What side does it go on??

[angerli]

Hi, gang! Well....I haven't posted for a while, so here goes:

I went to a full dress party tonight, Kilted of course. Slight problem I encountered. I wore my fly plaid, but through the left shoulder epaulette of my Regulation Doublet.

I can't remember...what side does the Clan Chief wear it on? I'm thinking the right side. Is that correct???

Sandy

[LANCER1562]

The Clan Chief wears the fly plaid on the right shoulder all others wear it on the left unless you have the express permission of the Chief to wear it on the right.

[Highland Logan]

The Clan Chief wears the fly plaid on the right shoulder all others wear it on the left unless you have the express permission of the Chief to wear it on the right.

Where did you learn that? What book did you read this? Men (all men Chief or not) always wear it on the left, out of the way of the dominant hand, which was traditionally the right. The only ref written on shoulder plaids are for the woman's sash which is worn on the right, and on the left if a Chief in her own right, wife of a colonel of a Highland regt, or wife of a Chief. The R.S.C.D.S. also have "permission" from the Queen to wear it on the left shoulder. The woman's sash rules came from Lord Lyon (I don't recall which one) and have been in practice long enough to be considered cannon.

Frank

[Riverkilt]

Jeez Louise.....grrrrrr

Well, Thompson shows it on the left shoulder. My Clan Donald 1981 Calendar insert titled "Wear it with Pride" shows it on the left shoulder.

Maybe that helps....

Ron

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Men's fly plaids are almost always seen worn on the left shoulder. There are no "rules" about what shoulder to wear it on, like have been invented for lady's sashes.
(See my article on that here).

Sounds like someone is confusing the men's plaid with the lady's sash.

As the fashion of wearing it on the left comes from the fact that most people are right handed, I wouldn't have any qualms about a left-handed person wearing their plaid on the right shoulder -- but I would suspect that most left-handed men wear the plaid on the left anyway in deference to fashion.

[Robert Lamb]

I am a lefty and I would wear it on the right side not the correct side..

[vmac3205]

Men's fly plaids are almost always seen worn on the left shoulder. There are no "rules" about what shoulder to wear it on, like have been invented for lady's sashes.
(See my article on that here).

Sounds like someone is confusing the men's plaid with the lady's sash.

As the fashion of wearing it on the left comes from the fact that most people are right handed, I wouldn't have any qualms about a left-handed person wearing their plaid on the right shoulder -- but I would suspect that most left-handed men wear the plaid on the left anyway in deference to fashion.

Women traditionally wear the sash on the right, unless they are the Clan Chieftess OR are Scottish Country dancers. Then it is worn on the left.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Women traditionally wear the sash on the right, unless they are the Clan Chieftess OR are Scottish Country dancers. Then it is worn on the left.

A general note of minor clarification:

I have yet to meet a Lady Clan Chief who uses the style "chieftess", in much the same way as I have yet to meet a woman, ordained in the Episcopal Church, who uses the style of "Priestess".

Ladies who are Chiefs of Clans in their own right are styled "Chief", as in Margret Elliot, Chief of Clan Elliot(t). The same applies to Ladies who are Chieftains of major branches of clans; they are styled "Chieftain". Ladies who are possessed of a feudal barony are styled "Baroness of X", just about the only time that the feminine form of address is used.

In archaic, or extremely formal usage the wife of a Chief, Chieftain, or feudal Baron is styled as "Lady X". The wife of a feudal baron may also styled as "Baroness X" indicating that she is the wife of "Baron X".

In Ireland the more common usage is to style the wife of a chief or chieftain as "Madam" (as in Madam O'Conor, the wife of O'Conor Don). The wives of feudal barons are styled either "Lady" or "Madam" or "Baroness" as custom and preference dictate.