One thing that we as reenactors often forget is that to the people in question, these things were not costumes- they were clothing. There is no long lost trick- the people in the pictures are simply wearing clothes. You, Woodsheal, would have a different way of wearing a pair of trousers, shirt, tie, and accessories from me. Does that mean I am wearing mine correctly and that you are not? Of course it doesn't! It just means that there are two different people wearing the same basic set of clothing to their own respective tastes. That's all- unless of course, it's a military uniform. When it comes to uniforms, there is (of course you know this, so forgive me- I'm working towards a point.) a correct way and an incorrect way to wear and accessorize. You wouldn't wear an SS badge with a uniform for the 101st Airborne, for example. On the other hand, you might choose to wear an English doublet with a Scottish kilt. I wouldn't think that an unheard of thing, especially given the fact that Scotland was poverty ridden and the Scot wearing the doublet may have been poor, seen something that would have kept him warm for the winter, and stolen it. It comes down to the simple question- what would have been easiest and most practical? What would the situation warrant? If the Highlander in question were meeting Queen Victoria (substitute anyone of importance here), he very well may take the time to pleat his kilt very neatly. He may also do the same if he were having his portrait painted. However, if he were simply going out to the field to plow, he may not have bothered, and may have used Sir Daniel's method! So when you think about it from the perspective of day to day clothing, it seems (to me anyway!) a whole lot simpler that when you look at it from the perspective of reenactment costume.

On that note, I have a weathered MacKenzie long plaid that I wear with my Albannach tartan wee kilt from USA Kilts. (Even though it's a modern tartan, I like the Albannach because it has very muted, weathered colors that seem to me would be fairly accurate to the late 1600's. So that's why I wear it.) I mix the two because in battle, a lot of Highlanders would throw off the plaid to free up their arms. It's not at all a far leap to figure that they would just pick up whatever was handy after it was all over, as opposed to searching for a matching plaid. Especially given the fact that clan tartans weren't in existence at that time. My persona needed a blanket. He took one from a dead man who no longer needed his. As simple and pragmatic as that. And then there is the fact that I've seen numerous paintings of Jacobites wearing 2, sometimes 3 different tartans.

So... My long and rambling thoughts on the subject... You're welcome!