Origin and Use of "Dress" Tartans

[Bill]

My understanding was that after PRoscription was repealed, in subsequent centuries all things Scottish became de rigeur, at least in part due to Sir Walter Scott. Cannot remember which queen, but one of them was supposedly making a tour of Scotland. Since red was a color rarely worn by proper women, becasue it was associated with prostitutes, and becasue many tartans had a base color of Red, dress tartans were devised by replacing most of the red in a tartan with white (a color of feminine purity) so the women could wear tartan and remain "proper" from a color dress standpoint. Not sure how true any of that is but that is the story I have heard.

Most dress tartans are now worn by highland dancers, or predominantly by women on other occasions, but I think the latter is falling into disuse.

Now let's see what hornets nest I have stirred up.

jeff

The Queen you have in mind was HRM Victoria as the story goes.

Slaite'
Bill