To kilt in this clan color or that?

**Off kilt-er dude** · 17th May 12, 12:03 AM

Is it kosher to wear tartans of other clans than those of my ancestry. Or should I find or create a tartan for me/my family? There are several tartans that I found a deal on at a local store in a polyester/rayon blend that I am inspired by and at $4 a yard couldn't resist. Thank you in advance!!!
Robert

**Jock Scot** · 17th May 12, 02:21 AM

Welcome, from Inverness-shire.

You can wear nearly any tartan you like, there are a very few exceptions to this, but in reallity you can wear almost any one. Whether you should is another matter entirely, but that is your choice. There are plenty of attractive tartans available to you if you wish NOT to go down the Clan/family route, such as district/county/state tartans, another choice could be the "Isle of Skye" tartan and is a very attractive and popular "fashion" tartan that will cause no offence whatsoever to anyone.

Have fun!

**Tobus** · 17th May 12, 04:50 AM

Is it kosher to wear tartans of other clans than those of my ancestry.

There are many who take offense to the wearing of their clan tartans by those who do not have any connection to it. Some will even go so far as to question you on how you're connected to the clan whose tartan you wear. Others may just assume you're of that clan and never give it a second thought. And some people don't mind others wearing their clan tartan at all. So there really isn't any set-in-stone answer.

But as Jock Scot says, you can wear whatever tartan you like. There are no kilt cops or tartan enforcement officials who will stop you. Just keep in mind that clan tartans have meaning, and are significant to those who have blood ties to those clans. It's generally considered socially unacceptable to wear symbols of groups to which you have no affiliation, and this is true in all walks of life. Would you wear a Masonic ring if you weren't a Mason? Would you wear a Navy uniform if you had never served? The examples are endless, but they generally serve to show that society doesn't truly accept the idea of wearing the symbols of a group to which you do not belong. And a clan tartan is just that: an identifying symbol of a group. So if you choose to wear the tartan of a clan you have no connection to, be aware that you are (whether you intend to or not) representing yourself as belonging to that clan, and others will take note.

Is it really that big of a deal? No, probably not. But it may just be easier to do as Jock suggests, and find a fashion tartan, regional/district tartan, or other non-clan tartan that appeals to you. And leave the clan tartans for the clans, so that those tartans can retain their significance and meaning.

**auld argonian** · 17th May 12, 05:07 AM

Do you know what tartans that PV that's available in your local store are? If they're selling it in a fabric store, some of them may be "universal" tartans. Interesting, though, how clan tartans get used for shirts willy-nilly (I have a couple of hand-me-down shirts in my closet that are various clan tartans) but when they get made into a kilt it might raise the occasional eyebrow. If you have a deal on some material that you're going to use to making a kilt yourself, I think you get cut a wee bit of slack...hey...it's available, it's cheap...you're making the effort.

Do you know what tartans are available?

Best

AA

**Paul Henry** · 17th May 12, 05:08 AM

You can wear almost any available tartan you like, and it is very unlikely that most people would know what the tartan was or indeed be that interested either!
There are some ( not many , sorry Tobus I really think you are misguided on that one) who might take offence, but those who do know would probably not say anything about , but just have a knowing nod.
Wearing a clan tartan is not the same as wearing a uniform, and to compare the two as equivalent is misleading, A tartan is not a sign of service, or of medal earned, it is largely a recognition of family or historical ties.Most identifiable clan tartans were only created from a weavers catalogue in the 1800's so whilst that lends good age to many, they are not by and large the ancient colours or garb of Highland families . In fact some clan tartans are still being created.

They do have meaning, I'm not suggesting they don't, for clans and clan associations, so whatever you do decide to wear it's a good idea to find out something about the history of them, so that if someone does ask questions you are prepared, many clans will readily give you an ok to wear theirs if you ask nicely!

There are thousands and thousands of tartans , so I'm sure you could find one that you like, after all there would be little point to spend a large sum of money on something that you really didn't like either! Even within clan tartans there are many variations of colour as well, modern/ancient/weathered etc, so if you do decide to go the clan route you still have many options available

**Tobus** · 17th May 12, 05:45 AM

There are some ( not many , sorry Tobus I really think you are misguided on that one) who might take offence, but those who do know would probably not say anything about , but just have a knowing nod.
Wearing a clan tartan is not the same as wearing a uniform, and to compare the two as equivalent is misleading, A tartan is not a sign of service, or of medal earned, it is largely a recognition of family or historical ties.

I don't disagree there, and hopefully my post wasn't misleading. By using the term "many", I didn't mean to imply that the majority of people would be offended. But there are some out there who would take offense, or some lesser form of not liking it. Most people, though, probably don't concern themselves with it. It's just the vocal few who can make a pleasant day into an 'incident' when they decide to challenge someone on their heritage with a clan. And whether the history is ancient or not, there is still a very commonly-held belief out there amongst some people that you must be entitled to wear a clan's tartan.

I also agree that a clan tartan is not the same as an 'earned' symbol like medals or uniforms. I was just showing examples of misrepresentation in the hopes of explaining that tartans are indeed symbols with meaning, and should be respected as such. While most other symbols require effort to earn them, making their misrepresentation more odious, it still remains that clan tartans signify belonging to a group. And wearing the symbols of a group to which one has no ties can be somewhat discourteous to those who take it seriously.

In the end, though, it's not that big of a deal, and I certainly don't mean to make it sound like it is. It's just something to consider, though, out of social courtesy.

**McElmurry** · 17th May 12, 07:03 AM

Here is a good article on tartans.

http://www.albanach.org/whichtartan.html

**usonian** · 17th May 12, 07:57 AM

There have been numerous discussions on this topic here - I don't remember who said it, but the answer I liked best was basically, "There are no kilt police, and the choice is ultimately up to you. If you do decide to wear the tartan of a clan you're not directly affiliated with, it's not a bad idea to learn a thing or two about the clan so you can discuss it and hopefully defuse the situation when somebody starts tut-tutting."

**Off kilt-er dude** · 17th May 12, 08:21 AM

Alright that's sound advice, thanks for the info, im not sure what the clan tartans at my store but I'll take picture of the material and post them on here just to make sure. As for what you originally said Tobus, that made sense to me, I served in the Marine Corps and take great pride in having earned the right to don my uniform. If I come across a tartan I know is a clan tartan I will definitely make a stop here in the future as to gain the knowledge or permission to wear it. My blood is not pure but it does tie back to Scotland, Ireland and Wales pretty significantly with family names like Mccuin, luellen, and I am pretty sure there is even Stuart along with Longshanks on the Luellen side. Thanks again everyone!