After reading the threads here about plaids and particularily the day or 'Laird's' plaid I began researching it for myself and I was surprised to discover that the day plaid in the past wasn't just hung, folded, over ones left shoulder.
Looking carefully at the wonderful paintings by Macleay on the STA website I noticed that 1. Day plaids at that time (1870) seem to have been commonly wrapped around the body with the fringes hanging front and back of the left shoulder
and 2. It appears that this arrangement was sometimes pinned/broached.
Now of course these days we say that only the fly plaid, the pipers or the drummers plaid are broached, and these three are also stitched and pressed and somewhat stylised.
However it is clear which gents are wearing one of these three.
There are a couple though that (to my eye) wear a loosely wrapped 'day' plaid that is also broached at the left shoulder.
No pressed pleats in the plaid, bunched and rounded and hanging as per the day plaids sans broach.
I rather like this day plaid look to tell the truth. Certainly the wrapped day plaid without a broach looks very proper with a traditional walking out outfit.
What do you gents and ladies think?
This painting is by Semple from 'The Scottish Tartan's' W & K Johnston Ltd , a gent from the late Victorian era I believe
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