Is wearing another families tartan inappropriate?

[M. A. C. Newsome]

A lot of this is going to depend upon the individual circumstances, as well. Someone who only plans on having one kilt and will wear it mainly at Clan gatherings and formal events will undoubtedly be more inclined to choose a tartan that he feels personally associated with -- be it clan, family, or district.

On the other hand, someone who has multiple kilts and wears them as a part of their regular wardrobe will be more inclined to include some tartans simply because he likes them, regardless of the clan affiliation.

I'll give a couple of examples. One is the older MacGregor kilt that some may remember me posting about in another thread. I'm not a MacGregor and have no connections to the MacGregor clan that I am aware of. And, though I find the MacGregor tartan attractive, I would never have gone out and spent good money on a brand new tailor made MacGregor tartan kilt for myself, because the tartan really has no signifigance for me. However, when I found this one for sale, a beautiful antique kilt, in my exact size, for only $75 -- well, how could I not purchase it!? And I do enjoy wearing it, although not as frequently as I do my other kilts.

When people ask "Whose tartan is that?" I say, "MacGregor."
When people ask "What clan are you?" I say, "MacQuarrie" or "Armstrong."
When people ask, "Whose kilt is that?" I say, "Mine! Want to see the reciept?" :-)

Another story involves a young piper I knew from Fife. He was a top grade piper, performed a lot, and so was wearing kilts a lot. His mother also happened to own a kilt shop. Needless to say, he had access to many kilts. He had one in his family tartan, and two or three, he told me, in tartans that he just liked the looks of for performing. He just picked out tartans he liked from his mom's shop.

I know a local piper for whom it is the same. She has her family tartan in a kilt (actually her husband's), and then she picked the tartan for her second kilt simply because of the colors --- she was purchasing it with an eye for what kind of look, as a professional piper, she wanted to present in her uniform.

All this is to say that people's reasons for wearing the kilt may vary. To some it may be a special garment worn on certain occasions to honor one's family history and traditions. To others it may be a professional uniform. To others it is part of a regular wardrobe. All of these are valid approaches, and each will give a different perspective to the question of wearing another clan's tartan.

Aye,
Matt

[macwilkin]

A lot of this is going to depend upon the individual circumstances, as well. Someone who only plans on having one kilt and will wear it mainly at Clan gatherings and formal events will undoubtedly be more inclined to choose a tartan that he feels personally associated with -- be it clan, family, or district.

On the other hand, someone who has multiple kilts and wears them as a part of their regular wardrobe will be more inclined to include some tartans simply because he likes them, regardless of the clan affiliation.

I'll give a couple of examples. One is the older MacGregor kilt that some may remember me posting about in another thread. I'm not a MacGregor and have no connections to the MacGregor clan that I am aware of. And, though I find the MacGregor tartan attractive, I would never have gone out and spent good money on a brand new tailor made MacGregor tartan kilt for myself, because the tartan really has no signifigance for me. However, when I found this one for sale, a beautiful antique kilt, in my exact size, for only $75 -- well, how could I not purchase it!? And I do enjoy wearing it, although not as frequently as I do my other kilts.

When people ask "Whose tartan is that?" I say, "MacGregor."
When people ask "What clan are you?" I say, "MacQuarrie" or "Armstrong."
When people ask, "Whose kilt is that?" I say, "Mine! Want to see the reciept?" :-)

Another story involves a young piper I knew from Fife. He was a top grade piper, performed a lot, and so was wearing kilts a lot. His mother also happened to own a kilt shop. Needless to say, he had access to many kilts. He had one in his family tartan, and two or three, he told me, in tartans that he just liked the looks of for performing. He just picked out tartans he liked from his mom's shop.

I know a local piper for whom it is the same. She has her family tartan in a kilt (actually her husband's), and then she picked the tartan for her second kilt simply because of the colors --- she was purchasing it with an eye for what kind of look, as a professional piper, she wanted to present in her uniform.

All this is to say that people's reasons for wearing the kilt may vary. To some it may be a special garment worn on certain occasions to honor one's family history and traditions. To others it may be a professional uniform. To others it is part of a regular wardrobe. All of these are valid approaches, and each will give a different perspective to the question of wearing another clan's tartan.

Aye,
Matt

Thank you, Matt -- I think you've summed it up quite nicely -- or, to further sum it up -- "different horses for courses".

T.

[scoutniagara]

I bought my SWK MacTavish because it was inexpensive, and I liked the colours (aqua, scarlet and black). Also, the MacTavish clan lived in the Argyllshire area of Scotland, next door neighbours to my patriarchal grandmother and her Currie Clan. When asked about this tartan, I answer, It's a MacTavish tartan, neighbours of my grandmother from Dunoon, Argyllshire, Scotland."

My other tartans are "universal" and "district" tartans that have no family ties.

Wear your kilts and enjoy the freedom!

[macwilkin]

I bought my SWK MacTavish because it was inexpensive, and I liked the colours (aqua, scarlet and black). Also, the MacTavish clan lived in the Argyllshire area of Scotland, next door neighbours to my patriarchal grandmother and her Currie Clan. When asked about this tartan, I answer, It's a MacTavish tartan, neighbours of my grandmother from Dunoon, Argyllshire, Scotland."

That is the kind of personal connection that I was talking about.

T.