What kilt 'should' I wear?

[Beery]

As I'm wearing my utilikilt more I'm beginning to like the idea of getting a more traditional kilt. However, I have no Scottish ancestry that I know of (I'm English with a dash of Welsh and a smidgen of Belgian blood), and although my last name (Cooper) has a tartan associated with it (and I like the colour), I'm not sure if that's what I should wear. I'd like to hold to tradition in terms of wearing a kilt that's seen by rabid traditionalists as 'okay for me to wear', so I'm wondering what tartans are accepted by the most pedantic kilt aficionados as wearable for 'sassenachs'.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not 'bound' by tradition - if I saw a tartan that I just 'had' to have, I'd grab it without much thought about offending folks. If it comes to that, the Black Stewart tartan looks nicest to me. It's just that I thought it would be nice if my first tartan kilt obeyed 'the rules' if possible.

So what's the story?

[Southern Breeze]

Basicly, there are no "rules" when it comes to wearing a particular tartan. Here's a link to a thread on this issue.
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=11737

[millar]

Rules simply put are wear what you think is right but always respect what you wear. So if the Black Stewart suits you go for it.

[cessna152towser]

Black Watch is an English government tartan so is probably OK for anyone to wear without offending any clan purists.

[macwilkin]

Black Watch is an English government tartan so is probably OK for anyone to wear without offending any clan purists.

I wouldn't make that remark around any Grants, Munros, or Campbells! ;)

Cheers,

Todd

[Beery]

To Southern Breeze and Millar:

Thanks for the advice and the link, but I guess what I'm asking is "what are the most restrictive rules for the wearing of the kilt that will still allow me to wear it?" I realise that no one can stop me wearing what I want to wear (and trust me, if I build up a collection of kilts I'm sure to wear many tartans that will not be ones I'm 'permitted' to wear). But just for fun I'd like to be steered towards a tartan that everyone (except perhaps those who insist on verifiable clan ancestry) could agree that I'm welcome to wear. In other words I want to find out which tartan the 'rules' say I should wear - just for fun - after all, I may hate it and not want to wear it at all. Basically, I have no real preference as to colour, so I'm attempting to use the biases of others to steer me towards a tartan. It's sort of a game based on respect for the opinions of the kilt aficionados - I feel it makes the game more interesting if it's driven by rules more complex and meaningful than simply choosing a tartan at random. Sure, I could choose the Black Stewart, and it would be fine, but in light of my not really caring about the colour, giving the choice some sort of rationale appeals to me.

[Jerry]

Like I said in the other thread, if you are concerned about expense, check out Stillawter. If you don't mind spending anywhere from about $250 to as much as $700, check out the other kiltmakers you will hear about on this forum. They will all have some generic tartans. Since you say tou have Welch ancestry, there are several who offer a Welch national tartan.

[Beery]

I've noticed there's a Welsh national tartan, and I think I even saw a New Zealand national tartan. Does England have a national tartan other than the government one?

[Rigged]

If I was going to buy a Shelby Ford Mustang, I'd want to know a lot about Mustangs and the history behind the Shelby. It's a car that people who know cars would ask me about and I should have answers.

I feel the same way about tartans. I wear a Stewart tartan and I took the time to learn something about the Stewarts and my familiy's relation to the Stewarts, in case someone asks -- and people have asked.

[macwilkin]

I've noticed there's a Welsh national tartan, and I think I even saw a New Zealand national tartan. Does England have a national tartan other than the government one?

There are several tartans associated with English counties:

www.district-tartans.com/british.htm

And I should point out that the Government Sett, also known as the Black Watch tartan is not really an "English" tartan, since it was worn by a Scottish regiment, and a Highland one to boot, in service of the British crown.

I would recommend a district tartan, such as the Mass. state tartan, the US tartan, or one of the English or Welsh tartans. I personally like to see more folks wearing these, and the whole concept of a district tartan is very historical. Matt Newsome's web site that I cited above is a plethora of information on district tartans.

Cheers,

Todd