Dress Tartans are they woman's clothes?

[Sir Robert]

On the "Dress Tartans" does dress mean "fancy" or does it mean cloth that would be used in the making of a woman's dress?

[Dreadbelly]

Dress tartans are typically used by the lassies.

But they are also worn by Highland dancers because the flashes of white look good when dancing.

[Bob C]

"Fancy" is closer to the truth than calling them womens' clothing. They're just an option that some clans (or, more likely, tartan manufacturers) adopted, substituting white for another predominant color.

[macwilkin]

From the FAQs on the Scottish Tartans Museum ("home" of very own Matt Newsome!):

Hunting and Dress tartans also cause much confusion among the uninitiated. These names also refer to color changes, not to any kind of actual usage. Dress tartans are based on the old arasaide tartans worn by women in the Highlands of the 17th and 18th centuries. These tartans had a white base. Today's dress tartans are made by replacing one of the prominent field colors of a tartan with white. These are used most frequently in dancing, but are often seen in formal and even casual occasions. There is no rule that says one has to wear a dress tartan to a formal occasion. Most men do not. Hunting tartans came about in the mid 1800s when two versions of the MacLeod tartan were published in a book called Vestiarium Scoticum (later proved to be a fake--but there is not enough room to go into the history of this important book here). There was a bright yellow MacLeod (MacLeod of Lewis), called "dress" and a green and blue tartan (MacLeod of Harris) called "hunting." The green tartans became very popular after this and most families who had bright red or yellow based tartans designed alternate tartans with a green background (or sometimes brown) and called them "hunting." Families whose tartans are mostly green do not usually have alternate hunting tartans. These tartans actually had little to do with hunts.

Whether you wear a modern or ancient tartan, hunting or dress, or any other form of your tartan is up to you.

-- http://www.scottishtartans.org/faq.html

Cheers,

Todd

[Jimmy Carbomb]

On the "Dress Tartans" does dress mean "fancy" or does it mean cloth that would be used in the making of a woman's dress?

Nice post Todd. You beat me to it!;-)

I've been to quite a few "gatherings" where guys show-up in the dress tartans, and the laughs are prevailant. Nothing is ever said to them by anyone, mostly because they ARE wearing a kilt, and probably are completely ignorant to the history and tradition.

Even with the modern "flexability" in North America, the die-hards and traditionalists are still greatly entertained by the faux pas. It's always fun to listen to them laugh at the "Nancy Boys".

Since there are some GREAT looking dress tartans, it's tough not to wear them... but since I'm not in a position to "wear what I want", it's not gonna happen.

"Know your tartan"

[Dreadbelly]

I tried to say that dress tartans are for the lassies... But somebody "corrected" me and tried to call them fancy.

Thankfully, others with more authority than I have stepped in and are setting the situation right. :razz:

[Bill]

Though the "dress" tartans are considered to be for the ladies they make a sharp looking tie for those times when you want to show the tartan but for some reason (like work) one cannot wear the kilt. For myself, I would not have a kilt in one.

Bill

[Scotus]

I don't think they are only for women. If you read the quote from Matt's Web site again, it states, "There is no rule that says one has to wear a dress tartan to a formal occasion. Most men do not." It says "most," not, "Men do not wear dress tartans." While I don't find dress tartans to be attractive and would never wear one, I don't think there are any laws preventing a man from wearing one.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Dress tartans are assumed by many to be reserved for formal occasions, simply because of the name. This is not true, but it is the common assumption. Just like you don't have to be hunting to wear a "hunting" tartan, you don't have to be going to a formal event to wear a "dress" tartan.

By those that are "in the know", dress tartans are assumed to be just for women. Why? Because the tradition of a more white-based tartan comes from the seventeenth and eighteenth century airisaides (large shawls worn by women), which were typically made from a white or cream based tartan.

But just because the inspiration for modern dress tartans is a 300 year old women's fashion doesn't mean that men cannot wear dress tartans today. You certainly may if you choose.

So, in short, a dress tartan is usually (but not always) a version of the clan tartan woven with more white. (The dress MacLeod being one exception). They are worn more often by women than by men, perhaps, and certainly they are worn more often by dancers, but that does not mean that one has to be either a woman or a dancer to wear them.

Aye,
Matt

[HeathBar]

The Barclay dress tartan is another one that is mostly yellow or gold (see my avatar). Barclay only comes in either dress or hunting. The dress colors are gold, black,and white. The hunting colors are green,blue, and red.
When I see other Barclay's (Barkley's) at gatherings, most are wearing the dress tartan.
I say, wear what you want. Just know what you are wearing.