Highland dress

{{short description|Traditional dress of Scotland's highlands and isles}} {{More citations needed|date=November 2008}}

'''Highland dress''' is the [[national dress|traditional, regional dress]] of the Highlands and Isles of [[Scotland]]. It is often characterised by [[tartan]] (''plaid'' in North America). Specific designs of shirt, jacket, [[bodice]] and headwear may also be worn. On rare occasions with clan badges and other devices indicating family and heritage.

Men's Highland dress typically includes a [[kilt]] or [[trews]]. Although this may consist of clan tartan, it is more usual for tartans to be chosen for aesthetic reasons. A tartan [[full plaid]], [[fly plaid]], or short [[belted plaid]] may also be worn but usually only at very formal events or by the groom at a wedding. There are a number of accessories, which may include but are not limited to: a belt, [[sporran]], [[sgian-dubh]], knee-socks with a cuff known as kilt hose, [[garters]], kilt pins and clan badges.

Women's Highland dress is also based on the clan tartan, either that of her birth clan or, if married, that of her spouse's clan if she so chooses. Traditionally, women and girls do not wear kilts but may wear ankle-length tartan [[skirt]]s, along with a colour-coordinated blouse and vest. A tartan [[earasaid]], [[sash]] or [[shawl|tonnag]] (smaller shawl) may also be worn, usually pinned with a [[brooch]], sometimes with a clan badge or other family or cultural motif.

==Modern Highland dress== {{Western dress codes}} {{disputed section|date=October 2011}} In the modern era, Scottish Highland dress can be worn casually, or worn as formal wear to white tie and black tie occasions, especially at [[céilidh|ceilidhs]] and weddings. Just as the black tie dress code has increased in use in England for formal events which historically may have called for white tie, so too is the black tie version of Highland dress increasingly common.

The codification of "proper" Highland dress for formal and semi-formal wear took place during the Victorian era, and these styles have changed little since then (e.g. the Prince Charlie, Sheriffmuir, and regulation jackets have an antique appearance, being based on Victorian military doublets of [[Highland regiment]]s). In observing "constraints imposed by supposed rules and regulations governing ... what is perceived as permissible in Highland dress", Scottish historian Hugh Cheape writes (2012) that "uniform styles and conformity in dress conventions have emerged since the late nineteenth century and have been encoded in books and tailors' patterns; strict observance is expected and in some circles has become a touchstone of Scottishness. The perpetuation of such views, relatively recently formed, is a self-assumed role of guardians of Scottish 'ethnicity'."<ref>{{cite book |last=Cheape |first=Hugh |contribution=''Gheibhte Breacain Charnaid'' ('Scarlet Tartans Would Be Got ...'): The Re-invention of Tradition |editor-last=Brown |editor-first=Ian |title=From Tartan to Tartanry: Scottish Culture, History and Myth |date=2012 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |url={{GBurl|giGrBgAAQBAJ}} |isbn=978-0-7486-6464-1 |ref=CH2012}}</ref> He contrasts this mode of regulated Highland dress with the kilt's contemporary "renaissance as a style item ... even a post-modern trend in kilt-wear instigated with the 1970s and 1980s [[Punk fashion|punk styles]]; we see the kilt worn with chunky socks, boots, white T-shirt and black jacket".<ref>[[#CH2012|Cheape (2012)]], p. 14.</ref>

Regardless of formality level, the basis of all modern men's and women's Highland dress starts with the [[tartan]], either as a [[kilt]], [[trews]], [[arisaid]], [[sash]], or [[shawl|tonnag]]. Tartans in Scotland are registered at the [[Scottish Register of Tartans]] in Edinburgh, a [[Non-ministerial government department|non-ministerial department]] and are usually aligned to a [[Scottish clan#Tartan|clan]] or branch of a clan; however, tartans can also be registered exclusively for an individual or institution, and many "district" or "national" patterns also exist that have no associations to particular families or organisations.

Historically, weaponry formed a common accessory of men's Highland dress, such as the [[mattucashlass]] and the [[Dirk#Highland dirk|dirk]]. However, due to the UK's knife laws, small [[sgian-dubh]]s and sword shape [[kilt pin]]s are more commonly seen today.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sgian Dubhs |website=TartansAuthority.com |publisher=[[Scottish Tartans Authority]] |url= http://www.tartansauthority.com/highland-dress/modern/sgian-dubhs/ |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221010174609/http://www.tartansauthority.com/highland-dress/modern/sgian-dubhs/ |archive-date=10 October 2022 |access-date=11 July 2023}}</ref>

For men's and women's shoes, [[Ghillies (dance)|dance ghillie]]s are thin, foldable [[turnshoes]], now used mostly for indoor wear and [[Scottish country dance|Scottish dancing]]. The sole and uppers cut from one piece of leather, wrapped around the foot from the bottom, laced at the top, and seamed at the heel and toe. [[Brogue shoe#Ghillie brogues|Ghillie brogues]] are thick-soled [[Shoe#Middle Ages and Early Modern period|welted-rand]] shoes. In both, the laces are wrapped around and tied firmly above the wearer's ankles so that the shoes do not get pulled off in the mud. The shoes lack tongues so the wearer's feet can dry more quickly in the typically damp Scottish weather.

===Formal day wear (morning dress)=== {{further|Formal wear|Morning dress}} [[File:3rd Duke of Fife in Kilt. Allan Warren.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[James Carnegie, 3rd Duke of Fife]], in a plain-cuff Crail jacket (1984)]]

Highland dress may also be worn as a [[folk costume|folk-costume]] option at events requiring [[morning dress]]. As such, for formal day-wear use it generally consists of:<ref name="So that's how to wear your kilt">{{cite web |author= |url= http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/so-that-s-how-to-wear-your-kilt-1-531264 |title=So that's how to wear your kilt |date=17 May 2004 |work=[[The Scotsman]]}}</ref><ref name="WhatToWear">{{cite web |author= |title=What to Wear? |publisher=[[Scottish Tartans Authority]] |url= http://www.tartansauthority.com/highland-dress/modern/what-to-wear/ |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221126161120/http://www.tartansauthority.com/highland-dress/modern/what-to-wear/ |archive-date=26 November 2022 |access-date=11 July 2023}}</ref>

Men: *Plain superfine wool or [[barathea]] black, [[charcoal]] or [[tweed (cloth)|tweed]] [[Argyll jacket|Argyll]]-, Crail-, and Braemar-style kilt jacket *Belt and buckle or five- or six-button waistcoat in matching grey, putty, complementary or [[tartan]] material in matching colour *[[Kilt]] * White shirt with [[turndown collar]], [[French cuffs]], and [[cufflinks]] *Long tie in a single colour or striped regimental style * Black [[brogues]] (according to some views, brown shoes should never be worn with Highland dress, although such are worn by the royals) *Tartan, [[Argyle (pattern)|argyle]], [[Sillitoe tartan|diced]], or plain coloured dark hose (white and off-white hose should be avoided) *Flashes or garter ties *Day or horse hair [[sporran]] *[[Morning dress]] [[sgian-dubh]] (less intricate than for the full dress and typically made of horn or antler).

===Formal evening wear (white tie)=== {{further|Formal wear|White tie}} The traditional [[White tie|white-tie]] version of Highland dress consists of:

Men: *Formal kilt [[Doublet (Highland dress)|doublet]] in [[barathea]] or [[velvet]]. The regulation, Montrose, Sheriffmuir and Kenmore [[Doublet (Highland dress)|doublets]] are suitable in a variety of colours. Velvet is considered to be a more formal material. The [[Prince Charlie jacket]] ([[coatee]]) is considered to be less formal,{{by whom?|date=August 2023}} although when introduced it was to be worn with a white lace [[jabot (neckwear)|jabot]]. Tartan jackets are also seen. *[[Waistcoat]] in white [[Piqué (weaving)|marcella]], tartan (usually to match the kilt), red or the same material as the doublet. No waistcoat is worn with the Kenmore or Montrose doublets. *[[Kilt]] with formal [[kilt pin]] *White stiff-front shirt with [[wing collar]] and white, gold, or silver studs and cufflinks for the Regulation doublet, or a white formal shirt and optional lace cuffs for the Montrose, Sheriffmuir, and Kenmore doublets *White [[lace]] [[Jabot (neckwear)|jabot]]. A black silk or a white marcella bow tie may be worn in place of the jabot with the regulation doublet (Highland wear often includes a black bow tie even at white-tie events). *Black formal shoes or black buckle brogues *[[Tartan]] or diced kilt hose *Silk [[garter flashes]] or [[garter ties]] *Silver-mounted [[sporran]] in fur, sealskin or hair with a silver chain belt *Black, silver-mounted and jeweled [[sgian-dubh]] *Highland [[Bonnet (headgear)#Men|bonnet]] ([[Balmoral bonnet|Balmoral]] or [[Glengarry]]) with [[Heraldic crest|crest]] [[Heraldic badge|badge]] (only worn outdoors)<ref name=Collins>''Collins English Dictionary 21st Century Edition'' Harper Collins (2001) {{ISBN|0-00-472529-8}}</ref> *Short belted plaid with silver plaid brooch (optional) *Scottish [[dirk]] (optional)

===Semi-formal day wear (black lounge suit equivalent)=== {{further|Semi-formal wear|Black lounge suit}} The semi-formal version of Highland dress consists of:<ref name="So that's how to wear your kilt"/><ref name="WhatToWear" />

Men: *Black or charcoal semi-formal [[kilt jacket]] in superfine wool or [[barathea]] – [[Argyll jacket|Argyll]]-, Crail-, and Braemar-style jackets are suitable *Five- or six-button waistcoat in black, grey, putty or [[tartan]] *[[Kilt]] *White shirt with [[turndown collar]], [[French cuff]]s, and [[cufflinks]] *Tie in a single colour *Black brogues *Tartan, [[Argyle (pattern)|argyle]], [[Sillitoe tartan|diced]] or dark hose (white and off-white hose should be avoided) *Flashes or garter ties *[[Morning dress|Day-dress]] [[sporran]] with simple designs and often in black leather – however, a full dress sporran is not considered inappropriate *Day-dress [[sgian-dubh]] (less intricate than for the full dress and typically made of horn or antler)

===Semi-formal evening wear (black tie)=== {{further|Semi-formal wear|Black tie}}

Traditionally, [[Black tie|black-tie]] Highland dress comprises:

Men: *Black, or other solid colour, [[barathea]] jacket with silver buttons – Regulation [[Doublet (Highland dress)|doublet]], [[Prince Charlie jacket|Prince Charlie]] ([[coatee]]), [[Brian Boru jacket|Brian Boru]], [[Braemar jacket|Braemar]], [[Argyll jacket|Argyll]], and black [[mess jacket]]s are suitable (there is some contention about whether the [[Duke of Montrose doublet|Duke of Montrose]] and [[Sheriffmuir doublet]]s are too formal for black-tie occasions) *Black [[waistcoat]] *[[Kilt]] *White shirt with [[shirt studs]], French or [[barrel cuff]]s, and a [[turndown collar]] ([[wing collar]]s are reserved for [[white tie]]) *Black [[bow tie]] *Evening dress [[brogues]] *Tartan or diced full-dress [[kilt hose]] – off-white hose are often seen but are deplored by some, such as the late [[David Lumsden of Cushnie]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/2826366/David-Lumsden-of-Cushnie.html|title=David Lumsden of Cushnie|website=[[Telegraph.co.uk]]|publisher=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=12 September 2008|access-date=13 May 2018}}</ref> *Silk [[Garter flashes|flashes]] or [[garter ties]] *Dress [[sporran]] with silver chain *Black, silver-mounted [[sgian dubh]] * Highland bonnet with crest badge (only suitable outdoors)<ref>{{cite book |last=MacKinnon |first=C. R. |author-link=C. R. MacKinnon |title=Scottish Tartans & Highland Dress |publisher=Wm. Collins Sons & Co. |date=1970 |location=Glasgow / London |page=98 |isbn=0-00-411114-1}}</ref> * Miniature [[medal]]s (if authorised)

In 1618, a poet from London, [[John Taylor (poet)|John Taylor]], described the costume of Scottish aristocrats, [[laird]]s, and their followers and servants, dressed for hunting at [[Braemar]]. In August and September, all classes dressed in the same fashion by custom, as if equals. This included [[tartan]] [[Hose (clothing)|stocking]]s and [[Jerkin (garment)|jerkin]]s, with [[Garter (stockings)|garter]]s of twisted [[straw]], and a finer plaid [[Mantle (clothing)|mantle]] round their shoulders. They had knotted [[Kerchief|handkerchief]]s at their necks and wore blue [[cap]]s. Taylor said the tartan was "warm stuff of diverse colours."<ref>[https://archive.org/details/earlyprosepoetic00taylrich Taylor, John, ''Early Prose & Poetical Works'', London & Glasgow, (1888)], pp.49-50.</ref>

Near the end of the seventeenth century, [[Martin Martin]] gave a description of traditional women's clothing in the [[Hebrides|Western Islands]], the ''[[earasaid]]'' with its [[brooch]]es and [[buckle]]s.<blockquote>"The ancient dress wore by the women, and which is yet wore by some of the vulgar, called ''arisad'', is a white [[Full plaid|plaid]], having a few small stripes of black, blue and red; it reached from the neck to the heels, and was tied before on the breast with a buckle of silver or brass, according to the quality of the person. I have seen some of the former of an hundred [[Merk (coin)|mark]]s value; it was broad as any ordinary pewter plate, the whole curiously [[Animal style|engraven with various animals]] etc. There was a lesser buckle which was wore in the middle of the larger, and above two [[ounce]]s weight; it had in the centre a [[Smoky quartz|large piece of crystal]], or some finer stone, and this was set all around with several finer stones of a lesser size. The plaid being [[pleat]]ed all round, was tied with a [[Belt (clothing)|belt]] below the breast; the belt was of leather, and several pieces of silver intermixed with the leather like a [[chain]]. The lower end of the belt has a piece of plate about eight [[inch]]es long, and three in breadth, curiously engraven; the end of which was adorned with fine stones, or pieces of [[red coral]]. They wore [[sleeve]]s of scarlet cloth, closed at the end as men's [[Waistcoat|vest]]s, with gold [[lace]] round them, having plate [[button]]s with fine stones. The head dress was a fine [[kerchief]] of [[linen]] strait (tight) about the head, hanging down the back taper-wise; a large lock of hair hangs down their cheeks above their breast, the lower end tied with a knot of [[ribband]]s."<ref>Martin, ''Description of the Western Islands of Scotland'', (1703), pp.208-209: quoted in Robertson, ed., ''Inventaires de la Royne Desscosse'', Bannatyne Club, (1863) p.lxviii footnote.</ref></blockquote>

According to the English military chaplain Thomas Morer in 1689, Highland men wore plaids about seven or eight [[yard]]s ({{convert|7|to|8|yard|m|disp=out}}) long, which covered from the neck to the knees except the right arm. Beneath the plaid they wore a [[Waistcoat#History|waistcoat]] or a [[shirt]] to the same length as the drape of the plaid. These were "[[belted plaid]]s." Their stockings were made of the same stuff as the plaid and their shoes were called "brocks" ([[Brogue shoe|brogue]]s). [[Blue bonnet (hat)|Bonnet]]s were blue or "sad" coloured. Morer noted that the fineness of the fabric varied according to the wealth and status of the man.

Scottish [[Scottish Lowlands|Lowlanders]] and Borderers were dressed much like the English, except both men and women also used a plaid as a [[cloak]]. The Lowland women wrapped their plaids over their heads as [[Hood (headgear)|hood]]s,<ref>Hume Brown, P., ''Early Travellers in Scotland'' James Thin (1891 repr. 1978), 269-270, 272, quoting Morer, Thomas, ''A Short Account of Scotland'' (1715)</ref> whereas Lowland and Border men wore a checkered [[maud (plaid)]] wrapped about their upper body.<ref>Craig, A. (1837). [https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tartanDetails.aspx?ref=3781 Parish of Bedrule. New Statistical Account of Scotland] (vol. 3). Edinburgh: Blackwood.</ref> The maud, woven in a pattern known variously as [[Border tartan]], Falkirk tartan, Shepherd's check, Shepherd's plaid<ref>The Scottish Register of Tartans.</ref> and Galashiels grey, became the identifying feature of Border dress as a result of the garment's mention by fashionable Border Scots such as [[Walter Scott]], [[James Hogg]] and [[Henry Scott Riddell]] and their wearing of it in public.<ref>Moffat, A. (2015). Scotland: A history from the earliest times. Edinburgh: Birlinn.</ref> Together with [[Robbie Burns|Robert Burns]], they can be seen wearing a maud in portraits, etchings and statues.

<gallery> File:John Michael Wright - Lord Mungo Murray (Am Morair Mungo Moireach), 1668 - 1700. Son of 1st Marquess of Atholl - Google Art Project.jpg|Highland chieftain Lord Mungo Murray wearing belted plaid, around 1680. File:Matheson_%28R._R._McIan%29.jpg|A woman wearing an ''[[earasaid]]'', and the typical hairstyle of a married woman, with a child in [[Clan Matheson|Matheson]] tartan (1845) from a description of 150 years before.

File:Mac Nicol (R. R. McIan).jpg|A member of [[Clan MacNeacail]], from ''The Clans of the Scottish Highlands'', wearing a tonnag [[R. R. McIan]] (1845) File:Sir Henry Raeburn - Colonel Alastair Ranaldson Macdonell of Glengarry (1771 - 1828) - Google Art Project.jpg|Portrait by [[Henry Raeburn]] of [[Alexander Ranaldson MacDonell of Glengarry]] in 1812. Image:Campbell of Breadalbane.jpg|Campbell of Breadalbane (~1845-1847) File:1700, English- Scotch. - 094 - Costumes of All Nations (1882).JPG|Costumes of All Nations (1882) </gallery>

==Gallery== <gallery> File:StateLibQld 1 205815 Andrew McFarlane.jpg|Boy wearing open necked velvet doublet, kilt and plaid (1898)

File:Highland outfits advertisement (1957).jpg|Highland Dress advertisement (1957)

File:Kilted.jpg|Black [[Barathea]] Silver Button Argyll (BBSBA) jacket, worn with a five button waistcoat and long tie for day wear (2006)

File:Ghillie.JPG|A modern style of [[Ghillies (dance)|ghillies]] made specifically for dancing (2006)

File:PiperJamesGeddes.jpg|Piper playing the [[Great Highland Bagpipes]] in traditional Scottish piper's uniform (2010){{efn|From top to bottom these are called, [[feather bonnet]], [[Doublet (clothing)|doublet]], plaid and plaid [[brooch]], [[Belt (clothing)|belt]], [[sporran]], [[kilt]], [[hose (clothing)|hose]] tops, [[Spats (footwear)|spats]], [[brogues]]}} </gallery>

==Notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Highland dress}} *The Scottish Tartans Authority - Registered Scottish Charity *[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_jndbAAAAQAAJ Martin Martin, ''A description of the Western Islands of Scotland'', London (1703)] *[http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/search/collection/p15324coll12/searchterm/Clans%20of%20the%20Scottish%20Highlands/order/nosort Clans of the Scottish Highlands Fashion Plates] from [[Metropolitan Museum of Art#Libraries|The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries]]

[[Category:Highland dress| ]] [[Category:Scottish clothing]] [[Category:British clothing]]