New kilt in an older style

[OC Richard]

Would a so called 'pipers plaid' be an alternative that would be close enough, except maybe easier to walk around in? I'm talking about something like this https://www.usakilts.com/pipers-plaid.html

Those photos don't do any favours for that plaid.

The "long plaids" as they used to be called have gone through quite a bit of evolution over the years.

BTW in the military they've never been the sole domain of pipers.

Originally they're as seen in The Highlanders of Scotland, simply a length of tartan, fringed on both ends, loosely wrapped around the torso.

Over the years some military men began wrapping them more tightly.

Then some military men began arranging the folds in a regular way.

Eventually it led, in recent times, to the folds becoming sewn-in pleats.

This is how loosely they could be worn, in the army, in the mid-19th century



Here's the Colonel and a senior Sergeant of the Argylls, c1890, neither of them pipers, both wearing long plaids.



Here are Scots Guards pipers c1910 showing the random folds seen in the old days.



This Seaforth Highlanders bandsman, serving in India I believe, has his plaid arranged neatly. I think this is the earliest photo I've seen of that.



Nowadays all the military plaids are done neatly. It seems apparent where the pleats are stitched, on the yellow stripe.