Which is the correct way to wear a plaid?

**GlassMan** · 14th December 05, 08:48 PM

I've got some really old Victorian plates that I'll scan in and share. From what I can tell it should be worn over the left shoulder. According to the guy at Hector Russell in SF, the bottom edge on your back should be about level with the bottom of your kilt or a little lower and then whatever is therefore needed should hang over the front of your shoulder and held in place with a kilt pin.

In the old plates there are also images of men wearing the plaid folded and pinned in place. Done that way the plaid falls to about belt level on your back. Even though that doesn't seem common now, I've also seen some old Victorian paintings that show the same method so I guess it was okay at that time. Personally if I'm going to be in my wheel chair a lot I use the folded method because it keeps me from sitting on the plaid or having it bunched up in a ball behind my back.

**GlassMan** · 14th December 05, 08:49 PM

Oh, and the wedding photo looks great Hosehead. And I love your Avatar.

**mbhandy** · 14th December 05, 09:56 PM

Hosehead Great Pic.

Where did you get your Kilt Socks? I am in the boonies. need help!

MrBill

**michael steinrok** · 14th December 05, 10:10 PM

Left shoulder for a woman means she is taking or joining her husbands clan . Right shoulder means she retains her position in her maiden clan. For most men this is not a problem . So over the left shoulder it goes gentlemen.

**MacConnachie** · 15th December 05, 04:07 PM

Originally Posted by michael steinrok

Left shoulder for a woman means she is taking or joining her husbands clan . Right shoulder means she retains her position in her maiden clan. For most men this is not a problem . So over the left shoulder it goes gentlemen.

Aha! Thank you, Michael! I've been asked by a couple of lasses wi Scottish ancestry how they might wear such an item, and my response was rather "unenlightening" and filled with "Well, er, I think it's probably" OKs . . .

Slainte,
Mac

**macwilkin** · 15th December 05, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by michael steinrok

Left shoulder for a woman means she is taking or joining her husbands clan . Right shoulder means she retains her position in her maiden clan. For most men this is not a problem . So over the left shoulder it goes gentlemen.

Have a look at this article about women's sashes on the Scottish Tartans Authority's web site:

http://www.tartansauthority.com/Web/...ess/Sashes.asp

Cheers,

Todd

**mddock58** · 15th December 05, 08:11 PM

I just love the internet! it's a great source for both giving and getting information.

This is great!

**GlassMan** · 15th December 05, 08:41 PM

Well I finally scanned in the old plates I was telling you about. They are from the 1968 edition of Robert Bain's Clans & Tartans of Scotland.

The plate on the left shows all of the Victorian Bells & Whistles and is incredibly elaborate. He is wearing the larger piper's plaid in the Dress MacLeod tartan to match his kilt and socks. Interestingly, Mr. Bain makes rather disparaging remarks about the exaggerations and excesses of the 19th century and yet we can recognize much of it as the "over-the-top" uniform of modern pipers! But thank God no one uses such flamboyant flashes anymore.

The plate on the right shows a kilted gentleman from 1950 wearing a folded plaid in the manner shown in a portrait of his ancestor from 1760. In an affront to many modern sensibilities he is wearing the Cameron of Lochiel tartan for his kilt, the Cameron of Erracht tartan for his folded plaid and yet another unidentified tartan for his socks! Also worth noting is the 3 button daywear jacket. Elsewhere on this forum someone provided a link to a 3 button jacket and the comment was made that most had never seen a 3 button before, only the standard 1 button model. Well, this shows that they were in existence back in the 1950's.

At least that will give you an idea of what I meant by the folded plaid.

**dejudicibus** · 16th December 05, 04:26 AM

Originally Posted by cajunscot

Have a look at this article about women's sashes on the Scottish Tartans Authority's web site:

http://www.tartansauthority.com/Web/...ess/Sashes.asp

Todd

Mmm... Looking at James Morgan's image it looks like I could use any kind of jacket with kilts, not necessarily the traditional one. It is practically impossible to find in Italy Scottish jackets, and purchasing a jacket from Internet is too expensive. I think I will try to use a jacket of mine, probably a navy blue one, since my kilt is the Hunting MacLeod tartan.

**bubba** · 16th December 05, 07:19 AM

Originally Posted by dejudicibus

Mmm... Looking at James Morgan's image it looks like I could use any kind of jacket with kilts, not necessarily the traditional one. It is practically impossible to find in Italy Scottish jackets, and purchasing a jacket from Internet is too expensive. I think I will try to use a jacket of mine, probably a navy blue one, since my kilt is the Hunting MacLeod tartan.

Have a look here. http://www.geocities.com/alanhsails/...lt_jacket.html

This is a good how-to on modifying a a regular jacket.