Great Kilt fabric

[Caradoc]

How important is the tartan pattern and colors so as not to look foolish since official tartans were not established until relatively recently? Are there any guidlines for choosing a tartan pattern?

Cheers! Bill

Muted "earth-toned" tartans work nicely. Documentation of the period said that the Highlanders liked colors that worked as camoflage.

In James Aikman’s 1827 translation of George Buchanan’s 1581 History of Scotland: “They delight in variegated garments, especially stripes, and their favourite colours are purple and blue. Their ancestors wore plaids of many colours, and numbers still retain this custom but the majority now in their dress prefer a dark brown, imitating nearly the leaves of the heather, that when lying upon the heath in the day, they may not be discovered by the appearance of their clothes; in these wrapped rather than covered, they brave the severest storms in the open air, and sometimes lay themselves down to sleep even in the midst of snow.”

[Scottish Chi]

Muted "earth-toned" tartans work nicely. Documentation of the period said that the Highlanders liked colors that worked as camoflage.

Thanks, Caradoc.
It looks like the selection should be wide open for something appropriote.

Cheers! Bill

[AllenJ]

There is an article somewhere on the web that talks about Pre-Culloden tartans. Any of the ones it suggests should be fine. But yeah, avoid super bold colors. I'll see if I can find it.

EDIT:
Found it! Of course its Matthew Newsomes research! http://albanach.org/oldtartans.html apparently there is more info on it in his book 'Early Highland Dress', which I have put off buying for way too long.

[MacWage]

There are 2 schools of thought:

1. Drab colors: Like in the movie "Braveheart." This fits the notions of camo. It has been noted that the reference to the prominace of brown belted plaids DOES NOT mean they were brown tartans. They may heve been SOLID brown. This tonal range fits what we "expect" to have been worn. It fits popular imagination of "dirty" past.

2. Bright: If you look at many of the fragments and portraits from the pre=Colloden days, many were in bright tones. Red is an especially prominant tone, as are blue and purple. Actually, if you look at many of the Wilson's of Bannockburn tartans, many are purple. Today, most would say that such tartans look way to bright and "unauthentic," but these are VERY easy to defend from actual material and pics.

My BPs are from BOTH sides.
My older ones (the oldest 2)-> are olive based. One has brown and navy (the pattern seen in Greenville games-> the "Jedi" tartan) and the olther has bright blue, yellow, and red stripes on a ground of olive (it sounds odd, but looks nice-> but is HEAVY material 22 or higher-> never measured it).

Others are brighter, including a black watch with a yellow band on the sevage (actually saw something similar in a portait somewhere) and a Dress Gordon.

So, historically, BOTH tonal ranges are acceptable.