I have always used 1839 as the dividing line between historical and traditional civilian Highland attire. Why 1839? Because that is the year the French perfected the photographic process and from that date we have accurate images-- snapshots, if you will-- of what all classes of society wore. We can see, day by day, the progress or evolution of all modes of attire.

So, by looking at photographs we can tell what people wore. Not only that, we can tell when and where certain items of clothing were worn. We can also tell when those items of clothing ceased to evolve in style, or became discarded by the overwhelming majority of people.

Looking at Highland attire in the century 1839-1939 we see commonality in items of day wear and evening wear. In other words we see a tradition of men wearing tweed during the day and finer cloth-- velvet and barathea-- in the evening. In this same period we also see the style-- that is the actual cut of the garment-- refining itself. In the period of 1919-1939, we see styles becoming "static", in other words they have evolved into something that is perceived as both aesthetic and functional. Trim details may vary, but the basic pattern is now pretty much set. And because this pattern of clothing does not vary, it is considered a "classic" style.

So, how to define traditional? I think that's fairly easy if one accepts that "traditional" refers to when things are worn. Day wear and evening wear have evolved into two different kinds of attire. Traditionally one wears more "rugged" clothes during the day, and more "refined" clothes in the evening. It is the style of these traditional clothes (and those that wear them) that determines whether they are "classic" or "contemporary".

In twenty-nine years we will be able to look back on two centuries of "modern" Highland attire. We will then be able to see what, if any, "contemporary" changes have taken root since 1939, and become accepted as "classic" Highland attire.