Men and Women's Formal kilt attire.
THE KILT
Although not a traditional component of national dress outside Scotland, kilts have become recently popular in the other Celtic nations as a sign of Celtic identity. Kilts and tartans can therefore also be seen in Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, the Isle of Man, Brittany, Galicia in Spain, the Trás-os-Montes region in the North of Portugal, and Normandy, as well as parts of England, particularly the North East.
Though the origins of the Irish kilt continue to be a subject of debate, current evidence suggests that kilts originated in the Scottish Highlands and Isles and were adopted by Irish nationalists at the turn of the 20th century as a symbol of Celtic identity. A garment that has often been mistaken for kilts in early depictions is the Irish lein-croich, a long tunic traditionally made from solid colour cloth, with black, saffron and green being the most widely used colours. Solid coloured kilts were first adopted for use by Irish nationalists and thereafter by Irish regiments serving in the British Army, but they could often be seen in late 19th and early 20th century photos in Ireland especially at political and musical gatherings, as the kilt was re-adopted as a symbol of Gaelic nationalism in Ireland during this period.
Tartan was worn originally in Scotland as a fashionable type of dress. All tartan was, of course, hand woven and each weaver would take it upon him or herself to create unique and attractive designs based on the colors of dyes available. Certain colors may have been more common in certain regions, but there was nothing to prohibit someone with money from importing various dyes. Certain pattern schemes may have been more common in one area than another, but nothing approaching modern clan tartans could be said to have existed.
Imagine talking to a hand weaver of tartan, a craftsman and an artist, and telling that person that you wanted them to weave the same pattern of tartan in the same colors for everyone in the region (regiment, clan, etc.). That pattern was set in stone, could not be varied from and was to be the only pattern woven for that clan. Of course they would never have taken such commands! Tartan was and still is an art form and individual weavers created a wonderful variety of tartan designs.
By the 16th century, when we begin to see the earliest type of kilted garment (the belted plaid), tartan had become characteristic of Highland Dress. Gaelic speaking Highlanders wore tartan of bright and flashy shades to show off wealth and status. They also favoured darker, natural tones that would emulate the shades of the bracken and the heather so that they might wrap themselves in their plaids and be hidden. But the colors chosen had more to do with what dyes were available to them (either locally or that they could afford to import) and personal taste than any clan affiliation.
"Kilt". Wikipedia. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilt]. 12 August 2025. web.
Newsome, Matthew Allen. "The Early History of The Kilt". Albanach Archive. [https://web.archive.org/web/20020206091135/http://albanach.org/kilt.html]. (c)2000. web.
The Small Kilt The small kilt, similar to the current form, was developed and became more widespread between the late 17th and early 18th century and became known as the philabeg (Gaelicfeileadh beag). By 1746 this style of kilt was utilized and was quite popular, especially throughout the Highlands and central Scotland. However, King George II, imposed the dress act in 1746, primarily to suppress Highland culture.
This act in essence outlawed the wearing of any items of Highland dress, which included the kilt. The Highland regiments were the only ones excluded from the act's repression.
"'... no man or boy within that part of Great Britain called Scotland, other than such as shall be employed as Officers and soldiers in His Majesty's Forces, shall, ... wear or put on the clothes commonly called Highland Clothes ..."
This marked a period during which the kilt was generally worn as a fashionable item by Scottish romantics and also as a form of protest against the English based government's repression. Penalties for those who defied the ban included six months imprisonment, if it was a first offence or for those who re-offended, seven years transportation to the far off colonies.The ban on the kilt remained for 35 years before it was lifted in 1782.
The lifting of the ban heralded a renaissance for the kilt which eventually became identified with the whole of Scotland. It was during this time that clan identification was developed. This included the creation of specific tartan colours for each clan, a move away from the traditional form of tartan being relevant to a particular region of the country.
One of the defining features of this philabeg style of kilt (compared to the modern style) was the fact that the kilt was folded, which was the case until around 1792, at which point the first kilt to have sewn pleats was introduced. This marked the birth of the modern day Scottish kilt.
It is worth noting that original kilts were not tartan (or plaid in the USA). They were self coloured garments as the technology to produce multi coloured fabrics had not yet evolved. When weaving and dyeing techniques were improved tartan patterns did become available but the original tartans were limited to black and white and the dull browns and greens that could be manufactured from the natural dyes available at that time.
It was not until the dyeing processes were improved in the 1800s that the colourful tartans with which we are familiar today started to appear. Many tartans come in "ancient" and "modern" versions. The ancient versions tend to be duller, probably as a result of the limitations of the old dyeing process.
Modern day kilts are usually cut from approximately 8 yards of fabric and come with approximately 29 pleats. A woolen garment, with a specific tartan design, which relates to the clan, the kilt is one element, which also includes a sporran, a pouch made from fur or leather with decorative tassels and is utilized for storage.
Today's kilt is normally worn as more formal gent's dress-wear as opposed to the practical garment from which it evolved. At most formal functions in Scotland at least some of the male guests will be dressed in kilt outfits. On all occasions where evening dress such as a tuxedo is required the kilt can replace this.
Kilt outfits are gaining in popularity and most Scottish weddings are now conducted with the groom, best man and lots of the male guests in kilts, which are often hired for the occasion.
This surge in popularity is in contrast to many other kinds of traditional wear, even lounge suits, which are increasingly being seen as old-fashioned by today's trendy young men. The kilt outfit of your choice is readily available to buy or hire everywhere and the kilt has once again started to evolve, this time into a fashion garment worn at every opportunity by many well known celebrities both Scots and non-Scots.
In recent years the kilt has increasingly been worn as every day or casual wear. It can be worn with a traditional, Ghilllie or Jacobean style shirt, a wool sweater or even a tee shirt. Some young (and not so young) Scot's guys even wear a kilt as casual dress with boots, heavy woolen socks and t-shirts. It is also more or less the required dress of the "Tartan Army", Scotland's soccer team fans.
There are many occasions where a kilt is appropriate, and your kilt outfit will be a great investment.
(c)2025 Celtic Life International
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Celtic Life International. "All About Kilts!". [https://substack.com/@celticlifeinternational]. [https://substack.com/inbox/post/175525753]. (c)2025 October 7. web.
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