Is it Plaid or is it Tartan!?! This is the question!

Hello my sweethearts. I hope your weekend was bliss. I had a gorgeous weekend chilling out on Saturday & then spending the day at Drummond Castle on Sunday. I'll have a post sharing that soon, but today we are talking tartan.

Time after time, I get asked what's the difference between tartan & plaid & are they not the same thing!?! I can definitely say - no they are not! In North America it has been thought that the word plaid is interchangeable with tartan. One of the first things I learned when I came to live in Scotland, was that tartan is tartan and never to call it plaid. This lost in translation mistake has lead to a lot of confusion for some people. You'll never be far from a Scot to kindly set you straight ;-) Actually no one in the UK as a whole would call it plaid.

So what is plaid you ask!?! Well, 'plaide' comes from the Gaelic word for 'large wrap or blanket, also known as 'The Belted Plaid' (Gaelic: feilidh-mhoror). Because it is a blanket that has been gathered and belted around your waist. In other words, 'tartan and 'plaid' are not two different types of design, 'plaid' is a certain kind of garment - the blanket or large wrap & 'Tartan' is the actual pattern of cloth the garment is made from.  No matter what it's seen on, it always remains tartan. Below you can see the plaid as it's traditionally worn:

{Known as Long Plaid or Pipers' Plaid - worn exclusively by Pipers in pipe bands, either civilian or ceremonial. It's history is that it was used to cover the head and shoulders in the rain. (images via)}

{Known as Small Plaid or Fly Plaid. Drummers will wear this plaid because it is shorter & gives more room to move their arms. (images via)}

Tartans originated in woven wool, though now, you can find them made from many other materials. Until the middle of the nineteenth century, the highland tartans were associated with regions over districts, rather than specific clans like it is today. This was due to the fact that the tartan designs were produced by local weavers for local tastes and would tend to make use of the natural dyes available in that particular area. Not until later, did a specific tartan become associated with Scottish clans, Scottish families or even Institutions who are or wished to be seen as associated with Scottish Heritage. Below you can see a small selection of some of the different patterns of tartan.

Originally a tartan didn't have to be made with a pattern at all. As late as the 1830's, tartan was sometimes described as 'plained coloured - without pattern'. Patterned cloth from the Gaelic speaking Scottish Highlands was called 'breacan', meaning many colours. Over time, the meanings of 'tartan' and 'breacon' were combined to describe these patterns on certain types of cloth. The pattern of a tartan is called a 'sett'. The sett is made up of a series of woven threads which cross at right angles. 

So, there you have it! Now you know what the difference is between 'Tartan' - the Pattern and 'Plaid' - a blanket & not a design! I hope you'll be able to know it as Tartan now. There is much more you can learn about then, including the complete dressing of the Highland Kilt, but I'll leave that for later. I guess the only thing left for me to answer is, what does a true Scotsman wear underneath his Kilt? Absolutely nothing! Haha!

Have a great Monday my darling dolls!!
xoxoxoxox

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P.S. there is so much more I could have added in here, but we would have been here for a very long time. I hope this will motivate you to want to learn more & seek out more too :)

~ Tartan in Fashion ~

{Information sources here, here & here. Picture Sources from Pinterest Search}

♥