The Solid Coloured Kilt

[OC Richard]

What a great thread! I'm a "visual guy" and I love seeing a lot of photos like this, for my "eye" to adjust to accepting self-coloured kilts as normal.

I really like the "windowpane" outfits people have shown us.

Here are some more vintage photos.

This is very interesting, a stripe along the selvedge:



This might be a very dark tartan, it's hard to see:



Not really self-coloured but interesting:



And in the Army, the London Scottish:





And the 21st Battalion from Canada:

[M. A. C. Newsome]

What a great thread! I'm a "visual guy" and I love seeing a lot of photos like this, for my "eye" to adjust to accepting self-coloured kilts as normal.

I really like the "windowpane" outfits people have shown us.

Here are some more vintage photos.

This is very interesting, a stripe along the selvedge:

A dominant horizontal stripe along the bottom of an otherwise solid colored kilt was not all that uncommon at one time. We have a matching kilt and jacket for a small boy in the museum that is a solid brown (similar in color to the London Scottish kilts, actually), with a darker brown stripe about an inch above the selvage of the kilt.

There is a photo that graces the back cover of Bob Martin's All About Your Kilt from the Royal Archives. It shows Queen Victoria's Ghillies at Balmoral, October, 1858. Of the nine men in the photo (all kilted), three are wearing Balmoral tartan, the other six are in solid kilts. Of the six in solid kilts, two have this sort of stripe along the bottom.

This might be a very dark tartan, it's hard to see:

I think you are correct, this is a tartan kilt.

Not really self-coloured but interesting:

This is the Northumberland tartan, aka Shepherd's Check.

[ForresterModern]

In my usual dressing mode I have always been a fan of the monochrome look (usually all black or all grey ala' Mel Gibson or Michael Douglas or my favorite historicall, Gary Player) or its first cousin, the all one color in various shades (various grays mixed with blacks or charcoals, olives, etc..) personally. I do like the look of the three piece kilt suits (modern jacket, vest and kilt in the photos posted given the right color choice.

I have taken a different tack with a near solid kilt in Black Isle tartan that has a subtle ever so slightly lighter grey pattern on a black field background that really only shows under certain light conditions or at certain angles (similar to the shadow tartan) and will wear it with the charcoals or monotone black outfits occasionally. Unfortunately, with my body being 6'5 and 275 lbs I look like a walking billboard for any solid tweed or other color (than black or grey or olive), so I need something to break up that large solid look, like a tartan waistcoat, something that is definitely in my future wish list. Or maybe two if the price is right. I notieced that tartanweb has them fur under $100 US and will likely go that way one of these days.

Historical? Well, I cannot say but can believethat there is some historical precedence in some way somewhere. But who says we are slaves to history---after all it is fashion, and if we are going away from the tartan tradition, we can choose to go whichever direction and however far we decide to go in that direction, so long as we do not try to pass it off as tradition, without validation.

jeff

[seanachie]

Like these kilts?

http://swordoflightbagpipeband.com/photos00.html

T.

Todd:
I somehow missed this reply.... Yes that is right. It's not in the budget today because I just placed an order with Keltoi, but a few months back I tried find someone who stocked this blue. This link is helpful, another pipe band I had contacted had discontinued wearing it in favor of a tartan.

Thanks

[macwilkin]

Scott:
I somehow missed this reply.... Yes that is right. It's not in the budget today because I just placed an order with Keltoi, but a few months back I tried find someone who stocked this blue. This link is helpful, another pipe band I had contacted had discontinued wearing it in favor of a tartan.

Thanks

You're most welcome. I thought the Dublin Fire Brigade Pipes & Drums wore a solid St. Patrick's Blue kilt as well, but it appears they have switched to a tartan kilt.

My father belonged to the IBEW for many years, and he was surprised to find out that they had a pipe band. I tried to get one of their patches for him (he collects military insignia), but to no avail.

T.