Genuine kilties in the movies

[OC Richard]

You're dead right about the colours - or lack of them.

Where did this fashion for dull greys and browns come from, I wonder.

I think the culprit was DC Dalgliesh.

Here it is in his own words:





The tartans Dalgliesh introduced in the late 1940s, which they called "reproduction" colours, had these substitutions

Green > brown
Blue > grey
Black > (unchanged)
Scarlet > dull claret-red

At some point this entire colour-scheme was adopted by Lochcarron, who re-named it "weathered" colours.

Though not using reproduction/weathered tartans, and not depicting "ancient" Highlanders, chronologically the next appearance of brown tartans was probably Tunes of Glory (1960).

It was a strange choice due to none of the Scottish Highland regiments wearing a tartan remotely like that.



As for Hollywood using the reproduction/weathered colour scheme for "ancient" Highlanders, it might have started with Rob Roy (1995, top right).

It continues to this day with the current and hugely popular Outlander (2014-present, bottom right).

Here are Hollywood "ancient Highlanders" compared to actual old portraits.

BTW it's my theory that the costume designer saw some old images of Highlanders with belted plaids, and other images showing small kilts with long plaids wrapped around the body, and not realising that these were two distinct forms of dress, conflated the two, creating the bizarre thing Liam Neeson can be seen wearing.

As we see in Outlander, Hollywood costumers insist on a strip of tartan going diagonally across the chest even when a belted plaid is clearly intended.