Kilts???

[singforsam]

Hey everyone! I'm Sam and I'm just curious about kilts. Are there certain colors for a kilt that mean different things or does it represent something. Like if someone wore a red kilt would it represent a social class or what family you belong to?

Sam
Fontana

[Nick the DSM]

hello and welcome!

well, its not the colors that matter but the pattern or tartan as its called, is what the kilt can represent. their are hundreds of tartans and many variations of them. according to M.A.C. Newsome's research, at first the tartan was nothing but dark browns and greens for camoflauge and later in the 17th century, Clan tartans appeared. hope this helps, if not, others should.

[PiobBear]

Are there certain colors for a kilt that mean different things or does it represent something. Like if someone wore a red kilt would it represent a social class or what family you belong to?

Yes and no. A solid green kilt often (but not necessarily) connotes an Irishman; a saffron one always does. A red, black, or blue one doesn't mean anything to my knowledge.
Someone wearing a Maple Leaf tartan is quite possibly Canadian; a "Leatherneck" tartan a US Marine, a person wearing the Ramsay tartan might belong to the Ramsay clan, or simply like blue.
Social class is generally denoted by eagle feathers; a gentleman with a grant of arms one, a chieftain two, a clan chief three. Only a clan chief wears the clan badge; everyone else wears it enclosed in a buckler. A clanswoman would wear a tartan sash over her right shoulder, the wife of a clan chief or colonel of a Scottish Regiment over the left. An officer in uniform (or wearing decorations with formal dress) denotes his class, a piper his, and of course, just like in all societies, "the cut of your jib"; a tailored silk Armani suit denotes an entirely different social class than a polyester off-the-rack WalMart sportcoat does.

[Galician]

Yes and no. A solid green kilt often (but not necessarily) connotes an Irishman; a saffron one always does. A red, black, or blue one doesn't mean anything to my knowledge. Someone wearing a Maple Leaf tartan is quite possibly Canadian; a "Leatherneck" tartan a US Marine, a person wearing the Ramsay tartan might belong to the Ramsay clan, or simply like blue.

I would dispute that. While widely accepted by Irish groups, there's historical evidence that it was used widely by Celts on the continent, before migration to the British Isles.

[Monkey@Arms]

Welcome to X-marks, Sam.

You'll find a lot of answers in this free publication: Kilts and Tartans Made Easy by Dr. Nick Fiddes. There is also a wealth of information from kilt and tartan historian Matt Newsome available here.

Best regards,

Jake

P.S. If those sources don't hold the answer, don't forget that the search feature is your friend.
__________________

[rickmac15]

Welcome to xmarks the scot. check out the tartans museme one of our advertisers. most of your questions can be answered there

[PiobBear]

A solid green kilt often (but not necessarily) connotes an Irishman; a saffron one always does.

I would dispute that. While widely accepted by Irish groups, there's historical evidence that it was used widely by Celts on the continent, before migration to the British Isles.

Please, by all means; dispute away. Please cite even one reputable reference for a saffron kilt (or any Irish kilt for that matter) prior to the 1880's, and your "historical evidence that it (the kilt) was used widely by Celts on the continent, before migration to the British Isles".

[TheKiltedWonder]

Welcome! The tartan museum is a good source of info as others have stated. As for red representing social class, I believe I have heard an urban legend (or a suburban one?) that the colors meant something. From what I recall the answer is yes and no. Red tartans weren't restricted to the upper classes by law, but a good red dye is expensive because it was a tricky color, so that anyone with the money for cloth dyed red was probably wealthy. That's how I recall it in any case. If Matt disagrees with me, just take his explanation

[Tommie]

Have to ask: Sam have you ever wore a kilt?
Are you planning to purchase one?
Will you wear it whenever and where ever you want?
If non of the above I would'nt waste money buying one.

[Nighthawk]

Hey there, Sam! I have nothing to add to what these fine gentlemen have said already (they all beat me to it) so I'll just say :beer:

Oops! I mean...