Weathered Tartans

[OC Richard]

I've always thought of weathered tartans as more outdoorsy...

Does anyone have any specific occasions/outfits for which their clan's weathered tartan is preferred?

Wondering if there is any known lore around weathered tartans or if they're just born out of giving the wearer another color option?

These are interesting questions!

The last question is the easiest to answer: almost certainly Reproduction/Weathered tartans were introduced and woven primarily to give customers a new and attractive colour option.

The question about the when and with what to wear Weathered tartans is more difficult.

When Dalgliesh introduced their Reproduction Palette in 1949 it wasn't the first time the Highland Dress world had a new colour-scheme to digest.

Around 1900 some Highland Dress manufacturer introduced a new colour palette originally called "vegetable colourings".

(Here, in a Forsyth catalogue said to date to 1909)



It was imagined to be older and more authentic. Certainly it was attractive, woven in lovely pastel hues that livened up Highland outfits.

From the get-go kilts in the new vegetable colourings were thought of as simply an alternate palette, and equally acceptable in Outdoor Dress and Evening Dress.

Leap forward to 1949 when a second new colourway is introduced, Reproduction colours.

The kilts are brown and grey. They look earthy and "outdoorsy" as you say. When do you wear such kilts, and what do you wear them with?

Seems that most people simply regarded it as another alternate palette, and equally suitable to Day and Evening.

Here:



Yet, I do very often see Weathered Colours kilts worn in all-earth tone outfits, with brown tweed, brown hose, even brown ghillies.



Evidently there's a dual attitude concerning Weathered colours.