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Guide to Buying Tartans
Tartan a word often used to refer to the kilt itself, but in fact "tartan" is the pattern in the fabric. Tartan by definition is any plaid that has a name. In Scotland the tartans are also called plaids. The history of tartan and other wonderful tartan reference can be found at www.tartansauthority.com . To use our site here are some common things you should know. Also please read the article by Brian Wilton of The Scottish Tartans Authority here on finding your tartan. How do I find out what tartan is mine? What tartan is mine? to do a search for your Clan and tartan. What is a Clan? Clans are groups of families , unrelated by blood. Formed by area or geography of the land. It was common for the families of the Highlands , a village or town , and other parts of Scotland to group together for protection and common association. What tartans can I wear? Your name search may have turned up several Clans and associated tartans. Each Clan has several tartans, if so you may wear any or all of them. If not and you are of Scottish Heritage, do not be dismayed. Many Scottish family names do not have an associated tartan. There are however many "All Scotland " tartans. As a person of Scottish heritage you may wear any of those. When can I wear a tartan? I have not found a single situation wear I can not wear my tartan. A man's kilt can be dressed up to wear to an Fancy Embassy Ball, where you would wear a tuxedo, and can also be worn with casual shoes and shirt to go hiking or out for a pint. Tartan Terms: The first thing many people ask is what is a "Dress" tartan or a "Hunting" tartan. Tartans often come in Modern, Ancient, Hunting , and Dress to name most. Many of the larger Clans have specialty tartans. The "Modern" tartan in the most commonly woven tartan and usually the accepted "standard" tartan for a Clan. The ancient series is an attempt by weavers to duplicate what the tartans would have looked like, back when. Usually this is the same "sett" or pattern as the modern but with faded colors. The "Dress" tartans are most commonly worn by women, as tey have a large amount of white and are a brighter look. The hunting tartans are usually made to offset a bright color modern tartan. Made in earth tones to do exactly that, hunt. When looking at a list of tartans you will see a letter following the name and these are A=Ancient, M=Modern, W=Weathered, Mtd=Muted . If you have any other questions please contact us at
tartan@kilts.com and we will do our best
to answer your questions. |
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