Attitudes To The Kilt.

[James]

I've started a new chain of thought here, because rightly in a previous chain Jimmy Carbomb suggested that I hang out with some 'hardballers' in respect of their attitudes.

He is right, I'm rather more broadminded than some, and it is well to be aware that there are differing attitudes. Please accept that I'm not seeking to inhibit anyone from wearing the kilt in the way that suits them, however in some circles there are strong feelings about the tartan.

The kilt was the attire of the highlander, and scorned by the lowlander-certanly it was not to recently a national dress. The otherside of the coin being that many see it as the attire of a clansman-that is a highland clan or someone with a direct link by blood to that clan. In my case that is true, I wear the kilt as a clansman.

Now whilst it is possible to argue about the provenance of the various clan tartans and their associated names; many have been around long enough to have become well accepted as the right tartan to wear. In fact contrary to what many will say, the only tartan to wear. The thinking being that if one has not got an entitlement, then say an area tartan is the only option, rather than go for one to which there is no clear entitlement. Whilst you'd only wear a regimental tartan as a result of serving with that regiment, or maybe one's father had served with it. By the same token I'd not wear say the USMC or an American State tartan: nor having served with an English Regiment would I wear the tartan of a higland regiment-for to me it would be intolerably rude of me.

Allied to this is certain thinking about how the kilt should be worn and what with, depending on the time of day and activity. This in turn means that some items put forward by tailors and kilt rental firms for weddings and such like-would be a certain no-no for a serious clan/highland event. Just as would be the idea of wearing any tartan that takes one's fancy.

Thus an American with a genuine clan connection would be far more welcome in some circles than a lowlander who happened to be wearing a kilt.

The whole thing being confused by the way that tailors will sell any tartan-their job: further people can be mislead by good manners-which might suggest that their choice of tartan and how they wear it is accepted-when in fact it is not. Though I have heard a clansman who took the wrong advice being told to go away and as he was dressed like a little girl dancer go and join them!

A part of the problem being that many who appear to advise with authority, write books upon the subject and so on, do not appreciate the depth of feeling in certain quarters. Here I might be wrong as I've never been to America, but I'm told that there is still a great amount of oft latent feeling and high emotions remaining from the time of the Civil War, and one or two Americans I've met appear to reinforce that view--might it be the same about the tartan?

As said the purpose of this note is not to inhibit anyone or try to stiffle the development of kilt wearing by a wider public. For at a personal level, I think the kilt is an excellent form of attire for any man, and should rightly evolve. However it is well to be aware that some people do hold very strong views.

To illustrate this I mentioned this website to a fellow kilt wearer-and he after looking at it went ballistic as a result of some of the opinions and ideas he read.

Anyway good luck and keep on with wearing the kilt.

James

[Graham]

I think I follow that James, I hope we all aim to aquire a good balance of casual, everyday wear with a heathy respect for the traditions of kilt wearing.

I love the kilt, I wear it every day, every hour of the day, in all weathers and conditions, in all circumstances both work and play.

Only the kilt can do that and make the wearer feel that every minute of the day is an adventure.

Here's to the kilt, and the freedom in body, mind and spirit it represents!

[davedove]

You're right about the feelings towards traditions, James. I suspect that traditions hold a more important place in the hearts of the highlander, especially with the history of conflict and subjugation. Here in the States, traditions are generally not held as dear, probably because we are such a young country compared to those in Europe and we have such a diverse population. Not that we don't have traditions, it's just that are exposed to so many, we tend to adopt new traditions and lose old ones much faster.

While I would hold that a person can wear any tartan he desires, he should know what it signifies, and respect any history associated with it. Personally, I prefer to wear tartans with which I have some sort of family connection. Of course, here in the States, folks have mingled for so long, most people have connections to several Scottish families.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I would only comment that the strength of feeling that some may have about "wearing the correct tartan" does not itself make that notion true.

I could feel with the utmost passion and sincerety that only people from the American southwest could wear blue jeans, but that feeling on my part would not make it correct. Even if a thousand of us were to share that feeling, it still would not make it correct.

I understand completely that there are many out there (in Scotland, the US, Canada, Australia, and other places) who share in the notion that there is such a thing as a "correct" tartan and if you are wearing a tartan you are not "entitled" to, you are committing a major social blunder if not being downright offensive. But where did this notion come from? It is not traditional Highland practice. The most traditional way to select a tartan to wear would be to browse through the swatch books not even looking at the name and picking the one you liked the best.

The idea that for a tartan to be a real tartan it had to be "named" and that only certain people could wear a named tartan was something that developed over the course of the nineteenth century -- largely as a result of tartan becoming popular among Lowlanders and English who were vacationing up in the Scottish Highlands.

Tartan scholars today (and really throughout the twentieth century), while honoring the "clan tartan" system that has developed over the past two hundred years, are trying to get the word out that one can wear pretty much any tartan they like -- there are no hard and fast rules, nor have there ever been, about who can wear what tartan. There is no such thing as being "entitled" to wear a tartan.

And really, even if my last name were something as straightforward as "MacDonald," could I prove that I was descended from someone in the MacDonald clan? No, all that name means is that I am descended from someone named Donald, who may have been from the Clan Campbell for all I know! The whole thing needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

Aye,
Matt Newsome (an English name!)

[Mac Coinneach]

Great post, James. A couple of comments:

Allied to this is certain thinking about how the kilt should be worn and what with, depending on the time of day and activity. This in turn means that some items put forward by tailors and kilt rental firms for weddings and such like-would be a certain no-no for a serious clan/highland event. Just as would be the idea of wearing any tartan that takes one's fancy.

I think the only people that are all that concerned with "how a kilt should be worn" are the kilt sellers. The idea of selling two rigs because of the time of day you happen to be wearing your kilt must work wonders for the year-end figures.

Though I have heard a clansman who took the wrong advice being told to go away and as he was dressed like a little girl dancer go and join them!

Funny, I was just trying to explain that kilts in the "dress" tartans weren't what would normally be associated with a man. Even though it's true, it wasn't well-received - I'm guessing there's some gents here that got saddled with a dress tartan kilt.

To illustrate this I mentioned this website to a fellow kilt wearer-and he after looking at it went ballistic as a result of some of the opinions and ideas he read.

Why am I not surprised.

You're right about the feelings towards traditions, James. I suspect that traditions hold a more important place in the hearts of the highlander, especially with the history of conflict and subjugation. Here in the States, traditions are generally not held as dear, probably because we are such a young country compared to those in Europe and we have such a diverse population. Not that we don't have traditions, it's just that are exposed to so many, we tend to adopt new traditions and lose old ones much faster.

Let's try and remember here that we're talking about a Scottish garment, so the country of origin would (rightly) be where we look to for the tradition. You don't "adopt new traditions", you water down the true traditions and then suggest that the new way is the correct way. I'm not trying to be argumentative here, but if we're talking about Scottish kilts, then the traditions behind wearing a kilt are set in Scotland, and not anywhere else.

[highlander_Daz]

I agree with Mac that you should look to scotland for the Traditions behind wearing the Kilt correcley, I draw your attention to the recent posts re. wearing "sashes" and "spats" .

Ive brought up the subject of what I call "tartanarama" several times, there must be very few people in the world unlucky enough not to have a Tartan , and even then you can choose a "district" Tartan, clearly a lot of this is purely a ploy to sell tartan goods to tourists, and if this pumps money into Scotlands tourist industry then its not such a bad thing but people should be aware that many of these Tartans are not "historic" , but a modern slant on a Traditional design. as for wearing Tartans I dont feel we should get too hung up on this, Im not a cowboy but I wear jeans, Im not a biker but I have a leather Jacket, Im not Micheal Schumacher but I have a Ferarri cap, and Im not a catholic and i wear a Glasgow Celtic football shirt, so long as you wear it with pride it doesnt matter, and its very rare you will get challanged about what Tartan your wearing and if anyone complains a Glasgow handshake is Guaranteed to dissuade then from pressing the point!! If your wearing a McDonald Tartan simply tell them you like the milk shakes from there its as good a reason as any!!

[bubba]

Considering the idea of Clan tartans was an English notion I tend to wonder about the devotion to that "tradition". Most highlanders wore whatever the local weaver was making and the more colors the greater the persons social position and wealth. It was really pretty simple.

[davedove]

Yeah, it is a Scottish garment and the traditions start there. If I were to go to an official Scottish function, I would be very strict in how I would dress, for the same reason I would watch how I dress at any function - respect.

However, like all things in life, traditions change and adapt to new circumstances. There will always be some who follow the original traditions, and I have nothing against that. I think it's valuable to have these sorts around to learn from and remind us of where the traditions originate.

As Matt has shown many times, the traditions about tartans and kilts are relatively recent, and are a result of having evolved from earlier practices. As a living style of dress, these practices will evolve even more. Does that make either one more "right" than the other - no, it only makes them different.

I like the traditions that have been developed around tartans, and would like to learn more, but I'm not going to give anyone a hard time if they want to break from them.

[Mac Coinneach]

What a absolutely disappointing post from the Tartans "authority."

I understand completely that there are many out there (in Scotland, the US, Canada, Australia, and other places) who share in the notion that there is such a thing as a "correct" tartan and if you are wearing a tartan you are not "entitled" to, you are committing a major social blunder if not being downright offensive. But where did this notion come from? It is not traditional Highland practice. The most traditional way to select a tartan to wear would be to browse through the swatch books not even looking at the name and picking the one you liked the best.

You'd better believe there IS such a thing as a tartan you're "entitled" to. The Scottish Clan system sets the standard. I quote from the Clan Mackenzie website:

"Can I wear the Mackenzie Tartan? Which Set?"

If your name is Mackenzie or one of the Sept names then you are entitled to wear the Clan Mackenzie Tartan. Although there is no law preventing you from wearing whatever tartan you like, there are rules of the Scottish Clan System.

The rules of the Scottish clan system (I quote): Excepting the "district", "Caledonia" and "Jacobite" tartans, no one should wear a tartan to which he is not by name or descent entitled. To do so is ill-mannered, invites scorn, and is contrary to the whole principle of the clan system. Nor does one "select" tartans from this or that "line" of ancestors. The vital question is, "To which Clan do I belong?"

1. You "belong" to the clan of which you bear the name or sept name.
2. You have no real right to wear your mother's tartan unless you have taken her name.
3. You cannot belong to several clans at once.
4. Adherents (cliathe) of non-clan names are, as followers, sometimes allowed to wear the tartan (usually a hunting sett if any) and to become members of a clan society.

Considering the idea of Clan tartans was an English notion I tend to wonder about the devotion to that "tradition".

Really? http://albanach.org/oldtartans.html

[Scotus]

Well, I guess we should just all put away our tartan kilts then. There are probably few of us who can conform to the high standards of the Mackinzie clan.

The Mackinzie post contradicts itself. It first mentions someone of the name, or a descendant of someone of the name, can wear the clan tartan. Then, it says you have no right to wear the tartan of your mother. Well, everyone is a descendant of their mother, unless they are adopted.