I came across this article...

http://www.scottishtartans.co.uk/A_H..._MacGregor.pdf

...whilst browsing the forums and thought that the way in which the plaid was thought possibly to be worn might be incorrect. Firstly, the idea that the unjoined mid section might be to accommodate the tail of the jacket just didn't ring true. Besides, the drawstring arrangement simply wouldn't work properly, leading either to one big pleat in the middle, or the need to manually pleat the centre section and somehow use the drawstring to pleat the rest. It all just doesn't add up.

Secondly, I noticed that the centre unjoined section was exactly twice the length of the end unjoined sections (32" vs. 16"), and was symmetrically placed. I had one of those "lightbulb" moments and came up with the following:-

Click image for larger version.  Name: Drawstring Plaid.jpg  Views: 183  Size: 38.2 KB  ID: 13285

Here's how it works.

1) The plaid is laid out on the ground and a drawstring is inserted through the 14 loops.

2) The plaid is DOUBLED OVER to create a double-thickness of material 102"x48". This is the critical piece of the puzzle so far missing.

3) The drawstring is used to create the pleats. interestingly, there are only 6 pleats.

4) The wearer lies on the plaid, pulls the aprons over his lower body, and ties the drawstring off at the left hip, both ends of the string are tied to the 'loop' created by the folding of the cloth.

5) The wearer arranges the upper portion of the plaid as necessary.

This method leads to some interesting conclusions.

1) The whole ensemble is double thickness. Four layers at the apron instead of two, two layers over the upper body instead of one.

2) It is easier to put on than a simple rectangular plaid. the aprons can be arranged separately from the 'cloak'. Anyone who has tried to don a plaid will appreciate this.

3) There are only six pleats at the rear. This is a very low number by modern standards, but my impression is that historically, pleat numbers were lower in the past.

4) It's much more weatherproof. Having done a fair bit of hillwalking (hiking) in my kilt, I have observed that whilst a single layer of cloth might get wet through, I have never encountered two layers getting wet through, at least not on any typical day in the Scottish mountains. I have in the past wondered how the upper portion of the plaid was arranged to keep the weather out, when the standard method of wearing the plaid led to a single layer of cloth covering the upper body. This new arrangement however leads to a double layer on the upper body, thus keeping the wearer much drier.

Any thoughts or comments would be much appreciated.