The Day Plaid wrapped and pinned in Victorian era

[Tobus]

I rather like this day plaid look to tell the truth. Certainly the wrapped day plaid without a broach looks very proper with a traditional walking out outfit.

I agree. Whilst the day plaid simply worn folded over the left shoulder can be somewhat of a burdensome fashion accessory, it becomes very useful if one expects any sort of inclement weather. I made mine primarily for wearing to Highland Games when it would be cold, windy, and/or rainy. I have been known to stay home when it's too cold for me (I have a low tolerance for frigid temps), and decided to take advantage of the traditional Highland solution.

It definitely takes some practise to get used to wearing a plaid, especially for being able to convert it on-the-go from one configuration to another without assistance. For instance, if wearing it as a simple over-the-shoulder day plaid and wanting to do a chest wrap, one has to handle a large length of cloth without dragging it on the ground, getting it neatly around one's chest and back over the shoulder. Then there's a lot of tugging at the jacket and plaid to get it all to lay comfortably and be able to move freely. The first few times you do it, it feels like a battle, but it gets easier.

Since making my tutorial, I bought a plaid brooch but haven't used it. For one thing, I'm still hesitant to put holes in the cloth, and for another the wearing of a brooched plaid takes a lot of fussing about in front of a mirror to get perfect. I think I'm more of a mind to just wear it casually and wrap it around my chest, flipping the end back over my shoulder freely as needed. No brooch. Just a more natural and casual wrapping. I probably wouldn't use the brooch unless I were trying to do a more formal wearing of the plaid.

In terms of plaid construction, I rather tend to think there's no difference between the plaids worn in MacLeay's portraits and a modern day plaid. Lengths can vary depending on user preference, and configurations of the plaid on the body are limitless. The beauty of the plaid is that it's just a piece of tartan and can be used lots of ways.

The one thing I haven't quite figured out, though, is how to get the plaid to look like MacLeay's portraits, in terms of the diagonal lay of the plaid with fringe cascading down the sides. The image below is but one example. You can clearly see that as the plaid goes around his chest, the tartan pattern is folded in line with the length of the cloth. But as it drapes down his left side, it's folded at a diagonal and the fringe at the end of the plaid is coming down nicely in a wavy manner. It's not just all hanging flatly and crudely at the bottom of the draped end. This diagonal configuration is a very pleasant aesthetic, but I haven't experimented with how to get it to display like that. I'd be curious if anyone else has tips on this.

[Jock Scot]

The late Euan Macpherson of Glentruim used to regularly wear a day plaid wrapped around his person and without a noticeable pin. He would even spend a day out on the moor grouse shooting dressed thus. In my experience he was a slightly "old world" and eccentric dresser(and we are probably talking about 1950's/60's and perhaps the 70's) and a really sound fellow and was the only person that I have ever met, or have seen, dressed that way on a regular basis. A quick google might bare fruit with some pictures? Failing that, I seem to recall that there are a couple of pictures and a brief discussion about him in the long thread called; "Too Traditional" which should be available in our website archives.

[OC Richard]

EDIT: very uncommon, but I did find a Victorian photo of a gent wearing a plaid in the modern "day plaid" manner



What one generally sees is the traditional long plaid wrapped around the body:







sloppy ones





Here with a brooch. Note the plaid isn't gathered, but flat





Getting the plaid to look like it's on the bias was mentioned, here it is



The same was worn in the army. Here in 1855, note how loose the plaid is



By around 1900 the military piper's plaids had become more tightly wrapped, but no more precise



Contrasted with modern military plaids which are carefully pleated to the stripe, and the pleats sewn in

[Stewart of Galloway]

EDIT: very uncommon, but I did find a Victorian photo of a gent wearing a plaid in the modern "day plaid" manner



What one generally sees is the traditional long plaid wrapped around the body:







sloppy ones





Here with a brooch. Note the plaid isn't gathered, but flat





Getting the plaid to look like it's on the bias was mentioned, here it is



The same was worn in the army. Here in 1855, note how loose the plaid is



By around 1900 the military piper's plaids had become more tightly wrapped, but no more precise



Contrasted with modern military plaids which are carefully pleated to the stripe, and the pleats sewn in

What a revelation these images are! Just goes to show how people can stylize a practical garment to become almost a parody of itself, no long really performing it's natural function. Pretty normal I guess but very liberating to see such a variety of plaid wearing styles! Thanks very much

[Tobus]

Getting the plaid to look like it's on the bias was mentioned, here it is

Hmm, he's actually wearing it opposite from the MacLeay examples. His is on the bias across the chest, with the draped portion seeming to be square (i.e. the tartan lines follow the drape). I want to do the opposite of that, as MacLeay painted: the portion across the chest having the tartan lines following the length, with the draped portion on the bias.

I'm thinking it may have to do with tucking one corner of the plaid either into an epaulet or under the rest of the plaid at the shoulder. That would get the fringe to cascade down, but it still wouldn't "turn" the tartan to a diagonal orientation. I'm stumped.

[Dale-of-Cedars]

Hmm, he's actually wearing it opposite from the MacLeay examples. His is on the bias across the chest, with the draped portion seeming to be square (i.e. the tartan lines follow the drape). I want to do the opposite of that, as MacLeay painted: the portion across the chest having the tartan lines following the length, with the draped portion on the bias.

I'm thinking it may have to do with tucking one corner of the plaid either into an epaulet or under the rest of the plaid at the shoulder. That would get the fringe to cascade down, but it still wouldn't "turn" the tartan to a diagonal orientation. I'm stumped.

I think you might have caught MacLeay in an inaccuracy; unless the end of the cloth is cut at an angle (unlikely?) any folding on a bias will not allow the pattern to be square with the length of the plaid. I would trust the photo, and that to get the angled fall it was necessary to fold/gather it up on an angle as well.

(Unless there is more going on with this plaid than meets the eye... the pattern is angled in the fall, but not across the chest)

[Tobus]

I think you might have caught MacLeay in an inaccuracy; unless the end of the cloth is cut at an angle (unlikely?) any folding on a bias will not allow the pattern to be square with the length of the plaid. I would trust the photo, and that to get the angled fall it was necessary to fold/gather it up on an angle as well.

(Unless there is more going on with this plaid than meets the eye... the pattern is angled in the fall, but not across the chest)

MacLeay had quite an eye for detail, judging by some of the finer points of his paintings. But the thing is, he didn't just do this in one of his paintings. I'd say that the majority of his Highlander portraits where plaids are worn around the chest are depicted like this. The tartan pattern is square/in-line with the cloth across the chest, but diagonal at the draped length with the fringed edge visibly coming down next to the arm, usually in a wavy manner. Here are a few more examples below. Either he got it wrong on all his paintings, or it was commonly worn this way. And as you can see, regardless of how the plaid is attached at the shoulder (or not), the draped end consistently appears diagonally with cascading fringe. There's got to be a trick to doing this.

[FossilHunter]

MacLeay had quite an eye for detail, judging by some of the finer points of his paintings. But the thing is, he didn't just do this in one of his paintings. I'd say that the majority of his Highlander portraits where plaids are worn around the chest are depicted like this. The tartan pattern is square/in-line with the cloth across the chest, but diagonal at the draped length with the fringed edge visibly coming down next to the arm, usually in a wavy manner. Here are a few more examples below. Either he got it wrong on all his paintings, or it was commonly worn this way. And as you can see, regardless of how the plaid is attached at the shoulder (or not), the draped end consistently appears diagonally with cascading fringe. There's got to be a trick to doing this.

A third option besides a mistake or an accurate representation of what he saw is artistic license. He may have felt that the way it looked in reality did not show the tartan to best effect and he painted it on the bias intentionally. That would explain why it is present in all the paintings of plaids.

[OC Richard]

I see now what Tobus is talking about.

Talk of catching MacLeay in an inaccuracy got me looking through my Victorian photos- so far what he shows has been supported by photos, and I'm something of a self-appointed Fidei Defensor.

Some photos showing at least a portion of the plaid that's visible on the diagonal







(Note the child/youth size crossbelt hardware)



Note on the one below and above a portion of the plaid is hanging vertically, part diagonal.



Too bad we can't see much of the plaid, but you can see the fringe at a strong angle



When I look at Victorian military men the bottom of the plaid is almost always at an angle. This varies from a slight angle to diagonal. Look at the Pipe Major on the far right, his plaid is nearly diagonal.



This is a nice clear view of a full plaid, note that at the front the bottom is horizontal but as it goes round the back it's diagonal; note the difference in height of the fringe front to back.

[Stewart of Galloway]

The late Euan Macpherson of Glentruim used to regularly wear a day plaid wrapped around his person and without a noticeable pin. He would even spend a day out on the moor grouse shooting dressed thus. In my experience he was a slightly "old world" and eccentric dresser(and we are probably talking about 1950's/60's and perhaps the 70's) and a really sound fellow and was the only person that I have ever met, or have seen, dressed that way on a regular basis. A quick google might bare fruit with some pictures? Failing that, I seem to recall that there are a couple of pictures and a brief discussion about him in the long thread called; "Too Traditional" which should be available in our website archives.

Great story Jock, I like the sound of Mr McPherson indeed 😀 Nice to be Old World and do things like dress as a Scot from the Victorian era or read Sir Walter's or Stevenson's novels or eat haggis or do barmy things like play pipes and drums ha ha.
Here's to us eh! I will go looking for him