A topic discussed in the "Victorian" thread....

Somewhere along the line in the early to mid 1800s, the kilt evolved from being the daily working dress of Highland clansmen, to a more "exalted" position as formal/ceremonial garb. Many maintain that this latter role became exclusive, and work-a-day wearing of the kilt ceased to be. Others argue that evidence (written, artistic, photographic) supports a continuing use of kilts in a mundane setting.

Myself, I find it somewhat astonishing that the kilt just totally died as an everyday, common man's working garment (if it truly did) after three or four centuries in such a role. What prompted such a change? The Proscription of 1746? That was rather short-lived and never heavily enforced, especially amongst the pro-Hanoverian clans. Lack of tartan wool? Hardly! By the early 1800s it was being woven in quantities never before seen.

What changed the kilt from being the poor man's garment to the rich man's indulgence?