Semple approach to Traditional Highland Dress

[OC Richard]

There've been threads about the series of book The Scottish Tartans (W & AK Johnston, later Johnston & Bacon) and the illustrations therein.

One problem is that the books didn't start putting in publication dates until the 1945 edition.

The texts in the early edition brackets dates 1916-1921 though the illustrations were hopeless out of date by that time, having been published in a series of postcards between around 1900 and 1910.

Then a completely new set of illustrations by William Semple appeared in editions starting around 1935 (the latest date mentioned in the text).

These show the fully developed "traditional Highland Dress" that is still with us today, kilt hire and pipe bands notwithstanding.

These are mere illustrations, the invention of the illustrator, to be distinguished from portraiture.

However they do show precisely the Highland Dress being sold in the catalogues, being described as "proper" by writers, and seen in innumerable photographs from the 1930s through 1960s.

One thing to note is the hose matching the tweed of the jacket, something recommended regularly at that time.

Also note that nearly all the shoes are black and all the sporrans are brown. Black leather sporrans don't begin being sold in the catalogues until around 1980.

Here's a sample of the Semple illustrations



Here's my Semple-minded attempt at this look, with matching hose and jackets, red flashes, white shirt, and plain brown sporran and plain black shoes.

Oh! And in a couple of the photos I wore a point-collar shirt as seen in the Semple illustrations.

(This is the only kilt I have which could have existed in the 1930s.)

[User]

Thank you for posting this. I always love seeing the old catalog photos and your modern recreations of them.

[DCampbell16B]

A couple examples of ghillies. (Not trying to start something. Just an observation.)

All the bonnets are blue. Some lighter, some darker.

[Troglodyte]

Demonstrated perfectly, OC..!

Once the illustrations had become 20th century in their fashion style, I think they found much more accord with the kilt-wearing public, and changed little until, say, the 1990s.

There seems to then come a new kilt-wearing generation who had different ideas of fashion, and colour tones in both tweeds and tartans took a turn for earthier and muddier (perhaps more natural was intended), and the paler fawns and 'stone' shades of tweed with conventional clan tartans now seem to be less popular. And so the Semple illustrations seem now seem quaintly old-fashioned.

Most of the Highland Dress outfitters I see here in northern Scotland have their shop-windows display the latest trends - no doubt to attract the young gent getting kitted out for his wedding and the like. The current fashion is for all grey - which makes the whole outfit look as if it has been given a dunking in black dye - not enough to make eveything totally black, but close enough.

Personally, I prefer the softer, paler shades Semple shows, but I cannot remember when I last saw such tweeds in stock garments. Hose, too, are now seldom seen in soft, tweed-matching tones - perhaps we here a Xmarks should start a revivalist movement...

[Tomo]

Hose, too, are now seldom seen in soft, tweed-matching tones - perhaps we here a Xmarks should start a revivalist movement...

I have found that Rowan Felted Tweed DK makes for great tweed-matching tones...

[Janner52]

The illustrations depict the kilt and accompanying garments worn in scenarios which make the wearer appear relaxed and natural. They make the kilt look an attractive garment which the observer would want to own.

From where I am looking some of the shoes appear brown. This could be an attempt to portray reflected colour however, in contrast others are obviously black.

What I very much like are the bonnets. They are clearly a single colour, apart from the tourie, and have no dicing. This makes them much more attractive to me.

They are also well fitted and shaped and less floppy unlike the more modern ones.

The headgear should not be so garish as to detract from the rest of the attire.

[OC Richard]

A couple examples of ghillies. (Not trying to start something. Just an observation.)

All the bonnets are blue. Some lighter, some darker.

Agreed on both counts!

The Semple shoes are a mix of ordinary brogues, Ghillie brogues, Mary Janes, and the "kiltie" shoes with the decorative flaps over the laced portion. (I don't know what those shoes are properly called. I've seen the flaps sold separately as well.)

And yes nearly all the Balmorals are blue. I would have worn a plain dark blue one if I had such. It's a traditional Highland dress essential! (If one comes up on Ebay in my size I'll grab it.)

There are two non-blue Balmorals in my 1930s edition: MacEwan (sort of Khaki Drab) and Graham of Menteith (a neutral colour somewhere in the middle of Lovat Green, Fawn, and Khaki Drab).

[OC Richard]

The illustrations depict the kilt and accompanying garments worn in scenarios which make the wearer appear relaxed and natural. They make the kilt look an attractive garment which the observer would want to own.

I hadn't thought of that but you're exactly right! The illustrations would be fitting for a catalogue selling Highland wear.

From where I am looking some of the shoes appear brown.

Yes some of the Semple illustrations clearly show brown shoes, for example MacNeil of Barra, Graham of Menteith, Fraser of Lovat, Campbell, and Hay, while several others are possibly intended to be brown.

What I very much like are the bonnets. They are clearly a single colour, apart from the tourie, and have no dicing. This makes them much more attractive to me.

In the book the vast majority of the bonnets are plain, however there are a few diced ones.

[Pleater]

A couple examples of ghillies. (Not trying to start something. Just an observation.)

All the bonnets are blue. Some lighter, some darker.

I make bonnets, simple crochet, in a few 'traditional' colours, black, grey and various shades of blue.
These days I usually wear one when away at folk festivals and over the last few years I have done fairly well selling the one I am wearing to those wanting to know where I got it. I suspect that as time passes there are fewer and fewer outlets for such things.

Of course as time passes more and more people think that 'Outlander' costumes are the real thing.

Anne the pleater

[OC Richard]

...the paler fawns and 'stone' shades of tweed with conventional clan tartans now seem to be less popular. And so the Semple illustrations seem now seem quaintly old-fashioned.

Yes it's interesting that most of the Semple illustrations show stone, fawn, and pale grey. Lovat blue and Lovat green appear but often a bit more pale.

And it's not just those illustrations, there are colour photos from Highland Games in the 1950s and 1960s showing the same tweed colours.

For whatever reason by the 1960s and 1970s most of the jackets become Lovat Blue and Lovat Green, with Moss probably the third most-seen. I have a photo somewhere (I can't find it) of around 20 men at a Highland Games and all of them are wearing either Lovat Blue or Lovat Green.

I'll go with Moss and Fawn over the Lovats any day.

Most of the Highland Dress outfitters I see here in northern Scotland have their shop-windows display the latest trends - no doubt to attract the young gent getting kitted out for his wedding and the like. The current fashion is for all grey - which makes the whole outfit look as if it has been given a dunking in black dye - not enough to make eveything totally black, but close enough.

Yes kilt hire has gone through a Grey Scale fad which sadly isn't quite over yet. And its apparent replacement, an all-black fad.

perhaps we here a Xmarks should start a revivalist movement...

Yes! It's starting already.