Kilt Breeks/Breeches? Anyone recall this

[Taskr]

What a great resource, Alan. The Linen drawers I seem to recall in a photo of some highland men engaged in games. The 'big,loose boxers' evident. One photo is in these threads somewhere ..not found

[tulloch]

Might be a market there Nial! A nice flannel tartan or solid color boxer could be a good product. What do they offer, if anything, in the shops on Buchanan Street?

[neloon]

You may appreciate two advantages of the undertrews:-
1.Everyone knew what was concealed so "the question" did not arise.
2.It was not uncommon for the kilt to be removed in public without any embarrassment (see the picture referenced in my first link above). Boys, especially, could doff their kilts if a tree needed to be climbed or a race run. Games athletes likewise if the pole vault was getting too high!

It should also be noted that, away from the big cities, things were more variable. In a travel diary called "England from a back-window; with views of Scotland and Ireland" (available as an ebook), a Boston journalist in the 1870s writes of Highland Dress
" ...The dress consists now of a sack-coat, — instead of the plaid
waist of former times, and the long plaid wrapped about the
body for protection, — a kilt, or a yard or two of tartan gath-
ered in tucks at the upper edge, and wound about the hips,
and fastened at the waist, and of sufficient width to permit it
to reach within one or three inches of the knees. Under
this is a pair of muslin or woollen drawers of sufficient length
to cover the thighs, but hardly long enough to be re-assur-
ing to the sensitive observer on a windy day..."
In UK-speak, "muslin" would be a ridiculous clothing material so I suspect we need a US translation.
Alan

[OC Richard]

I'd never heard of them until I started collecting vintage catalogues.

Kilt Drawers are discussed in some detail in the Anderson 1936 catalogue, here

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...talogue-74888/

Both the Day Dress and Evening Dress sections mention them. Here's the Evening Dress page

[Truitt]

Alan, in US-speak muslin is just about any un-dyed cotton plain weave fabric regardless of weight.

[neloon]

Alan, in US-speak muslin is just about any un-dyed cotton plain weave fabric regardless of weight.

Thank you, Truitt.
In the UK, muslin is very thin and is generally used to filter off liquid e.g. in cheese or jelly making. I think what you describe we might call "calico". (Some ladies will now correct me on this!)
Alan

[Jock Scot]

Thank you, Truitt.
In the UK, muslin is very thin and is generally used to filter off liquid e.g. in cheese or jelly making. I think what you describe we might call "calico". (Some ladies will now correct me on this!)
Alan

There we go Alan, I always thought it was a mistake letting those colonials swan off on their own. Just look at the mess they have made of our language!

Joking apart, I do wonder on occasion, as no doubt those from outwith these shores do too from time to time, how much unintentional damage to international relations these differences of interpretation cause.

[MacKenzie]

In the UK, muslin is very thin and is generally used to filter off liquid e.g. in cheese or jelly making. I think what you describe we might call "calico".

Interesting. In the US "calico" is a simple cotton fabric, but with an all-over print. And what we use for straining in the kitchen we call cheesecloth.

That sometimes know-it-all Wikipedia says:

In the UK, Australia and New Zealand:

Calico—simple, cheap equal weft and warp plain weave fabric in white, cream or unbleached cotton.
Muslin—a very fine, light plain weave cotton fabric.
Muslin gauze—muslin.
Gauze—extremely soft and fine cotton fabric with a very open plain weave.
Cheesecloth—gauze.


In the US:

Calico—cotton fabric with a small, all-over floral print
Muslin—simple, cheap equal weft and warp plain weave fabric in white, cream or unbleached cotton and/or a very fine, light plain weave cotton fabric (sometimes called muslin gauze).
Muslin gauze—the very lightest, most open weave of muslin.
Gauze—any very light fabric, generally with a plain weave
Cheesecloth—extremely soft and fine cotton fabric with a very open plain weave.

Printed calico was imported into the United States from Lancashire in the 1780s, and here a linguistic separation occurred, while Europe maintained the word calico for the fabric, in the States it was used to refer to the printed design.

[tpa]

I'd never heard of them until I started collecting vintage catalogues.

Kilt Drawers are discussed in some detail in the Anderson 1936 catalogue, here

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...talogue-74888/

Both the Day Dress and Evening Dress sections mention them. Here's the Evening Dress page

My first kilt, made in 1955, came with the tartan variety drawers, which were exceedingly uncomfortable. Not only was I mildy allergic to wool, but there was no give in them so movement was severely constrained. Some kilts were supplied with the elastic waisted green variety, but I believe these were normally sourced from the girls department.