Collections?

[MacWage]

Okay, I'll bite... Jedi tartan?

From the Greenville (SC) Games, 06 (I'm on the far left)

It's basically a Black Watch in brown (in place of blue), olive (green), and navy (black). I started calling it that as a joke (a friend said it looks like a kilt a Jedi would wear) and it stuck.

[Panache]

furrycelt,

You wrote:

... it is ugly... my first thought upon seeing Wilson Tartan with my own eyes: Eeewww Wweee, that is ugly...blech.

HEY THERE! I have a good friend who is a Wilson! A good friend who imports Scottish scarves, hats, and ties and he knows his tartans! A friend who knows what the Wilson tartan looks like! And...well...I... can't repeat what he says about it because it's a family forum, and needless to say he doesn't wear it...

oh well. at least it isn't Dress McLeod.

HEY THERE! I'm currently jonesing for my USA Mcleod of Lewis kilt!



Cheers

Jamie

[MacWage]

furrycelt,

You wrote:



HEY THERE! I have a good friend who is a Wilson! A good friend who imports Scottish scarves, hats, and ties and he knows his tartans! A friend who knows what the Wilson tartan looks like! And...well...I... can't repeat what he says about it because it's a family forum, and needless to say he doesn't wear it...




HEY THERE! I'm currently jonesing for my USA Mcleod of Lewis kilt!



Cheers

Jamie

I actually am one of the nutty people who want BOTH!!!!
Wilson, for my maternal line (also my mother's maiden name, my middle name, and my son's name)
Loud MacLeod, for my wife's family, her grandmother was a Lewis.

Honestly, I'm not sure WHY Wilson is almost universal thought ugly, but all I figure is the sheer mass of tiny striping (which convolutes the colors to be rather odd):

Lochcarron Shots:

Somehow, it seems to be less than the sum of its parts

[Panache]

...Loud MacLeod, for my wife's family, her grandmother was a Lewis.

Like you, my desire to wear the "Loud Mcleod" comes through my wife. The incomparable Flame-Haired Celtic Amazon Goddess is a Nicol, which is a sept of clan Mcleod of Lewis. At first I hated the tartan, but after awhile I had to be impressed that so many people recognized it. Honestly, the most most easily identified tartans are Black Watch, Royal Steward, and...Loud Mcleod!
Eventually I changed my mind about the tartan and when Rocky offered it in PV, well I just had to have it. I have ordered both red Lewis hose from the Matt Newsome at the Scottish Tartans Museum , black hose from Seamus at SportKilt, and bought two black shirts (one long sleeved and one short sleeved) in preparation for this kilt.

I'm jonesing!

Cheers

Jamie

[flairball]

Mr MacDougall,

To clarify a point; consensus or not, the fact remains, though it will be debated here time and again, that in the USA anyone may in fact wear what ever tartan they please. Though many prefer to have a connection or knowledge of their chosen tartan if isn't a requirement. As of yet all bills proposed to start funding a tartan police, and an agency to approve and administer tartan licenses have failed. Anyone you may encounter who questions your "right" to wear a tartan isn't only ignorant, but a bully too, and you, by virtue of your own kilt wearing, have the "right" to deal with them as you see fit.

The rules are simple. Wear what you like, and should you find yourself in envy of another mans tartan, then buy one.

[Mr. MacDougall]

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who thinks the family tartan is hidjus. The MacDougall tartan has long made me wonder if the ancestors were colour-blind as well as beligerant. Orange and violet? Together? C'mon!

[MacWage]

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who thinks the family tartan is hidjus. The MacDougall tartan has long made me wonder if the ancestors were colour-blind as well as beligerant. Orange and violet? Together? C'mon!

It works for Clemson University.

And I actually LIKE orange and purple together.

Well, The hstory of tartan and clan associations is actually relatively recent and complex.

Tartans themselves go WAY back (proven as far back as 4th Century in Scotland and probably much older- probably referenced by the Romans around Mons Grampian battle) and in the 17th and 18th century were seen as one of the main symbols of the Highlander culture (so much so, that it was banned outright following the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion (along with Pipes).
THAT SAID,
There are few proven CLAN tartans from before roughly 1800. Standardization of one tartan for a group seems to have arisen in the Highland Regiments and were then "adopted" by the clans that supported that unit (hotly debated). That easily explains why so many regiment-oriented tartans are BLACK WATCH/Government Tartan based (Campbell, Gordon, Forbes, etc).
The early 1800s date is significant, because the key date is the 1820 visit to Edinburgh by King George and the "Tartan Fest" orchestrated by Sir Walter Scott (and influenced by the Romantic Period's sensibilities and industrial revolution). Suddenly, there was a craving for each clan to have "THEIR" tartan and the weavers discovered an important thing called BRANDING. A tartan branded with a name, rather than a number sold better. Add to this the Sobeski (sp?) brothers (and their claim of false ancestory for authority and their tartan books) and and you have a mass filling and desire RIPE for the creation and adoption of CLAN tartans.
Chiefs were grasping for anything that made an "authentic" tartan, weavers were happy to oblige, and writers and writers created and atmoshere of romance. The MacIan paintings/illustrations are one of the most influencial and are still common references for tartans. MacIan worked with Wilson and Sons of Bannockburn,the main weaver of the day, to ID and illustrate "accurate" tartans and Wilsons named most of their stock, many off large orders (like MacPherson and Kidd) or for some other reason.

My take, don't get TOO bent out of shape on clan tartans, they really aren't THAT "old" (relatively, though they are about as old as the USA). BUT, remember that each tartan pattern DOES have an association. Some take that association VERY serious and have copyrights and other rights on the pattern (closed tartans), while other tartan wearers barely care.
The REASON most Americans, (esp. on this forum more so among "Scottish-Americans" than general kilt wearers), seem to say "wear what you want, but know what you wear." It is actually striking a balance between these 2 extremes for actual/practical usage. Reality is, nothing prevents you from wearing any tartan (except restricted ones), but nothing prevents you from wearing a Boston Red Sox jersey to a New York Yankees game. However, doing so may not be smart. Each pattern has associations that SHOULD be taken into account when "picking a tartan." Most STILL pick tartans to which they "feel" personal ties, rather by "blood," "friendship," or personal symbolism. Therefore, most here take the middle road of wear what you feel comfortable with, BUT know the tartan and some history of its association. If worn with respect, most people aren't offended and many "clansman" are honored by a "non-clansman" wearing their tartan and knowing their history.

NOT all agree with what I said, but that also is what makes this forum so interesting. We are not all the same.

[Jerry]

If you have questions about wearing a particular tartan, write to the clan association and tell them that you admire their tartan and ask if it is okay for you to wear it. Ask about their clan history, so you might know more about the tartan you are adopting. Most clans will tell you it doesn't matter, but will thank you for being interested, and for respecting their tartan enough to ask and to learn about it. You might even get an invitation to become a member.

[BEEDEE]

I can see four clear choices for myself -- family from both sides, branch of service, and professional -- but some people have indicated greater collections than this. Do you have multiples in the same tartan?

Outside the family, service and professional there are district and Irish County tartans, general tartans like the Stewart series, fashion tartans, and the National Scottish tartans and American States, just to name a few alternatives.

Brian