Swatching the Mail

[davidlpope]

You might also want to consider MacMillan Hunting Weathered, a bit difficult to come by, but worth the search.

If anyone is interested in getting in on custom run of heavyweight MacMillan Hunting Weathered, please PM me.

David

[xman]

Just got some samples from D C Dalgleish. 11oz., but I had to see what the fuss was about. They sure have nice colours and it is good and soft on the hand. I got the MacLaren Modern and MacDonald Modern to confirm that they are using the same colour hues and the MacLaren Ancient to see what those would look like in a MacDonald. I have to say, I'm not a fan of Ancient colours, but Dalgleish has a nice interpretation. I also had them send their infamous MacDonald Reproduction. VERY nice, IMO. I really want to compare this with Lochcarron's Weathered eventually. It is also good to get a swatch with part of the traditional selvage.



I know, I know ... I haven't even ordered my first wool kilt and I'm thinking of the next, but I rationalize it this way, with a better understanding of all my options chances are I'll be far less likely to be disappointed with the decisions I will make. Informed choices, right?

Anyhow, I'm still waiting on a few more samples and my first PV Casual to see how my measurements are. This is a real test of my patience alright.

[Gryphon noir]

*Chuckle*

When your multiple kilts {and it will be, trust me!} arrive, I'll be able to spot you on the street!

Excellent idea to get the swatches first. My swatch is sitting on the desk in front of me.....can't wait to see what that will look like as a kilt!

[OC Richard]

In the first photo you posted, the photo of the four different MacDonald swatches, the one on the upper left looks like the House Of Edgar Muted range. I wore a MacDonald kilt in that fabric for many years:






I notice that the swatch on the lower right is a nice big man's kilt size sett.

If you look at military kilts from Victorian times through today, and the 1860s civilian kilts seen in The Highlanders Of Scotland, you'll note that it was standard for mens kilts to have a quite large sett size. Compare the sett size of the Clan Donald kilt I'm wearing to the sett size of the Clan Donald kilt worn on the man on the right:




To my eye, the sett sizes used nowadays are qutie often too small to look "right". So when given the choice I'll usually go with the larger sett.

I too have a couple swatches which just arrived, which I'm pondering over: Spirit Of Scotland in both Modern and Ancient colours, both Locharron Strome weight.

[NewEnglander]

Rocky at USAK made me a very nice "Macmillan Black" (not officially clan recognized) PV casual a couple of weeks ago that I wore for the first time to the Sacramento Games last weekend. I made that purchase based on all of you guy's well deserved positive feedback on his products and service. I will try to get a photo up here and to Rocky soon.

MacMillan Black? I've never seen that, not even on Rocky's site. Was it a special order PV?

[xman]

I'll confess that seeing this and the other photo posted in another thread terrified me, not because of the raccoon, but since everyone was saying how wonderful HoE muted colours were and this photo is so fuchsia I thought that I had a separate sense of tartan sensibility and that I would be appreciating tartans that others thought ugly and vice versa. Having the swatch in hand now I understand that the old film stock has done you something of a disservice. It's an astoundingly attractive and complimentary colour group and I don't think I'll be able to avoid ordering a kilt in at some point it now that I've seen it first hand. Even Validator, my wife agrees.

re. sett size:
It is an interesting point you make. Actually since MacDonald (and Glengarry and Clanranald by proxy) can be such a large sett, I've been doing the math on the various sett sizes to see how the pleats will work out. That Clanranald sett you're wearing is 7" to repeat, but Strathmore's 13oz. is just 5 1/2". From the webternetz pictures I'm assuming that Lochcarron's will be the same as Strathmore's count and Marton Mills the same as HoE, but I'll have to see what the samples show.

[xman]

*Chuckle*

When your multiple kilts {and it will be, trust me!} arrive, I'll be able to spot you on the street!

Or in the pub!

[MacMillans son]

MacMillan Black? I've never seen that, not even on Rocky's site. Was it a special order PV?

USAK just has it listed as the "Macmillan" tartan in their casual/semi traditional selection. No special order. I believe that Marton Mills is the producer of the PV, and as far as I know, the only one producing that tartan. They show it on their website under their Jura range (16 oz wool).

Apparently there has been much discussion about the tartan's legitimacy, or illegitimacy as the case may be. It is not a recognized tartan by the Chief of Clan Macmillan, hence the "controversy". The colors are much more vibrant and defined than either photos on USAK or Marton. The dark color is definitely black, surrounded by a dark burgandy/blood red, then gold with dark green and black fine lines and over check. I really like it, in spite of its outlaw status.

But as others have said to me numerous times, "if in doubt, order a swatch to make sure you like it"

[BoldHighlander]

I'll confess that seeing this and the other photo posted in another thread terrified me, not because of the raccoon,...

Uh-oh...now you've gone & done it!!

[fluter]

USAK just has it listed as the "Macmillan" tartan in their casual/semi traditional selection. No special order. I believe that Marton Mills is the producer of the PV, and as far as I know, the only one producing that tartan. They show it on their website under their Jura range (16 oz wool).

Also under the PV here. To find it, select Schoolwear & the range is Balmoral.