Quote Originally Posted by lukeyrobertson View Post
According to Ken McGoogan's book "How the Scots Invented Canada", 2010., in 1822 King George IV visited Scotland (first reigning monarach to visit Scotland since 1650). Sir Walter Scott was appointed to coordinate the pageantry for the 14 day visit. Scott had requested that any and everyone should wear tartan...and of the over 300,000 attendees, apparently a great number did. McGoogan writes that Walter Scott is remembered as the one who made the kilt and bagpipes icons of scottish identity.

Now for the historians on this forum, I am wondering if that event wasn't pivotal in making the fashion switch from boxpleat to knife pleat complete especially for civilian dress?
I very much doubt it. There is no evidence of knife pleated kilts during the Highland Revival (c1780-1840) and all the kilts that survive from the era of the visit are balanced box pleated ones. The first record we have, as Matt mentioned, is some 30 years after the Levee.