Help me think through my next kilt

**Pyper** · 30th October 10, 06:41 AM

Hi all,

I've had a red Macpherson kilt for about 20 years, and it's been good, but I'm a bit bigger. I've decided I want to get a new kilt and use the old one for camping, hiking, and everyday use. I might need to have it let out an inch or two.

But on the subject of the new kilt, I'm somewhat at a loss for choice of tartan.

I could get another Macpherson, but it seems like it would be a waste to have two kilts of the same tartan. There's a Macpherson hunting tartan too, but I don't care for it. It's a gray field with purple, and it just doesn't appeal to me (nothing against the many who do like it, btw). Oh, and I'm a life member of the Clan Macpherson Association.

Anyway, I think I want something different. I don't think I can afford a new jacket, so whatever I get should work with a dark blue argyle and a lovat blue tweed. I'm kind of leaning towards a district tartan, but I'm not familiar with them and it's hard to know which ones would go well with the jackets I have.

**piperdbh** · 30th October 10, 06:46 AM

Did I read somewhere that you're in South Carolina? If so, you could have a kilt made in the Carolina tartan. I really like mine, and have received many compliments on it.
If you live somewhere else, try Googling your state/province/county name and "tartan" and see what happens.
Give us a few monr details about yourself and we can probably help you.

**Pyper** · 30th October 10, 10:20 AM

The Carolina tartan looks nice. Do you think it would go with a Lovat blue tweed jacket?

**lethearen** · 30th October 10, 10:24 AM

I think that'd go really well with lovat blue.

**Tartan Tess** · 30th October 10, 04:39 PM

I make and wear kilts for the tartan I like.

**xman** · 30th October 10, 05:46 PM

Originally Posted by Pyper

The Carolina tartan looks nice. Do you think it would go with a Lovat blue tweed jacket?

heh, I think you could do a lot worse. Contact Matt Newsome at the Scottish Tartan Museum (link above). Maybe he still has some Wilson's Colours around.

**NewEnglander** · 30th October 10, 08:09 PM

As another MacPherson, I'd have to recommend the muted tartan. Mine is from Burnett's & Struth:

And here's a pic of my casual kilt from them in the tartan:

I'm actually considering a semi-traditional kilt from USA Kilts in the MacPherson red. I'm wearing a USAK casual in MacPherson hunting as I type. I don't mind the thin red and blue stripes (which admittedly can give it a purple/pink look). I enjoy the charcoal grey and black tones. Check out my XMarks photo albumn for shots of both kilts.

Creag Dubh!

**Riverkilt** · 30th October 10, 09:13 PM

I'm confused - my MacPherson Hunting is red, black, gray - no purple. Marton Mills cloth.

**Pyper** · 31st October 10, 03:46 AM

[QUOTE=Riverkilt;923197]I'm confused - my MacPherson Hunting is red, black, gray - no purple. Marton Mills cloth.

[QUOTE]

Far out. All these years I've been seeing the red/blue pairs as purple.

http://www.tartansauthority.com/tart...n_name_search=

**OC Richard** · 31st October 10, 04:37 AM

Originally Posted by NewEnglander

As another MacPherson, I'd have to recommend the muted tartan.

Exactly what I was thinking!

For example, House Of Edgar has a lovely Muted range where the colours change from Modern Colours as follows:

scarlet > claret/burgundy

dark green > olive green

dark blue > soft mid-blue, what some might call "French blue"

These changes completely transform familiar tartans into something fresh and striking.

Then there's Dalgleish's Weathered range which again completely transforms the look of tartans.

I'm personally not a fan of red tartans rendered in so-called Ancient Colours where red becomes orange.

You didn't mention what colours your existing Red MacPherson kilt is woven in. I'm just guessing that it might be Modern Colours and that one of the other colour schemes mentioned might give you a very different "look" while retaining your same clan tartan.

Another way to get a quite different "look" is to change the pleating style. For example, if your existing kilt is pleated to the sett, you can get a second kilt pleated to the stripe. Even if the two kilts are made of the same fabric they will look completely different from the rear.

So for example if your existing kilt was Modern Red MacPherson pleated to the sett, you could get a Muted Red MacPherson pleated to the stripe and have two very different kilts!