wearing a regular kilt (not pre-1600). Most of them tuck the plaid into the kilt, which IMHO is a real faux pas, considering that pipers actually started wearing them for the same reason (to give the impression of a great kilt), but never, ever, do that. There again, a lot of male RenFest 'cast' wear ladies' kilts with the buckles moved to the men's side, but are given away by their knife pleats running in the wrong direction, so they are sadly not known for great authenticity.

I have toyed with the idea of buying a piper's plaid to wear to RenFest, but would never tuck it in my kilt. Cost is an issue, though, just because they use so much fabric. And no, MacKenzie would not go well with anything I have.