Which is the correct way to wear a plaid?

[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.

[dejudicibus]

Alexis Malcolm has this:

http://www.alexismalcolmkilts.bigste...generic23.html

Thank you. Great pictures. I expect some problem while I move or sit, but I suppose it will take time to get used to it.

[dejudicibus]

Well, here is a wedding pic with my fly plaid. I was holding part of it so it would sit properly for the photo. Most of the time, it sits okay, unless you try to mess with it, then it looks terrible. I will see if there are others that show the placement from the back side.

Nice picture. You look really happy :-D

Did you fix a bottom corner to the belt too?

[dejudicibus]

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.

Very good point. I am invited to a wedding, and I think I'll do the same during lunch.

[switchblade5984]

thanks for the pics!

[Bob C]

Thank you. Great pictures. I expect some problem while I move or sit, but I suppose it will take time to get used to it.

It's not as bad as you'd think. Here's a pic from my wedding. I sat, danced, and did all the usual stuff, with no problem. It does pull on the left side of your jacket, however.



Yes, I know the sporran is crooked. I wish someone had mentioned it before shooting the picture.

[MacConnachie]

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]

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]

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

This is great!

[GlassMan]

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.