Highlanders Discuss Highland Attire

[ThistleDown]

Historically, people did all kinds of rugged, rural and outdoor things in the kilt. It was their day-to-day clothing, after all. Today, people generally do not, as Jock and others have pointed out. Not that there is anything intrinsic in the kilt itself that makes it unsuitable for such persuits. But the kilt has a different place now in the culture and traditions of the Highlands than it did in the past. That's the main point I would make.

I'll not differ with you on the origin of the kilt, Matt, or on the fact that in parts of the Highlands it may at one time have been everyday wear for all males, but I will say that Ansdell, Landseer and most of the other Victoria painters were not portaying Highland life as it was in the middle of the 19C when they were painting. With respect, it serves no point to include their paintings in this thread other than to further the myth of 19C kilt-wearing in the Highlands. I am sorry, but yes there is something intrinsically wrong with the kilt that makes it unsuitable for some pursuits today: it has been superseded by other and more suitable materials and garments.

[Jock Scot]

Sorry Matt I have to be blunt here, how many highland crofters,or shepherds could afford tartan kilts in the times depicted in those pictures-------the answer is none. How many crofters and shepherds can afford a kilt today------ the answer is none. To sell their paintings these wonderful artists sold romantic dreams to people who had suddenly discovered the Highlands, nothing more. I am afraid you have fallen into the trap that so many do by putting far too much credence in these romantic dreams----- theory and practice?Look at the sheep in the pictures, look at the dogs in the pictures! Even today with modern breeding, modern husbandry,the quality of those sorts of animals don't exist!Dream on if you like, but reality starts when you wake up!

When I was about ten years old my father took me and my brother to an art gallery in Glasgow. With us came two old crofters who had never been to Glasgow in their amazingly long lives. Why they came I don't know, perhaps they had business there and they had been given a lift, anyway no matter. These old boys would have been about 65 perhaps 75 years old which would have put their birth date at around 1880/90. To cut a long story short these wonderful chaps came to the art gallery and saw these types of pictures and just laughed! Their laughter grew to anger as they saw more of these pictures, in the end both of them walked out crying with anger that their world could be depicted in such an inaccurate way. All very upsetting.

On the long journey home I remember my father talking to these old boys about those pictures and ever since I have learned to take those sorts of pictures with a huge pinch of salt. They should know, they could remember it, just. The tourist industry over the last hundred years or so, has latched on to all this romance and scenic grandeur and has sold the highlands well, very well. The scenic grandeur is there for all to see, the romance is as thin as the canvas that these pictures are painted on and the truth is even thinner.

[Jock Scot]

Regarding Asndell's paintings, we don't really have any reason to believe that the clothing depicted on his rural subjects was not what he actually saw and had experience of. He summered near Loch Laggan, so I would assume most of his images of Highland life were from around that area.

The top portrait is entitled "Sheep Washing in Glen Lyon."

I suspect that the Loch Laggan area was chosen as the subject title, I would not be at all surprised if the artist had never been there, as that was where Queen Victoria stayed on her first trip to the highlands.A good selling point, for an astute artist. She stayed at what you chaps would know as "Glen Bogle". Now any local could tell you and certainly Queen Victoria has confirmed it in her diaries that the area of Loch Laggan is the midge capital of the world.That is why she went to the East highlands the year after and bought Balmoral. Every one moved out of the area in the summer. All the sheep, cattle, dogs, even the infirm and poorest of the poor moved away and quite often stayed away. Glen Lyon, the longest glen in Scotland, is about sixty miles South of Loch Laggan.

[Redshank]

Jock,
We have come around again to the part where my understanding breaks down. The kilt comes from a rural tradition. It co-existed with pants then as it does now. Why is it such an inferior choice for outdoor activities now, unless it always was and the reasons for wearing it have more to do with identity than functionality?
Joe

Without doubt in the dark and distant past home spun and woven cloth dyed with what ever was available in the surrounding area (ground up sea shells, heather, lichens, etc etc) would have been the only clothing that the highlanders could have afforded or even obtained to wear on a daily basis, and the kilt would have been the easiest garment to produce from this home spun cloth, forget the modern notion of razor sharp pleats boxed or knife, it just didn't happen except in romantic artist impressions (and just to clarify I am talking pre Victorian, pre Culloden era's).
Forget the image of a kilted highlander struggling against the wind and horizontal rain, they would have sort shelter at the first drop of heavy rain, this in no way diminishes the hardy highlander image, it's just the way it had to be, if your cloaked in yards of woolen cloth, when it gets wet it trebles it weight, wet wool doesn't dry very quickly in conditions like this and with the wind chill factor thrown in, hypothermia would very soon set in.

However rural tradition moves on and tries to keep up with the modern world,
with the onset of the industrial age, all sorts of attempts where made to introduce totally waterproof clothing, for example coating the fabric in rubber, then abardine was introduced in the early 1900's and outdoor clothing hasn't looked back since, today synthetic man made fibres have capabilties only ever dreamed off in those dark days way back when, clothing the breathes, wicks the moisture away from a sweaty body and prevents moisture from entering from the outside, lightweight, quick drying, perfect for the purpose, todays Ghillie's and Stalkers will be clothed in the finest apparel that modern technology has produced, the huge expense easily offset by durabilty, comfort and practicality.

Today we have a choice, back then they didn't, identity and functionality had very little to do with it.

[ThistleDown]

If I could return to Redshank's earlier mentioned list, I believe that a number of members fall into a subcatagory say at 1.5. Some may lean or be moving more towards catagory 1 as I perceive Scot Jock and others may be moving towards catagory 2 say Panache.

No, you are attempting to create a quite different list so others than David asked for may be included. His original question related to "different aspects of highland dress as you have observed it/currently observe it in the Highlands". Redshank's list is well considered because of the geographical limitation.

[Redshank]

Loch Laggan is the midge capital of the world.

The humble midge, a wee speck of an insect with jaws like a piranha, common as fresh air on the west coast of the highlands of Scotland.
Attend any outdoor event on a still summers evening and you will know the power of the midge, you will regret the bravado of going regimental.

Great Britains elite fighting forces of the SAS and Royal Marines often train in the highlands and isles of the West Coast, these hard men have very soft skin after these forays, why, they use a womans cosmetic skin cream called Avon Skin so Soft, it retails at £5 per bottle and is the only thing that repels the wee beasties.

Now if these elite hard men are forced to use such an effeminate treatment to repell the foe that is the midge you have to ask the question why would a victorian artist endure them for hours on end in order to produce a romantic image of highland life, the only answer can be he didn't.
If indeed he attempted, you can bet your bottom dollar that when these wee beasties showed up he hightailed it out of the area in double quick time not even attempting to collect he pallet,paints, easle or canvas.
If you believe the scenes that these images portray, then I think you would be best put to use searching the area for the canvas's the artist left when he fled.

The power of the kilt...... phooey when compared to the power of the humble midge

[Paul]

Kilt wearing is not a common thing, even here.

I agree with Jock here. From my experience of wearing a kilt in Inverness, I received as many stares as I do in Glasgow.

Fair enough. Perhaps some specifics?:

1. How many kilts does the "kilt-wearing Highlander" own?
2. What tartan/tartans does he choose to which events? Does he wear Dress tartans?
3. What color schemes/ fabric weight are most commonly seen?
4. Does he wear a kilt pin? What's it look like?
5. Is his kilt pleated to the line or the sett?
6. Does he wear a kilt belt with his kilt?
7. Does his kilt have belt/sporran loops? If so, does he use them?

Cordially,
David

I have Highland great grandparents and, as far as I know, none of the males owned, or wore kilts.
As far as the other questions, from my experience of pictures - Highlanders do seem to wear the kilt a little better than elsewhere in Scotland. This is probably because the tradition is more authentic and less "Prince Charlie and cream hose for your wedding"-ish.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

ThistleDown:

I'll not differ with you on the origin of the kilt, Matt, or on the fact that in parts of the Highlands it may at one time have been everyday wear for all males, but I will say that Ansdell, Landseer and most of the other Victoria painters were not portaying Highland life as it was in the middle of the 19C when they were painting.

Again, I included the Ansdell paintings in my post merely as a visual aid. My main point was that there was a period in the past when the kilt was worn as an everyday working garment. I never meant to suggest that Ansdell's paintings - or any other - were a perfect snapshot of Highland rural life. Though I do think they are valuable in the fact that they at least give us some depiction of the kilt not being worn by the military or noblemen posing for a portrait, so I don't think the student of Highland dress history should dismiss them outright.

I am sorry, but yes there is something intrinsically wrong with the kilt that makes it unsuitable for some pursuits today: it has been superseded by other and more suitable materials and garments.

No, you misunderstand. The fact that the heavy woolen kilt "has been superceded by other and more suitable material and garments" (a statement I have no issue with) does not mean there is something intrinsic to the kilt that makes it unsuitable for such persuits. It simply means there are better and more economic options available today.

If the kilt were itself instrinsically unsuitable for outdoor wear, then generations of Highland men would have cast it aside long, long before they did. Remember the kilt originated and developed among a rural people who spent the greater part of their days in outdoor activities.

Jock Scot:

Sorry Matt I have to be blunt here, how many highland crofters,or shepherds could afford tartan kilts in the times depicted in those pictures-------the answer is none.

In the 1850s (the time depicted in the Ansdell paintings, roughly) and earlier, tartan cloth did not cost as much as it does now, not by a longshot. As a matter of fact, Wilsons of Bannockburn, one of the major producers of tartan cloth, had a business shipping cloth overseas to the West Indies to outfit the slaves working the sugar cane plantations. Why? Certainly not because it was considered an expensive or elite cloth at the time, that is for certain!

The Statistical Account of Scotland from 1793 tells us "The wages allowed a man who can plow, sew, etc., is six pound sterling, together with shoes and clothes: he is allowed four pair of single shoes, commonly called Brogues, two pair of hose, four yards of tartan for a Phillibeg, and a short coat and vest of some coarse kind of cloth." This was the standard outfit of a "common worker" in other words.

These folks were not paying handsomely for high quality, heavy worsted weight "pure new wool" woven specifically in the tartan associated with their ancestral clan, to be meticulously tailored by a specially trained kiltmaker. They were buying cloth -- maybe tartan, maybe not, but if it was tartan, it was not a "clan tartan" -- no more than 4 or 5 yards, and either wearing it untailored as a feilidh-beag (phillabeg) or in later times with some minimal sewing down of the pleats. These were not neatly pressed. They had no lining. No straps and buckles. Generally no tapering or finishing of the apron edges at all. The earliest kilts I have examined are generally very rough by our standards.

There is also evidence suggesting they "turned the kilt" four times to extend its life and usefullness. This was possible because the kilt was worn selvedge-to-selvedge and there was no "cutting out of the pleats" as there is in our modern high-yardage kilts. So they could turn the cloth around or flip it upside down to extend the life of the garment.

In short, the kilt was not an expensive garment as we think of it. It probably was not the most expensive article of clothing in their wardrobe. A jacket and waistcoat would require nearly as much cloth, and would take a lot more tailoring to make.

I suspect that the Loch Laggan area was chosen as the subject title, I would not be at all surprised if the artist had never been there

Again, it is not my intent here to dwell on Ansdell, as that is taking us off track. But just to clarify, the title of the work I mentioned is "Sheep Washing in Glen Lyon." Ansdell actually owned a home on Loch Laggan, and according to his biography spent quite a bit of time there.

Redshank:

Without doubt in the dark and distant past home spun and woven cloth dyed with what ever was available in the surrounding area (ground up sea shells, heather, lichens, etc etc) would have been the only clothing that the highlanders could have afforded or even obtained to wear on a daily basis, and the kilt would have been the easiest garment to produce from this home spun cloth, forget the modern notion of razor sharp pleats boxed or knife, it just didn't happen

Yes, exactly. If we are trying to imagine the kilt, as it was worn in everyday life, historically, we have to be willing to abandon our notions of the modern kilt entirely.

As a student of history, it is fascinating to see the transformation of the kilt as its place in the wardrobe of Highland Scots shifted. At the end of the eighteenth century, during a time when the kilt was the daily dress for a signifigant segment of the Highland population, it had these characteristics:
-about 4 yards of cloth
-box pleated
-not pleated to any particular pattern
-no lining, no straps & buckles
-could be made from tartan or solid cloth, no one gave any thought to "my clan tartan."

By the end of the nineteenth century, the kilt was no longer worn as daily clothing by any signifigant number of Highland people. It had become a more ceremonial garment, reserved for special dinners, clan gatherings, and other festivities. It was also a much more tailored garment, making it much more expensive. It had these characteristics:
-about eight yards of cloth
-knife pleated either to stripe or sett
-fully lined
-leather straps and buckles, or some other closure system
-tapered from waist to hips
-generally worn in a specific "clan tartan"

It was a much heavier, much costlier, and much more ceremonial garment that had lost some of its economic functionality of the past.

I suppose my main point in posting to this thread was simply to point out that while the general use of the kilt has changed over the generations in the Highlands, the kilt itself has changed following those patterns.

I posted the Ansdell paintings as a visual aid simply to indicate the kilt was indeed once worn by the average working Highlander engaged in some very "messy" persuits -- but that the kilt at that time was not considered so special or dear as it is now.

Today, of course, is an entirely different set of circumstances, but I don't think we should completely forget about the kilt's rather humble past.

As this thread is supposed to be about those born and bred in the Highlands relating their experiences of Highland dress, I'll bow out now. Sorry if I got things off track!

[Jock Scot]

In Victorian times and most certainly before then the TARTAN kilt was the preserve of those with money and far from the reach of the common man.There was precious little "ploughing and sewing" going on by the side of Loch Laggan,or anywhere else in the HIGHLANDS most of it is rock, water or bog. The people living in these areas in that time were at the very bottom of the pay scale, such as it was, and just surviving to the next day was a major achievement. If by some miracle a tartan kilt fell into the hands of the common man, I know for damn sure it would not used for working with the sheep! No more so than the 8 yard knife pleated kilt kilt of today would be, and surprise surprise they are not.

[Redshank]

Whilst we all appreciate and respect the origins and vagaries of wearing the kilt in the dim and distant past, the actual question posed at the beginning of this thread was

"Would you be willing to put together an article, or series of articles (to be posted here:http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/k...157/index.html ) which describe, in detail, different aspects of highland dress as you have observed it/ currently observe it in the Highlands?

For example, what does "a kilt" mean to you- what weight, style, fabric choice, tartan used, etc. What styles of sporrans are appropriate for which events? What about pictures that demonstrate your descriptions? In summation, what does Scottish highland dress REALLY look like worn in Scotland?"

Now to my un-educated mind, I deem the above to be what is and what isn't in our current age...... am I right or wrong ?

if I am right lets get back on track

Next question ?