Quote Originally Posted by Sean_the_Kilted View Post
I know there are no rules, but what are the tartan choice traditions of people in scotland in general? Do people only wear their surname and/or other names they are related to (ie Campbell since its Mothers maiden name, Macdonald since it was Grandmothers maiden name, etc...) If they wear tartans of their ancestry, how far do people go back? Grandparents? Great Grandparents? Great Great Grandparents? What about district tartans? For the average scottish guy if you wear a tartan that you have no connection to, is that looked down upon? Do people even ask? Or is it one of those things where if your best friend or uncle sees you in a Campbell tartan and you are a Brown that you are looked down upon. I know its alot of questions. Just curious.
It depends whether you own a kilt or just hire it. If you are hiring it you will have a limited selection and probably go for one you like the look of unless they actually have one in your tartan. If you are buying your own you are most likely to choose a tartan with which you have a family or marriage connection (in my case my mother's family). Sadly some tartans like the Buchanan and Stewart have become icons of the carpet and upholstery industry or appear as rugs or scarves and in such a case it is likely that another more suitable one will be chosen. I have friends whom I know don't wear their family tartans for just this reason but it is not something for disapproval. For some unknown reason women sometimes seem to consider themselves arbiters of fashion where men are concerned and have been known to express an opinion but men, never.