American tartans

[Mike_Oettle]

Benning Boy, since the American tartans displease you, have you perhaps looked into a state tartan? There are 40-plus states with their own setts (counting official and unofficial together), so there is a good chance that there is one you can wear – either from the state you live in, or a state you or your family have some connection with.
There are also a good many other district tartans for parts of the US.
Failing this, perhaps you might qualify to wear one of the many corporate tartans that come from your country. If you have served in the military, there are several military tartans, too. (Of course, in the States, a military tartan is not part of a regimental uniform, but one for civilian wear.)
Since you do not want a custom weave, this is the kind of choice you will probably have to make.
Regards,
Mike

[nagod]

have you considered american national?

[Benning Boy]

Here's something I just threw together using the Scotweb designer. It's American without being gloomy.


Thirteen stripes, just like the flag. A dark blue ground, although I made no effort to precisely match National Blue. And a gold stripe representing the American spirit, the streets-paved-with-gold optimism that brought so many here, and American generosity, unto the point of dying to defend the freedom of others.

The red and white stripes are six threads wide. They could be made wider, reducing the blue. The gold stripe is 16 threads wide, but could be almost any width.

[Tobus]

Why must all American tartans have red/white/blue in them? Are we really that fixated on the flag as our only basis of national identity? I'd like to think we have more imagination than that, and can find other meaningful colours - especially since there are already a plethora of American tartans with red/white/blue in them.

[Benning Boy]

I don't know, I suppose its the easy way out. Red, white and blue in general might represent America, Great Britain or France -- Russia, too? The way I've arranged the red and white above is distinctly American, unlike any of the other American tartans, district, bicentennial, or whatever. There should be no confusing it with with a tartan representing any other red, white and blue nation.

I don't think the use of red, white and blue in an American tartan is any less imaginative than using Thistle Purple in every danged thing to do with Scotland, saffron in Irish tartans, or schwarz, rot und geld in the German Heritage tartan. All these designs are more imaginative than many of the clan tartans, where a colored stripe or two was laid over Black Watch without much thought.

Anyway, I'd be delighted to see a tartan using other colors that actually says to the world, "American!" Perhaps we could use precious red, yellow, black and white -- with maybe a little brown thrown in just to be PC.

[Benning Boy]

BCAC, this is a place where the overwhelming content is statements of opinion. You express yours with every post. I expressed mine. I've never been afraid to. I've learned when you express an opinion in public some may jump in and agree with you, yet just as many, often more, will give you holy hell. I don't like American Heritage, it pushes all my buttons in a bad way. Sure others may like it, some have said so, and more power to them. I set out looking for a tartan that represents America, that makes me, and I would hope many viewers, feel good, not depressed. It so happens, after all my searching, the only readily available American tartan is the morbid, funereal one. I'd drape a catafalque with it, but I'd never wear it. It would be nice if some already accepted tartan like American Bicentennial or American District were in production and a stock item, but apparently they aren't. I'd prefer a tartan in p/v because I wear kilts a lot, and find p/v's ease of care a plus. I gets hot here and p/v would be a little cooler than wool.

[tundramanq]

BB, The only semi-traditional I have is the American Heritage. It is special, but somber. The other 12 USAKs are casuals, most in tartans Rocky designed. As Rocky pointed out it is a bear to work with blue and red due to the purples popping up where they cross.
A white background would solve most of this issue, but for some reason it's hard to get guys to wear what is thought of as a full dress or ladies dance tartan. I like your design, but it suffers the afore mentioned purple shift of the red when crossing the blue background.
Work with Rocky, he has a great eye for what tartans will sell and if you come up with a great one he will probably have a run of PV made. I'm up for a lively all American tartan to complement the Heritage tartan.

[Bareknees1]

I've checked the horse of this thread for a pulse, and indeed, it is expired. Further beating seems superfluous. Vigorous distaste regarding a tartan design has been unequivocally established. Equally vigorous defense has been proffered, as well as supportive and constructive thoughts as to how best to satiate a desire to find an alternative. It is in that latter spirit that I might humbly suggest that direction to be taken, otherwise the risk is run that this thread devolves into an exercise of cleverness and one-upsmanship that derails a potential opportunity for great minds to develop a great idea(Like, say, a new tartan design). Respectful discourse never requires a post debate shower.

[TheOfficialBren]

I like the American Heritage tartan for exactly the reasons stated above. It brings to mind the Black Stewart tartan but is distinctly different, it isn't overwhelming like the Bicentennial tartan (no offence to lovers of that tartan) , and has the aesthetic pull that tartans like Black watch have.

To support what Rocky said about colours that appeal to men, I, for one, do gravitate toward darker, more reserved tartans rather than tartans that jump out and smack you in the face. Indeed, during the period of tartan proliferation weren't many of the standards that we see that date to that period kind of on the dark side (it was, after all, the Victorian period).

Take Chattan. Lovely tartan. Very busy, kind of loud. I like it and respect it because I have a direct connection to the Clan Chattan confederation. Would I wear it? Probably in weathered or reproduction colours but doubtful in the modern colours.

I agree with Tobus, too. Why must every American tartan scream red, white, and blue? Why must we have so many distinctly American tartans to begin with? It is Scottish National Dress, afterall, and America's tartan past is, speaking objectively, less "Scottish" in a national sense than "English." That is a fact. We are not Canada or another Commonwealth nation with a history of Highland regiments (our only Highland regiment only briefly wore kilts and abandoned them very early on, along with the any Scottish nomenclature, to the best of my knowledge).

California, by the way, does have a stunning tartan that reminds me of Cameron of Errecht (which was worn by the aforementioned regiment in the early 1860s).

Insulting another's tartan is, I'm afraid, poor form, good sir. It's just not done.

[BCAC]

BCAC, this is a place where the overwhelming content is statements of opinion. You express yours with every post. I expressed mine. I've never been afraid to. I've learned when you express an opinion in public some may jump in and agree with you, yet just as many, often more, will give you holy hell. I don't like American Heritage, it pushes all my buttons in a bad way. Sure others may like it, some have said so, and more power to them. I set out looking for a tartan that represents America, that makes me, and I would hope many viewers, feel good, not depressed. It so happens, after all my searching, the only readily available American tartan is the morbid, funereal one. I'd drape a catafalque with it, but I'd never wear it. It would be nice if some already accepted tartan like American Bicentennial or American District were in production and a stock item, but apparently they aren't. I'd prefer a tartan in p/v because I wear kilts a lot, and find p/v's ease of care a plus. I gets hot here and p/v would be a little cooler than wool.

There are ways of expressing your opinion, BB. Saying X Tartan is morbid is different to saying I don't care for X tartan because it seems too dark to me and I prefer tartans that seem more electric, more alive. The first phrase is dissing X tartan. The second phrase is stating your opinion of X tartan.