Can anyone tell me what tartan this is?

[Different_Trains]

Found this 100% wool kilt in a charity shop last week and got a great bargain! Anyone know what tartan it is? Can't find it in any online directories.

(Yes, I am getting brave enough to show my face :p)

[JRMILLER]

Run it by XMarks, these guys will know: http://www.xmarksthescot.com

Also, here is probably the best reference out there: http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/

[Kirbstone]

Some online tartan finders list them under principal colours, e.g. blue. That looks a bit like a Musselborough, but I suspect it isn't actually.
Good luck in your search.

[AMM]

It may not be a registered tartan. It may be just something that the mill invented. In other words, a tartan that isn't registered (though it might be copyrighted.) Most of the "plaid" patterns that you buy in fabric stores are non-registered tartans.

Actually, originally, that's how most tartans started out. Tartans (generic) began to be seen as "Scottish" and fashionable, so mills began producing tartan cloth in all different kinds of tartan patterns. At some point in the 19th century, clan chiefs latched on to the notion that particular tartan patterns were supposed to identify particular clans, and they started looking through mills' catalogs and declaring that this or that pattern that they liked was the "official" tartan for their clan. Eventually, some folks in Scotland got the idea of making an Official Registry of tartan patterns for anybody who felt like having patterns Officially Registered.

More recently, as people started taking the idea of "clan tartans" to its point of logical absurdity, they would invent tartans and get them registered long before any mill actually wove them.

BTW, pretty much anyone can register a tartan. If somebody felt like it, we could have an Official (registered) SkirtCafe Tartan.

[JRMILLER]

I have purchased several nice plaids from JoAnne Fabrics and made them into kilts. Most are not registered tartans, rather, just nice plaids. Once I complete an item, I name it, for instance, a kilt I made of predominately brown-orange with a little red I call "Ancient Miller Hunting Tartan" when anyone asks.

[owen]

I can't help with the tartan (as far as I'm concerned a tartan is just a pattern; wear what looks good), but I can say that that is a great-looking outfit. And with those boots, nobody's going to seriously diss you for wearing a skirt!

[r.m.anderson]

Different_Trains:

This being the Skirtcafe any unbifurcated garmet is appropriate and fair game.
And while I can not help you identify the tartan pattern you are wearing I could not
help notice that since the clock on the wall behind you is shown correctly the kilt
you are wearing fastens with small buckles & straps on the left-hand side with its fringed edge.
Also it would appear to be of more than average (knee) length unless you are wearing it at low waist.
Thus it would seem that it is not an authentic clan tartan but more of a commercially
produced general sales tartan.
Are there any lables or tags inside to indicate anything; country of origin; bar scan tags;
even wash and wear instructions ?

A nice pleasant neutral tartan of blue which could be worn easily with most anything.

"Kilted-but-not-Often-Enough"
rm

[Uncle Al]

Hi D.T.

I've looked at several Tartan Registries and it resembles one of the
Clark/Clarke/Clergy tartans. With the way it is secured to the body,
and the length, it appears to be a woman's skirt. A Breacan secures
with two buckles to the right, one buckle under the front apron to the
left. A Breacan only comes to the knees. A womans 'kilt' secures the
opposite way which is depicted in your picture.

As a whole outfit, it sure looks grand on you A Great Find

May you encounter many more 'great finds'

Uncle Al

[r.m.anderson]

Uncle Al:

I have the Clarks Clergy Tartan kilt bought from the Frugal Corner Kilts in Pennsylvania - Link:

http://thefrugalcorner.3dcartstores.com ... _p_86.html

The Blue colors are darker.

rm

[crfriend]

With the way it is secured to the body, and the length, it appears to be a woman's skirt. A Breacan secures with two buckles to the right, one buckle under the front apron to the left.

True enough, there are folks in the world who would give you public grief about your rather astounding find -- not that I expect anybody here to, save for friendly advice -- and those who otherwise would (1) recognise the garment as a women's-style kilt and (2) bust you on the matter might well fall into the (well-named) category of "kilt Nazis".

Interestingly, the above crowd are precisely why I didn't take up "unbifurcated" garments 35 years ago -- the cost of the all-up "proper" rig was -- even then -- silly and not something I'd feel remotely comfortable wearing outside rituals. (My world has always been a bit of a "rough and tumble" place and nice clothes don't tend to last all that long. Oh, what I've had given for a black dress-shirt in my field-service days!)

As a whole outfit, it sure looks grand on you A Great Find

I completely concur.

[Big and Bashful]

Hi D.T.

I've looked at several Tartan Registries and it resembles one of the
Clark/Clarke/Clergy tartans. With the way it is secured to the body,
and the length, it appears to be a woman's skirt. A Breacan secures
with two buckles to the right, one buckle under the front apron to the
left. A Breacan only comes to the knees. A womans 'kilt' secures the
opposite way which is depicted in your picture.

As a whole outfit, it sure looks grand on you A Great Find

May you encounter many more 'great finds'

Uncle Al

I beg to differ on one point, many male kilts only have one strap on each side. Mine is this way, the new one I have on order will have the third strap, but only because I asked for that option.

[Uncle Al]

....I beg to differ on one point, many male kilts only have one strap
on each side. Mine is this way, the new one I have on order will have
the third strap, but only because I asked for that option.

All of the kilt's I've seen, especially from the Scottish Kilt makers, have
2 buckles on the right, and 1 on the left. Even my Stillwater Kilts have
2 buckles on the right, 1 on the left and they're made in Minneapolis, MN.
not Scotland.

Granted, the Economy entry level kilts have Velcro fastenings. Some may
have 1 buckle on the right with Velcro on the left or 1 buckle on both sides.
The Standard kilt has the 3 buckles. The Heavy Weight is wool and I can't
wear wool, unless there is a full lining. Oh, it has 3 buckles too

I guess it depends on how much you want to spend on a kilt.
More features, more money.

Uncle Al

[the_scott_meister]

D. T.,

A traditional "man"s kilt has a very specific set of specs that it needs to follow (according to the so-called kilt-nazis). The left apron closes over the right apron, it usually has many very deep pleats, is either pleated to the sett or the stripe, and comes to the center of the kneee when worn at the proper height. However many of what type of fastener doesn't really matter too much, although it's more traditional to use the leather buckles. The women's kilted skirt has the right apron close over the left apron (like the difference in a mens and womens shirt), the length can be anything, and the pleats aren't usually very deep at all. It's not usually pleated to maintain the sett or anything either.

So what you have is a women's kilted skirt, though most people wouldn't kow the difference, they'd just think it's a nice scottish kilt. And everyone is right, no one here is going to give you any grief for it, but it's nice to know exactly what you have. They are also pretty easy to find in charity or second-hand stores, I've found several. The cool thing is that if you can find more than one of the same thing you can reclaim the material and make something more closer to the proper man's kilt, as I've done on more than one occasion.

Regarding the tartan: to get an accurate assessment you'd need to find the center of the sett and count the threads of each color diagonally to the pivot point (where it reverses) and you can use that to match it up (i.e. Scott Modern Green is K2 B2 K2 B16 K8 G8 R2 G2 W2 G16, where K is black, B is blue, G is green, and W is white - Y would be yellow). I'm sure that if you go to the Xmarksthescot that was referenced earlier the people there are usually fairly versed in those things.

Hope this helps,
James

[Kirbstone]

Well done guys! I've just read all the posts to date and can safely say that I have learned more about kilt types and tartan details in ten minutes than I had in the last 50 years!
I'm amused by the term 'kilt Nazis'. I expect they represent the purists in practically every field.

[JRMILLER]

I just posted it on XMarks, told them it was for a female friend since it is clearly a ladies kilt. No point in upsetting the bears.

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f99/ ... post920698