Kilt

The kilt is a knee-length skirt with pleats at the				fabric to be used in constructing the kilt, and will
rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and				generally vary from about 1/2" to about 3/4".
boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century.				The depth is the part of the pleat which is folded
Since the 19th century it has been associated				under the overlying pleat. It depends solely on the
with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or				size of the tartan sett even when pleating to the
with Celtic (and more specifically Gaelic) heritage				stripe, since the sett determines the spacing of
elsewhere. It is most often made of woollen cloth				the stripes. The number of pleats used in making
in a tartan pattern. Hooded CloakThough the				the kilt depends upon how much material is to be
Scottish kilt is most often worn mainly on formal				used in constructing the garment and upon the
occasions or at Highland Games and sports				size of the sett. The pleats across the fell are
events, it has also been adapted as an item of				tapered slightly since the wearer's waist will be
fashionable informal male clothing in recent years.				narrower than his hips and the pleats are usually
The Scottish kilt displays uniqueness of design,				stitched down either by machine or by hand. As
construction, and convention which differentiate it				the kilt is made of wool, it should not simply be
from other garments fitting the general				cleaned in a washing machine along with other
description. It is a tailored garment that is				laundry. Although the cloth is pre-shrunk, a
wrapped around the wearer's body at the natural				washing machine would spoil the pleats and the kilt
waist (between the lowest rib and the hip)				would need to be pressed. Instead, there are two
starting from one side (usually the wearer's left),				main methods by which a kilt can be laundered:
around the front and back and across the front				dry cleaning and hand laundering in cold or
again to the opposite side. The fastenings consist				lukewarm water. Expert recommendations differ
of straps and buckles on both ends, the strap on				on the better of these two methods. Tewksbury
the inside end usually passing through a slit in the				and Stuehmeyer, in The Art of Kiltmaking, advise
waistband to be buckled on the outside;				strongly against having the garment dry cleaned,
alternatively it may remain inside the waistband				stating that "dry cleaning leaves a subtle residue
and be buckled inside. The kilt covers the body				on the kilt" and, as a result, it "will soil more easily
from the waist down to just above the knees.				after it has been dry-cleaned", but Matthew
The overlapping layers in front are called "aprons"				Newsome, Curator of the Scottish Tartans
and are flat; the single layer of fabric around the				Museum in North Carolina (USA), states that "it is
sides and back is pleated. A kilt pin is fastened to				best to dry clean" the kilt, feeling that the kilt
the front apron on the free corner (but is not				does not come into direct contact with the skin
passed through the layer below). Underwear may				for very long and thus will not readily soil. In
or may not be worn, as the wearer prefers: in				between wearings, the kilt should first be aired
some circumstances underwear is prohibited by				out and then hung in a closet. One way to hang
military regulations, but is generally required, or at				the kilt is to use a skirt hanger with large clasps.
least recommended, for activities such as dancing.				The kilt is first folded twice in half along the waist
Organizations that sanction and grade the				line. Then the skirt hanger is used to clasp the top
competitions in Highland dancing and bagpiping all				of the kilt before it is hung in the closet. If moths
have rules governing acceptable attire for the				are a problem, it can be hung with a cedar cache
competitors. These rules specify that the kilt is to				or strips of cedar wood. Occasionally, the pleats
be worn (except that in the national dances, the				may need to be re-pressed and this requires care.
female competitors will be wearing the Aboyne				The authors of The Art of Kiltmaking advise that
dress) The history of the kilt stretches back to at				the pleats should be basted down before pressing
least late 16th century Scotland. However, the				so as to keep the pleats as straight as possible
nationalism of that tradition is relatively recent. It				from the bottom of the fell to the bottom of the
was only with the Romantic Revival of the early				kilt, thus preserving the look of the sett when the
19th century that the highland kilt was adopted by				kilt is worn. Today most Scotsmen regard the kilt
Lowlanders and the Scottish Diaspora as a symbol				as formal dress or ceremonial national dress.
of national identity. People from other countries				Although there are still a few people who wear
with Celtic connections, some Irish, Cornish, Welsh				the kilt daily, it is generally owned or hired to be
and Manx, have also adopted tartan kilts in recent				worn at weddings or other formal occasions,
times, although to a lesser degree. The kilt first				much the same way as top hat and tails are in
appeared as the great kilt, a full length garment				England or tuxedos in America, and may be worn
whose upper half could be worn as a cloak				by anyone regardless of nationality or descent.
draped over the shoulder, or brought up over				For formal wear, the kilt is usually worn with a
head as a cloak. The small kilt or walking kilt				Prince Charlie or an Argyll jacket. (Commercial
(similar to the 'modern' kilt) did not develop until				suppliers have now produced equivalent jackets
the late 17th or early 18th century, and is				with Irish and Welsh themed styling.) The kilt is
essentially the bottom half of the great kilt. The				also used for parades by groups such as the
typical kilt as seen at modern Highland games				Scouts, and in many places the kilt is seen in
events is made of twill woven worsted wool. The				force at Highland games and pipe band
twill weave used for kilts is a 2-2 type, meaning				championships as well as being worn at Scottish
that each weft thread passes over and under				country dances and ceilidhs. Certain regiments
two warp threads at a time. The result is a				units of the British Army and armies of other
distinctive diagonal weave pattern in the fabric				Commonwealth nations (including Australia,
which is called the twill line. This kind of twill, when				Canada, New Zealand and South Africa) still
woven according to a given color pattern, or sett				continue to wear the kilt as part of dress or duty
(see below), is called tartan. In contrast, the Irish				uniform, though they have not been used in
kilt traditionally was made from solid color cloth,				combat since 1940. Uniforms in which the kilt is
with saffron or green being the most widely used				worn include Ceremonial Dress, Service Dress,
colours. [1] Kilting fabric weights are given in				and Barracks Dress. The kilt is considered
ounces per yard and run from the very heavy				appropriate for ceremonial parades, office duties,
regimental worsted of approximately 18??2 oz.				less formal parades, walking out, mess dinners,
down to a light worsted of about 10??1 oz. The				and classroom instruction/band practice.
most common weights for kilts are 13 oz. and 16				Ceremonial kilts have also been developed for the
oz. The heavier weights are more appropriate for				U.S. Marine Corps, and the pipe and drum bands
cooler weather, while the lighter weights would				of the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Air Force. In
tend to be selected for warmer weather or for				recent years, the kilt has also become increasingly
active use, such as Highland dancing. Some				common in Scotland and around the world for
patterns are available in only a few weights. A				casual wear, for example with the Jacobite shirt.
modern kilt for a typical adult uses about 6??				It is not uncommon to see the kilt worn at Irish
yards of single-width (about 26??0 inches) or				pubs in the US, and it is becoming somewhat less
about 3?? yards of double-width (about 54??0				rare to see them in the workplace.[4] Casual use
inches) tartan fabric. Double width fabric is woven				of the kilt dressed down with lace-up boots or
so that the pattern exactly matches on the				moccasins, and with tee shirts or golf shirts, is
selvage. The kilt is usually made without a hem				becoming increasingly more familiar at Highland
because a hem would make the garment too				Games. The kilt is associated with a sense of
bulky and cause it to hang incorrectly. The exact				Scottish national pride and will often be seen being
amount of fabric needed depends upon several				worn, along with a football top, when members of
factors including the size of the sett, the number				the Tartan Army are watching a football or rugby
of pleats put into the garment, and the size of				match. The small ornamental Sgian Dubh dagger is
the person. For a full kilt, 8 yards of fabric would				often omitted where security concerns are
be used regardless of size and the number of				paramount (for example, they are not allowed on
pleats and depth of pleat would be adjusted				commercial aircraft). For the same reasons, the
according to their size. For a very large waist, it				traditional Sgian Dubh is sometimes substituted by
may be necessary to use 9 yards of cloth. One				a wooden or plastic alternative, as its use is now
of the most distinctive features of the authentic				largely ornamental (with only the hilt showing over
Scots kilt is the tartan pattern, or sett, it exhibits.				the top of the hose). Though the origins of the
The association of particular patterns with				Irish kilt continue to be a subject of debate,
individual clans and families can be traced back				current evidence suggests that the kilt itself
perhaps one or two centuries. It was only in the				originated in the Scottish Highlands and Isles and
Victorian era (19th century) that the system of				was adopted by Irish nationalists at the turn of
named tartans we know today began to be				the 20th century as a symbol of Celtic identity. [5]
systematically recorded and formalized, mostly by				A garment that has often been mistaken for the
weaving companies for mercantile purposes. Up				kilt in early depictions is the Irish 'Lein-croich', a
until this point, highland tartans held regional				long tunic traditionally made from solid colour cloth,
associations rather than being identified with any				with black, saffron and green being the most
particular clan. Today there are also tartans for				widely used colours. Solid colored Irish kilts were
districts, counties, societies and corporations.				first adopted for use by the Irish Regiments
There are also setts for States and Provinces,				serving in the British Army, but they could often
schools and universities, sporting activities,				be seen in late 19th and early 20th century
individuals, and commemorative and simple generic				photos in Ireland especially at political and musical
patterns that anybody can wear. See History of				gatherings, as the kilt was adopted as a symbol
the kilt for the process by which these				of Gaelic nationalism in Ireland during this period.
associations came about. Setts are always				[6] Tweed kilts were also not uncommon in both
arranged horizontally and vertically, never				Scotland and Ireland and have been popular with
diagonally (except when adapted for ladies' skirts).				sportsmen, fishermen, and hunters. Many "Irish
They are specified by their thread counts, the				County" tartans were designed by Polly Wittering,
sequence of colors and their units of width. As an				first produced in 1996 by the House of Edgar, of
example, the Wallace tartan has a thread count				Perth in Scotland. Marton Mills in West Yorkshire
given as "K/4 R32 K32 Y/4" (K is black, R is red,				produced a competing "Irish County Crest
and Y is yellow). This means that 4 units of black				Collection" based on the colours from Irish county
thread will be succeeded by 32 units of red, etc.,				crests, resulting in tartans that are considered
in both the warp and the weft. Typically, the units				aesthetically questionable by many traditionalists.
are the actual number of threads, but as long as				There are also a number of "Irish District" tartans
the proportions are maintained, the resulting				most of which are recent designs by Lochcarron
pattern will be the same. This thread count also				of Scotland. The Ulster tartan is one of the oldest
includes a pivot point indicated by the slash				registered Irish tartans. It was found by a farmer,
between the colour and thread number. The				W.G. Dixon, in County Londonderry in 1956 as he
weaver is supposed to reverse the weaving				uncovered pieces of clothing made from the
sequence at the pivot point to create a mirror				design. The Belfast Museum and Art Gallery dated
image of the pattern. This is called a symmetrical				the material from between the 1590s to 1650s.
tartan. Some tartans, like Buchanan, are				Its exact origins are unknown, but it is likely that
asymmetrical, which means they do not have a				came from a Scottish pioneer during the beginning
pivot point. The weaver weaves the sequence all				of the Ulster plantation period when the Scots
the way through and then starts at the beginning				first came in great numbers to Ulster. There are
again for the next sett. Setts are further				other generic Irish tartans including the Irish
characterized by their size, the number of inches				National, St. Patrick's, Tara, and Clodagh. Some
(or centimetres) in one full repeat. The size of a				Irish family tartans have been appearing over the
given sett depends not only on the number of				years, although these are few at the moment
threads in the repeat, but also on the weight of				more are being created. O'Brien, Sullivan, Murphy,
the fabric. This is so because the heavier the				Fitzpatrick, and Forde are fairly common
fabric the thicker the threads will be, and thus the				examples of Irish family tartans. In present day
same number of threads of a heavier weight				Ireland the kilt is still seen very much as being
fabric will occupy more space. The colours given in				primarily Scottish, and the current crop of county
the thread count are specified as in heraldry,				and district tartans is largely unknown in Ireland
although tartan patterns are not heraldic. The				and indeed difficult to obtain, having been designed
exact shade which is used is a matter of artistic				and marketed primarily for the Irish-American
freedom and will vary from one fabric mill to				market. As they have been neither designed nor
another as well as in dye lot to another within the				manufactured in Ireland itself it is questionable
same mill. Tartans are commercially woven in four				whether they can be strictly described as Irish. In
standard colour variations that describe the overall				the book District Tartans by Gordon Teall of
tone. "Ancient" or "Old" colours may be				Teallach and Philip D Smith Jr (ISBN 0 85683 085
characterized by a slightly faded look intended to				2) only three tartans are identified as being
resemble the vegetable dyes that were once				distinctly Irish; these are Ulster, Tara, and Clodagh.
used, although in some cases "Old" simply				As noted above the Ulster tartan originates from
identifies a tartan that was in use before the				around 1590-1650 and is probably Scottish in
current one. Ancient greens and blues are lighter				origin.[7] The Tara was first noted around 1880
while reds appear orange. "Modern" colours are				and was originally called Murphy. The Clodagh has
bright and show off modern aniline dyeing				an earliest date of 1971 with uncertainty as to its
methods. The colours are bright red, dark hunter				original designer or first appearance. Day-to-day
green, and usually navy blue. "Weathered" or				kilt wearing is rarely if ever encountered. Within
"Reproduction" colours simulate the look of older				the world of Irish dancing the boy's kilt has been
cloth weathered by the elements. Greens turn to				largely abandoned, especially since the worldwide
light brown, blues become gray, and reds are a				popularity of Riverdance and the revival and
deeper wine colour. The last colour variation is				interest in Irish dancing generally. There are
"Muted" which tends toward earth tones. The				exceptions to these trends in Ireland. A vibrant
greens are olive, blues are slate blue, and red is an				piping scene in Ireland means that there are many
even deeper wine colour. This means that of the				kilted bands throughout the whole of Ireland,
approximately 7,000 registered tartans available				particularly in the north of the island[citation
there are four possible colour variations for each,				needed]. The majority of these bands wear
resulting in nearly 30,000 tartans. Setts are				tartan kilts, the solid colour saffron kilt being
registered with the Scottish Tartans Authority				almost exclusively the preserve of the pipe bands
which maintains a collection of fabric samples				of the Republic's Defence Forces and the British
characterized by name and thread count. In all,				Army's Irish regiments. Although not a traditional
there are approximately 5000 registered				component of national dress outside Scotland, the
tartans.[citation needed] Although many tartans				kilt has become recently popular in the other
are added every year, most of the registered				Celtic nations as a sign of Celtic identity.[8] Kilts
patterns available today were created in the 19th				and tartans can therefore also be seen in Wales,
century by commercial weavers who had a large				Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Brittany, the
variety of colours to work with. The rise of				Tras-os-Montes region in the North of Portugal,
Highland romanticism and the growing Anglicization				and Galicia in Spain, as well as parts of England,
of Scottish culture by the Victorians at the time				particularly the North East. Nowadays with Welsh
led to registering tartans with clan names. Before				nationalism on the rise and a resurgence of Welsh
that, most of these patterns were more				national pride, the kilt (Welsh: Cilt)[citation needed].
connected to geographical regions than to any				Although they are generally seen these days in
clan. There is therefore nothing symbolic about				formal settings like weddings, there has been an
the colours, and nothing about the patterns is a				increase in the number of people wearing their kilt
reflection of the status of the wearer. Although				to a rugby or football match, paired with a jersey
low quality kilts can be obtained in standard sizes,				rather than a formal jacket[citation needed]. The
a quality kilt is tailored to the individual proportions				St David's Tartan or brithwe Dewi Sant is one of
of the wearer. At least three measurements, the				the most popular tartans in Wales, but individual
waist, hips, and length of the kilt, are usually				family tartans are being produced, despite there
required. Sometimes the rise (distance above the				being no evidence that the Welsh (or any other
waist) or the fall (distance from waistline to the				Celtic nation for that matter) traditionally used
widest part of the hips) is also required. A				tartan to identify families. Williams, Jones, Thomas,
properly made kilt, when buckled on the tightest				Evans, and Davies are among the most popular
holes of the straps, should not be so loose that				tartans and common names in Wales. The Welsh
the wearer can easily twist the kilt around the				National tartan was designed by D.M. Richards in
body, nor should it be so tight that it causes				1967 to demonstrate Wales' connection with the
"scalloping" of the fabric where it is buckled.				greater Celtic world. Its colours (green, red, and
Additionally, the length of the kilt when buckled at				white) are the colours of the Welsh national flag.
the waist should reach a point no lower than				There are currently 12 Breton tartans of which
halfway across the kneecap nor higher than about				Brittany National (National Breton), Brittany
an inch above it. A kilt can be pleated with either				Walking, Lead it Of and 9 tartans for the
box or knife pleats. A knife pleat is a simple fold,				traditional countries which compose Brittany:
while the box pleat is bulkier, consisting of two				Kerne, Leon, Tregor, Gwened, Dol, St Malo,
knife pleats back-to-back. Knife pleats are the				Rennes, Nantes, St Brieuc. All Breton tartans are
most common in modern civilian kilts. Regimental				officially recorded in Scotland. Contemporary kilts
traditions vary. The Argyll and Sutherland				(also known as modern kilts) have appeared in
Highlanders use box pleats, while the Black Watch				the clothing marketplace in Scotland [10], the USA
make their kilts of the same tartan with knife				and Canada in a range of fabrics, including leather,
pleats. These traditions were also passed on to				denim, corduroy, and cotton. [11] They may be
affiliated regiments in the Commonwealth, and				designed for formal or casual dress, for use in
were retained in successor battalions to these				sports or outdoor recreation, or as white or blue
regiments in the amalgamated Royal Regiment of				collar workwear. Some are closely modelled on
Scotland. Pleats can be arranged relative to the				traditional Scottish kilts, but others are similar only
pattern in two ways. In pleating to the stripe, a				in being knee-length skirts for men. They may
vertical stripe is selected and the fabric is folded				have box pleats, symmetrical knife pleats, or no
so that this stripe runs down the center of each				pleats at all, and be fastened by studs or velcro
pleat. The result is that along the back and sides				instead of buckles. Many are designed to be worn
of the kilt horizontal bands appear which look				without a sporran, and may have pockets or tool
different from the front than from the back. This				belts attached. Kilts are sometimes referred to by
is often called military pleating because it is the				enthusiasts for their daily use as Male
style adopted by many military regiments. It is				Un-bifurcated Garments or "Mugs", though strictly
also widely used by pipe bands. In pleating to the				this term also covers other garments such as
sett the fabric is folded so that the pattern of				sarongs which are regarded as viable alternatives
the sett is repeated all around the kilt (especially in				to trousers (bifurcated garments). In 2008, a
the waistband). This is done by taking up one full				USPS letter carrier, Dean Peterson, made formal
sett in each pleat, or two full setts if they are				proposal that the kilt, as a Male Unbifurcated
small. This causes the kilt to look much the same				Garment, be approved as an acceptable postal
from both front and back. Any pleat is				uniform for reasons of comfort. The proposal
characterized by depth and width. The portion of				was defeated at the convention of the
the pleat that protrudes under the overlying pleat				220,000-member National Letter Carriers'
is the size or width. The pleat width is selected				Association.
based on the size of the sett and the amount of

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Kilt