Day/Laird's Plaid

[OC Richard]

Could not some or all of these old photos show a belted plaid, rather than a fly plaid? One photo in particular definitely shows the belted plaid:

I think we're all getting tangled up on terminology, because different things are sometimes called by the same name and visa versa.

So here are some desciptions of different items followed by the various names used...

1) a huge rectangle of tartan that's held round the waist by a belt. This is variously called breacan an fheilidh, feileadh mor, feile-mor, great kilt, or belted plaid.

2) a smaller rectangle of tartan, roped fringe all around, with a narrow cloth belt that goes round the waist and a tab of tartan at the other end which goes through the epaulette and is pinned to the shoulder with a brooch. This was adopted by the Scottish regiments around 1800 when the modern "little kilt" replaced the feile-mor. Its purpose was to simulate the appearance of the feile-mor.
Though originally worn by all ranks, it later became a mark of Officer's dress.
It's long been popular for civilian Evening Dress. In pipe bands it was worn by drummers.
It's variously called a belted plaid, evening plaid, drummer's plaid, and fly plaid.
It's called the "belted plaid" in my several vintage Highland Dress catalogues from the 1930s and 40s.

3) a small rectangle of tartan, fringed all around but otherwise plain, pinned with a brooch at the shoulder and hanging free at the bottom. Called a fly plaid. As far as I know this is a recent development, devised to create some of the look of the belted/evening/drummers plaid at less expense.

In any case all those vintage photos would be showing #2 above, the Officer's/belted/drummers/evening plaid.

Back to the topic of Day Plaids or Laird's Plaids, nowadays there's a clear distinction between them (being simply a retangle of cloth thrown over the shoulder or wrapped around the shoulders) and a so-called "piper's plaid" which has long fringe on both ends and has sewn-in pleats. (I say so-called because they were also worn by certain Sergeants and Officers in the Highland regiments, and not only by pipers.)

But in the "old days" the pleats weren't sewn in and therefore a "piper's plaid" and a "laird's plaid" might be the same thing, the only difference being in how it was worn and whether or not a brooch fastened it. This is seen in the 1860s The Highlanders of Scotland, where many plaids fall somewhere between what we would call a Laird's Plaid and what we would call a Piper's Plaid.