The Ancient Brecan Feile or Great Kilt.

This is the first and most rare form of the Scottish kilt. It wasn’t until recently that we discovered and learned how to wear it. In Alex’s travels and conversations, he found a gentleman who knew of an ancient way to tie the breacan that we had never heard of. We had always spent the time and pleated the kilt.

If you think about it, the highlander didn’t have a lot of time to pleat and prepare his kilt. It was basically get up off the ground, throw on your kilt and go about your business. That’s what the ancient breacan feile is all about.

Getting Prepared.

You are going to need a large amount of space in order to spread out all the material. When I started as a novice highlander, I would spread the entire tartan on the floor, but once I got comfortable with the procedure, I was able to work in parts without spreading the entire tartan out.

Use the bottom right corner as your stationary reference point. This corner will eventually be over your left thigh. This corner will not move until you wrap it on. For reference, the left and right sides of the kilt are based on as if you wearing it.

The First Step: 

The Under Shirt. Before you do anything else you need to put on your under shirt. The ancient dress (7th through 10th centuries) of the highlander was nothing more than a long piece of material with a hole cut for the neck, tied together around the waist at the back and tucked in under the knot. This was later replaced by a long night shirt called a saffron shirt because of the material it was typically made of, it was developed as a result of refined techniques in sewing. It wasn’t uncommon to see highlanders removing their kilts and fighting in these long shirts for added maneuverability. They had baggy sleeves that had to be tied to keep from getting entangled in the weapons being wielded. For formal occasions, the breacan feile with a fine shirt and tie is very difficult to beat. I usually wear a nice tuxedo shirt with bow tie and Argyll jacket. I have on occasion used a collarless tuxedo shirt and jacket for a less formal approach. But for the most formal in evening attire a jabot, which has lace around the neck, can be worn but only with the Prince Charlie Coatee and vest.  

Step Two: 

Placing the Belt. Place your belt underneath the tartan near its final position. Remember, you want the belt to ride over your belly button and the kilt should hang to just above the knee. You can lie down beside the tartan and make a rough measurement. (Hint: remember the number of setts from the bottom for next time). Be sure to leave yourself room so that when you lie down and wrap the kilt you have space for your legs at the bottom of the tartan. 

Step Three:

 Kilting the Tartan. From the lower right corner, move in about 18” or 4-6 setts to begin pleating. You can use the setts (the repeating pattern) for reference in making your pleats uniform and balanced. It will be up to you as to the look you prefer but 2 to 3 setts to a pleat usually hangs and swirls nicely. The more the setts between the pleats, the larger the pleat. All setts are of differing sizes so it is up to you to find the balance that is right for you and your tartan. After you’ve folded a few pleats, the material at the top half will start to build up and get in the way, just bring it along with the pleats and keep it up and out of the way. Press the pleats with your hand occasionally to keep them nice and flat. Make sure that the setts are lined up so that the bottom edge of the kilt is straight. Continue folding until you have about a 18 or so inches remaining to the bottom left edge. Next  

Step Four: Wrapping Up.

 And now it’s time to wrap your kilt. Lie down on the pleats right in the center of the tartan and position yourself so that the bottom edge of the tartan is just behind your knees, a little above the joint. Reposition the belt if necessary so that when it wraps around it comes across your stomach at the belly button. Lie back and take the right side and wrap it over first across you legs. The corner should come over the right leg and rest just past your left knee. Now take the Left side and bring it over the left leg so that it rests just past the right knee, over the right edge of the tartan. Step Five: Buckling The Belt. Before you buckle your belt, be sure not to forget any items that are worn on your belt, like a dagger harness or sporran. It might be a little difficult to get them on once you’re all buckled up. Now take the belt and wrap it around you, making the buckle nice and firm. Once everything is buckled tight, you can stand up, being careful not to pull any of the pleats out. Step Six: Some Final Adjustments. You are far from done! My kilt usually looks awful when I just stand up. A good bit of pulling and tugging is necessary to get the breacan looking right. Lift up the plaid, the material over the belt, to see the kilt all the way around. It should be just above the knee and pleats should go from hip to hip around the back. Start by adjusting the pleats and gathers. This is where the assistance of a fellow highlander or your lovely maiden might come in handy. The idea is to make the length match all the way around. Find the two corners at the bottom of the kilt and trace them up an under your belt. You can use pull on theses to adjust the length and alignment of the front of the kilt. Adjust the edges of the tartan so that they run parallel to the ground down the length of your leg without gathering or bunching under the belt. If the back pleated side is too long, carefully pull the material from above the belt making sure to hold the pleats tightly and keeping them even across the back 

Step Seven: The Plaid.

 Now that you have finished creating a great looking kilt, what’s all this extra material for? That’s the plaid. The highlander used the plaid for a variety of things like storing food and other items, wrapping up and keeping warm, and as protection during battle. There are several popular ways to tie the plaid and it usually comes down to the functionality and comfort you require at the time to decide which on is appropriate. Here are the most popular ways to tie the plaid but feel free to come up with a few of your own.  

The Standard Over the Shoulder: 

This is the most commonly seen plaid for the breacan feile. It looks easy but it does have a few secrets to make it look right. First, orient yourself and the two corners of the plaid in front of you. You will have a left and a right corner. Take your left corner and fold it over itself about 3 inches, in order to get a clean top edge. Take the end and wrap it around your back to the left and tuck it into your belt at the small of your back. Don’t pull too hard or you will pull out the pleats. Take the right corner and wrap the excess amount of tartan around itself a few times, to take up some of the material. Bring this right corner over your left shoulder across you chest. Reach back and grab the longest length of plaid hanging down behind you and bring it up to your left shoulder. Join these two piece together and you are done. Finish by adjusting and cleaning up the plaid to your personal comfort and appearance. 

 The Quick Around the Neck:

 This style of plaid is becoming increasingly popular because of its ease and speed of preparation. Just take the two corners of plaid in front of you and tie them together. Bring this loop up and over your head and behind the neck. Reach back and grab the longest length of plaid, pull it up, and tuck into the material behind your neck over the knot. Now it’s tied and out of the way.

The Highlands Overcoat: 

This is an extenuation of the around the neck plaid. Once you have tied the two corners together and placed the knot behind your neck, turn and grab the longest piece of plaid hanging behind you. Bring it up and under the knot from the bottom. Make sure there’s enough to make a hood that will cover your head. Hanging by your sides are the arms of the overcoat. Bring them around and over your arms to make a complete wool cocoon. This is excellent on cold days when the wind has a wee bit of a chill to it.