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W H A T I S A K I L T Kilt, knee-length skirtlike garment that is worn by men as a major element of the traditional national garb of Scotland. (The other main component of Highland dress, as the traditional male garb of Scotland is called, is the plaid, which is a rectangular length of cloth worn over the left shoulder.) The kilt is a length of hand woven wool that is permanently pleated except for sections at each end and wrapped around the wearer’s waist in such a way that the pleats are massed at the wearer’s back and the flat, unpleated ends overlap to form a double layer at his front. Both kilt and plaid are usually made of cloth woven with a cross-checked repeating pattern known as a tartan. U S E A N D R E P R E S E N T A T I O N Scottish kilts historically served as a blanket, a full-body wrap, identified family ties, and national identity. Although kilts have changed drastically since their beginning, the modern kilt still speaks volumes with its humble vertical and horizontal lines. Tartan represents heritage like no other cloth can. These wool masterpieces remain as icons of heritage and tradition. D E R I V A T I O N Kilts have been around since at least before the Sixteenth Century! The word kilt originated from a verb in the Scandinavian language meaning “to gird up; to tuck up (the skirts) round the body”. In the Sixteenth Century the first kilts were huge pieces of cloth large enough to be worn as a cloak or a hood that could run the length of the body. Essentially, these massive pieces of tartan held together with a belt, these were known as the great kilts! From here the kilt evolved into walking kilts which were smaller and had the pleats sewn in, similar to modern kilts. W H A T I S A S C O T T I S H T A R T A N , O R S C O T T I S H P L A I D ? It's a woollen fabric that evolved from the original 'breacan', and is made up of an orderly checkered pattern, usually involving several different colors. The checkered pattern consists of colored vertical and horizontal lines, woven into the fabric to form a very distinctive pattern of lines and squares - this is known as the 'sett'.
THE HISTORY OF SCOTTISH KILTS Traditionally the Feileadh Mhor was made from one length of a thick, wool cloth known as 'breacan' (a Gaelic word meaning speckled or partly colored). This cloth was usually about 5ft wide and could be up to 21ft long. Several feet of the fabric was folded into loose pleats and wrapped around the wearers' waist, then fastened in place with a thick, leather belt. The rest of the cloth was thrown over the shoulder, and tucked into the belt at the back. This spare material could also be pulled up over the head and shoulders to protect whoever was wearing it from cold winds, and heavy rain or snow. The whole thing was worn over a long sleeved tunic, which reached the knees. Over a hundred years later, around the middle of the 17th Century this early, heavy and rather awkward, version of the kilt began to be replaced by the 'Feileadh Beag' (also known as the 'Philabeg' and pronounced 'feela beg'). This was basically the lower half of the Feileigh Mor and consisted of a single (shorter) length of breacan, loosely folded, wrapped around the waist and again secured by a thick belt. There was no 'extra' cloth to throw over the shoulder or use as a cloak, and this variation was also known as the 'Walking Kilt'. In the 18th Century, the loose folds were widely being replaced by pleats that were sewn into the fabric, making the whole outfit much easier to wear. For a while both styles were worn by Highlanders, but over time the older Great Kilt disappeared from everyday wear as the more comfortable Walking Kilt took it's place .
Page 1: KILTS Scotland. of
Page 5 and 6: TARTANS Tartan is a woven material,
Page 7 and 8: Brainstorming
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