Show us your "Great Kilt" (belted plaid) pictures

[Mark E.]

Well, no expert here, but as it has been said before...consider the source. Great kilts were not just a lower garmet, but a primary piece of clothing for a society largely comprised of shepherds, small tract farmers, and other very outdoor professions, in a damp and inhospitable land.

As far as my research has taken me, both within the re-enacting community and on the documented history side, I believe the great kilts came into favor around the late 1300's. Wee kilts later, around the early 1700's-at least how documentation goes. I also see and believe there was an overlap-no clearly defined stop/start of styles. Wee kilts could very well have had their beginnings from "worn out" greats-I know in the time I have worn a great, I have had thin spots happen where my belt hits. It would make sense to recycle things. The wee kilt likely had popularity among the trades and middle to upper class, while the greats had their adherents in the outlying castes, not counting seasonal preferences.

Styles, casual vs. formal, and where they can be worn...I wore mine to my junior prom, including pre-prom dinner-with a waistcoat and fancy belt, it worked. Dances and festivals, and a couple of pubs in Nova Scotia, where 99% of the groups were of the anally modern and proper variety (no offense intended here), I got high marks for style and decorum, by both folks there and the officiators. Semi-formal, nothing fancy, waistcoat only if the season demanded it. On the other end, historical gatherings and games-My era is 1680-1730, so I am not as concerned about flashing Jacobean wear (this is original styling, not the modern stuff)-white rosettes, and other symbolism of King James. I have participated in varied forms of combat and in court demo's, and the great kilt has adapted to all without issue.

The only issues I have had were usually the ones associated with putting the thing on-takes a bit of room. Also, it is abhorrantly heavy when it gets rain wet. 8 pounds of great kilt (thats 22 ounce fabric at 52"ish wide if you wondered), becomes 5 times that wet-if you have skinny hips, get inside. Sometimes you don't fit into regular chairs because of the addition to the rearend. It's hot in the summer-and unless it's a fight or a stripshow, shirtless is a no-no.

The rest is up to you.

If I have touched or set out any glaring inaccuracies here, I am all ears.

Mark

[figheadair]

Well, no expert here, but as it has been said before...consider the source. Great kilts were not just a lower garmet, but a primary piece of clothing for a society largely comprised of shepherds, small tract farmers, and other very outdoor professions, in a damp and inhospitable land.

You're spot here. For some reason there was a change c1700 when we start to see the development of the feileadh beag. It was probably caused by the beginning of a change in lifestyle with individuals spending less time 'on the hill' overnight. Images and descriptions of the period suggest that the plaid continued to be worn when people were traveling, campaigning etc but it would have not been necessary if one were staying locally and going home most evenings.

The only issues I have had were usually the ones associated with putting the thing on-takes a bit of room. Also, it is abhorrantly heavy when it gets rain wet. 8 pounds of great kilt (thats 22 ounce fabric at 52"ish wide if you wondered), becomes 5 times that wet-if you have skinny hips, get inside.

Not quite. The first thing to appreciate is that tartan of that period was sometimes treated (we don't know how frequent this practice was) to waterproof it. Whilst not quite Gortex it would have had the effect of shedding light rain.

I've worn a plaid on a five day trip across the Highlands in April, including crossing the R. Findhorn. During that trip the plaid did get wet but could be wrung out whilst being worn so it was never soaked and I doubt it was ever more than about half the weight again. The most uncomfortable thing was sleeping it in as one spends an uncomfortable night drying it out with one's body heat and smelling like a wet dog.