Dear Diary,

Question for you.

What do the movies Braveheart, Outlander and Highlander have in common?

Scotsmen wearing a kilt, aye.

Kilts (and indeed men wearing them) are iconic for Scotland. And no kilt with a proper tartan pattern to be made off. 

Though, kilts and tartan are much more than just some fashionable, stylish things to wear. It’s time to talk about the history of tartan and kilts, the symbols of Scottish Clans.

Tartan

What is tartan then? The best way to describe it would be a piece of fabric with a check-like arrangement of a tartan pattern. Horizontal and vertical stripes in various colours on a coloured background. You know what I mean… 

You might have come across the word ‘plaid’, which many will use as another word for tartan. However, Scots would use the word for a larger piece of tartan cloth for a large shawl or an ordinary blanket.

History

Stick with me here for a very brief history lesson.

Tartan was first mentioned in the 16th century. For centuries, it was the everyday garb of the Highlanders. Yes, they did walk around in kilts (though looking a little different to the modern versions of today). If you know Outlander, think of the kilt Jamie and his companions are wearing.

However, at that time the tartan cloth was not only restricted to men. Women used it as part of their clothing as well. Like the ‘tonnag’, a small square of tartan worn over the shoulders.

The Pattern & Colour

In the early days, the tartan pattern wasn’t as bright, vivid and multi-coloured as today.

The colours were extracted from plants, roots or berries so the colour palette was limited. Simple checks contained about two or three colours. 

Nowadays every colour combination seems to be possible.

The most popular tartans today are the Royal Stewart (mostly red coloured, i.e. found on biscuit tins) and the Black Watch (blue and green coloured).

And by the way, we now link patterns and colours to certain clan families. Which in fact, wasn’t always the case. In the early days, colours were chosen based on availability and were more regionally linked.

The Kilt

No doubt, kilts have a deep cultural and historical root in Scotland.

The way they’re worn and used has changed over time. One thing hasn’t changed though, they’re always worn with a certain amount of pride by their wearer. 

Originally, a kilt is simply a piece of tartan (up to 5+ meters) worn around the waist, with the remaining parts being draped over the shoulder. As such it offered the perfect protection for the Scottish dreich weather. Imagine wearing trousers whilst walking on a soggy hill, not ideal. A kilt comes with much more freedom and comfort.

Putting on a kilt did take a while. Including rolling on the floor to wrap the cloth around you. Just kidding (or maybe not). 

The shoulder-knee version we are familiar with today emerged around the 18th century. Over time waistbands, buckles and straps have been added as fashion has evolved.

You could say that nowadays a kilt is a fashion item. It made it on catwalks around the world.

The Kilt Outfit

A kilt is only complete with 3 accessories, which you can see in the image above:

• Sporran - a small bag worn around the waist (sporran = Gaelic for purse)

• Kilt Pin - pins together the two pieces at the front and prevents the kilt from Marilyn Monroe-like moments

• Sgian dubh - a small dagger kept in the sock

You might find men in kilts on Scotland’s streets now and then. But generally, kilts are worn for special events, such as weddings, highland games and ceilidhs.

To finish off, the question you’ve probably all been burning for.

So, what do they wear underneath then? If anything.

Personal preference.

Up to you to find an answer to this question…. Scotland is always worth a visit!