Fly Plaids

[davedove]

I know about standard fly plaids. On some sites there is also a "mini-fly plaid" available. Other than being smaller, is there any difference in when you would wear the mini version? Or are the mini's for those who just don't want the weight of a full fly plaid hanging on their shoulder???:

[switchblade5984]

I know about standard fly plaids. On some sites there is also a "mini-fly plaid" available. Other than being smaller, is there any difference in when you would wear the mini version? Or are the mini's for those who just don't want the weight of a full fly plaid hanging on their shoulder???:

good question i didnt know they existed "the minis".....

[davedove]

This is from Alexis Malcolm's site:

THE MINI-FLY PLAID :
A proper Mini-Fly Plaid is 15" x 54" and is pleated where it passes through the epaulette. It is worn in the same manner as the full Fly Plaid.

[cavscout]

I'd like to get more input on this general topic. It's understood that Fly-plaids (FP) are a very formal accessory and in today's society there are very few opportunities to dress to the level where a FP would be expected. You make your own call if an FP is appropriate or not.

I'm wondering about the use of all the various styles of FP's. Matt does a nice job explaining the fundamentals of a few in this article, http://blog.albanach.org/2005/04/what-is-plaid.html

The one's I've seen are:

"Standard" FP that hangs off the left shoulder, about 4' x 4'.

"Mini" as Dave mentioned above

Day Plaid

Pipers Plaid http://www.bagpipejourney.com/articl...rs_plaid.shtml

Drummers Plaid

There may be others, feel free to add them to the discussion.

Looking at MacLeay paintings we see not only the clearly military use of the plaids but also a few civilian uses.


I rather like the pipers plaid being worn with civilian and no-pipers outfits. I think, if I were ever to wear a plaid for a formal event, I'd prefer to wear it in a "pipers" fashion. This may be "taboo" but, since there are no Kilt Police...

Thoughts?

[PiobBear]

I'm wondering about the use of all the various styles of FP's...
There may be others, feel free to add them to the discussion.

The Irish brath, here worn by the pipers of the An tAerchór na hÉireann; the Irish Air Corps:

Irish Air Corps Pipe Band 1
Irish Air Corps Pipe Band 2

A proper Mini-Fly Plaid is 15" x 54"...

Sounds like a proper scarf to me. Around here, women often wear these, usually with a rosette worked into the business end, usually framing their clan badge. I've never seen one on a guy.

I rather like the pipers plaid being worn with civilian and no-pipers outfits. I think, if I were ever to wear a plaid for a formal event, I'd prefer to wear it in a "pipers" fashion.

Me too, but this isn't Scotland; in Florida I'd die of heat stroke.
Personally, I'd like to see the Victorian hair sporrans come back for civilian wear.

[Rex_Tremende]

This subject just came up in another thread last year, I think.

Regards,
Rex.

[PiobBear]

The pipers of the Royal Irish Rangers wear theirs either like a cape or a fly plaid.

[gilmore]

This subject just came up in another thread last year, I think.

Regards,
Rex.

Day plaids and fly plaids are different things. The latter are virtually never worn during the day or with casual wear.

[McClef]

One of the good things about rules is the lack of them and having just acquired two new fly plaids (Ancient Hunting Robertson and Isle of Skye) I shall be looking for occasions to wear them!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

There is no "standard size" for a typical fly plaid, but they are almost always square, or close to being square. 36" x 36" is a common size. I've made them for people by request as large as 54" x 54" before. Sometimes when I'm dealing with single width cloth I've made them 36" x 28" because that was how wide the fabric was. Because of the way the plaid hangs when worn, no one really notices that the plaid isn't quite square, anyway.

I've heard it said that the bottom tip of the plaid should not fall lower than the bottom of the wearer's kilt, which would, of course, require everyone's fly plaid being made custom for them to the right size. But most commercial firms these days don't offer that option and what you get is a standard size.

However, all of that being said, I really don't like the look of the so-called "mini-fly plaid." The one mentioned here was 15" by 54". That's only slightly wider than a typical tartan scarf, which (depending on the manufacturer) typically measures 54" long by 10" to 12" wide.

I've seen men wearing tartan scarves or even lady's sashes (same width, but longer, typically 72" to 90") on their shoulder as a fly plaid, either out of ignorance (they think this is where it ought to be worn) or because they were looking for a cheap alternative to a full fly plaid. It doesn't look good. It looks like you don't know what you are wearing. This is why I never have understood why some companies have introduced the "mini-fly plaid" to the market. It's just a glorified scarf.

I've seen it modelled as casual wear in some catalogs, but I still don't buy it. It just doesn't look right no matter how you wear it (unless you want to wear it as a scarf!).