Cuillins of Skye/Autumn/Buchanan

[OC Richard]

Buchanan and/or MacMillan have become the vehicles for some recent "fashion" tartans.

All have the characteristic asymmetrical Buchanan aspect.

I threw together a collage showing, Left to Right,

MacMillan Weathered

Buchanan Weathered

Cuillins of Skye (called "Cullins of Skye" by Marton Mills) https://martonmills.com/product/cullins-of-skye/

Autumn (a tweed by Marton Mills) https://martonmills.com/product/autumn/

As someone pointed out, Cuillins of Skye more or less re-casts Buchanan in Canadian Maple Leaf colours.



MacMillan seems to be a simplification of Buchanan.

[Jock Scot]

Tartans are like defining "beauty" and there will be many conflicting thoughts on the matter. However, I am afraid that I can't raise much enthusiasm for any of the tartans shown above.

[12stones]

Richard, thanks for putting the side-by-side together. I can definitely see the similarities, but now can better see the differences too. And, I’m a sucker for that Autumn tweed. I have a few metres heading my way after the new year.

[COScotsman]

Being a MacMillan, you know which tartan I am partial to.

[OC Richard]

I’m a sucker for that Autumn tweed. I have a few metres heading my way after the new year.

It's beautiful! Congratulations, you'll have a gorgeous kilt.

I'm a lover of Marton Mills tweeds ever since I got a kilt in their Hunting Stewart Weathered tweed, and a jacket in their Multicheck tweed.

[OC Richard]

Being a MacMillan, you know which tartan I am partial to.

What's the story with MacMillan? Putting them side-by-side it's clear that it's Buchanan with a number of the fine lines removed (or the other way round, Buchanan being MacMillian with fine lines added).

[COScotsman]

What's the story with MacMillan? Putting them side-by-side it's clear that it's Buchanan with a number of the fine lines removed (or the other way round, Buchanan being MacMillian with fine lines added).

MacMillan does appears a more simplified version of the Buchanan at first glance. Buchanan is utilizing the greens where it is brown scale for the MacMillan. The maroon threads are brighter with the MacMillan in the weathered palate. The obvious difference is the white threads absent in MacMillan. While most clans were satisfied with their personal holdings of lands in regional locations, e.i. MacMillans around Lochaber, Knapdale, Kintyre and in Glen Urquhart and Buchanans strongholds around Loch Lomond, there were clan connections between families as we all know. But back to the tartan palates. Weathered tartans are fairly "new" in the scheme of things as a colour palate goes; earth-tones and threads mimicking the effects of fading over time, etc... Historically, I am sure there were many tartans in certain regions that were close to each other due to natural resources available for the dyeing of the wool. But I am saying nothing new here to our well schooled tartan/kilt aficionados present in this grand forum.

[OC Richard]

Here's a link to Peter MacDonald's article about the origins of the Buchanan tartan

https://www.scottishtartans.co.uk/Buchanan.pdf

Logan in 1831 stated that the Buchanans and MacMillans wore the same tartan, however the colouring of the illustration of the MacMillan figure has simplified Buchanan somewhat, and weavers followed the errors in the illustration rather than the unambiguous text in order to create a dedicated MacMillan tartan.

Here at right is a c1800-1810 example of Buchanan, centre the McIan "Buchanan" illustration, and left the McIan "MacMillan" illustration.