Heritage Library
Highland Attire
Tartan, the belted plaid, kilts and the clothing traditions preserved in the original Wild Highlanders archive.
The history of the kilt
Tartan, identity and Highland dress
The original attire article begins with the Gaelic word breacan—partially colored or speckled—and explains the multicolored arrangement of stripes and checks that became known as a tartan sett.
The archive follows Highland dress through the belted plaid, the rise of the sewn and pleated kilt, the military influence of the Black Watch, and the restrictions imposed by the Dress Act after the Jacobite risings.
Breacan
The tartan and its place in Highland dress.
Read article →The Belted Plaid
Explore the breacan feile and its development.
Read article →Pleating
How the great plaid is arranged and worn.
Read article →Highland Shirt
Archive material on clothing and presentation.
Read article →Accessories
Additional elements of Highland attire.
Read article →Wrapping the Plaid
Original archive instructions and illustrations.
Read article →
Our own tartan
The Wild Highlanders sett
The clan history records the Wild Highlanders tartan being registered in 2000. It became a shared visual identity for a clan made up of people from many different family-clan backgrounds.
Read the clan tartan story