Information below from https://www.lulus.com/blog/fashion/a-guide-to-scottish-tartans/ shared with CJA by Cora Miller.
Tartan kilts are one of the first things that come to mind when people think of Scotland. These iconic patterns and skirt-like fashions have influenced clothing all over the world. There is a long history of the Celts of Scotland and Ireland donning checked and striped fabric, dating back more than a thousand years. Tartan kilts have been a symbol of rebellion against English imperialism. Tartan kilts were worn by Scottish soldiers in defiance until the British army was eventually forced to allow a kilt as a uniform article, creating the official military Black Watch tartan.
The styles of tartans we know today as colorful and intricate patterns that represent different clans and regions were actually popularized by Sir Walter Scott. When King George IV, the first reigning monarch to have visited Scotland in 170 years, arrived in Edinburgh, novelist Scott arranged a tartan pageant for him. Even the king was given a tartan of his own. The tartan kilt became royal attire and high fashion.
Since Sir Walter Scott’s pageant, it’s become a Scottish tradition to wear a tartan that distinguishes your clan or district of origin. Most Scottish surnames can be connected to a specific region, and some can also be connected to an ancient clan. Different immigrant groups who have made their home in Scotland also have their own tartans. Today, Scottish tartans are traditional at weddings, with men wearing kilts and women wearing tartan sashes, and their influence has been seen in street wear all over the world and even influencing skirt styles in the world of high fashion.
Tartan Terms
- Ancient Tartan: An older, paler variant of a tartan, meant to look like the cloth has faded over time
- Dress Tartan: A variant of a tartan that features more white
- Field: The fabric’s base color that the stripes are set on
- Hunting Tartan: A tartan variant that features more green and blue, which would blend in better with the scenery during a hunt
- Modern Tartan: The standard color scheme and design for a tartan
- Pivot: The thinner stripes that some patterns include
- Warp: The vertical stripes on the fabric
- Weft: The horizontal stripes on the fabric
The Johnstone pattern has green stripes over a blue field with black and yellow pivots.
