Tartan vs Plaid

[darklotus1211]

This may interest those of you who are interested in textiles and the history of same.

I came across these rather fascinating (to me anyway) bits of information after just reading a fan fic that described Minerva McGonagall's wardrobe as consisting of 'tartan plaid'. I was listening to a bit of Scottish folk music today too, so, being in that frame

Comments

[darklotus1211]

Thank you for the info quaffie! I'd imagine different tartans would have been more indicative of regions rather than families originally?

Do you wear the Black Douglas tartan, or one of the other variations? Are the different variations of the Douglas interchangeable, or are they linked to different offshoots of the clan?

It's a fascinating subject - textiles and various weaves and patterns can carry so much of the history of a culture, and go back so very far.

As to knowing how to comport oneself in a kilt - one of the pics that came up in my initial google search had one particular pic that was pretty much how you described the incident with your son - lol! 'Google' search indeed...

Do your son and hubby like wearing them? I'd imagine that compared to standard male dress today, most men would quite like them if they gave them a try. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - personally, I like the look of a man in a kilt.

I like the motto by the way.

I've actually seen the older folded and belted kilt at an historical do - there's quite a bit of fabric in a great kilt, isn't there? I don't know if that's the proper term, but that's what the bloke wearing it called it.

[quaffswinegaily]

The great kilt was the one they used to wear, made of one large piece of fabric which could be worn short and pleated for everyday wear, or wrapped around you at night to keep you warm, a very versatile piece of apparel. Even a modern kilt has yards of fabric, and is a heavy garment, which is why it sits so beautifully and swings when you walk.
My choice of tartan is Ancient Green Douglas. I have a relative known as Black Douglas, so none of us were allowed to wear Black Douglas, because he was a bit of a black sheep of the family.
The boys love wearing the kilt. Very liberating, so I'm told. And the girls love them in it. It's a real chick magnet.