When you hear “Scotland,” you usually think of three things: haggis, bagpipes, and kilts. Even though these are just stereotypes, they are part of the past and identity of the country. The most well-known of all of them? A traditional piece of Highland dress for men, the kilt is the one that must be it. The kilt is an important part of a “true Scotsman’s” history, so they proudly wear it. It is still an essential piece of Scottish clothing worn at weddings, christenings, and military parades.
But How Much Do You Know About The Past Of The Kilt?
Regarding plaid, we at Scottish Attire Kilt Shop are the best. Because of this, we know a lot about kilts. So, we’ve put together a short history of this one-of-a-kind Scottish outfit.
What Does It Look Like?
A skirt-like outfit with pleats at the back has its roots in the traditional clothing of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands in the 1600s. Since the 1800s, the kilt has been linked to Scottish and Gaelic cultures. It is usually made of a wool fabric with a tartan pattern.
People always wear this Scottish outfit to formal events, but athletes also wear it to the Highland Games. Throughout the summer, these heavy athletics, dancing, and track and field events happen every weekend on various islands, towns, villages, and cities across the country.
Recently, the kilt has been turned into a modern piece of clothing, showing how versatile this old piece of clothing is.
The Origin of Kilt
Kilts are known all over the world as the Scottish national dress. They have strong cultural and historical roots and are a sign of patriotism and national identity. Scots wear kilts with pride all over the world as a way to honor their history. But things were sometimes different from this.
For a long time, people thought the kilt was only worn by wild people in the Highlands. Lowlanders, who make up most Scots, thought this clothing style was barbaric. People who wore it were looked down upon and hated, and they called them “redshanks” as an insult.
‘Kilt’ comes from the Scots word ‘kilt,’ which means to tuck clothes around the body. The Scots word, on the other hand, comes from the Ancient Norse word “kjalta,” which means “pleated,” according to the Encyclopaedia Britannica.
What’s the question? How did these plaid skirts get so different?
How did it change over time?
While most clothes have changed, the kilt has changed through the ages. The kilt we know today (the small kilt) has roots in the late 1600s when it was first made as the “great kilt.”
Evidence shows that the kilt has been worn for at least one hundred years.
The Big Kilt
The first version of the kilt was the belted plaid (Breacan a Fhéilidh) or great kilt (Feileadh Mòr). It was a long piece of clothing that could be worn over the shoulder as a cape or pulled over the head as a hood.
The belted plaid was very useful because of the bad weather and dangerous terrain in the Scottish Highlands. It kept you warm and let you move around freely. The top half protected you from the weather; it dried quickly and was warm enough to use as a blanket at night. You may recognize this early form of the kilt from the award-winning movie Braveheart, which starred and was directed by Mel Gibson.
Gibson’s character, William Wallace, is a staunch patriot and defender of Scottish liberty, and he proudly wears a belted plaid to show his support for the Scots. That being said, this picture is very wrong because the great kilt only appeared about 300 years after Wallace died.
Still, it gives you a sense of what this big fabric looks like: a blanket.
The Small Kilt
The small kilt, also called the walking kilt, appeared in the late 17th or early 18th century. It looks a lot like the knee-length tartan kilt we know today. The small kilt also called the walking kilt (fèileadh beag), was worn in the Highlands and northern Lowlands by 1746. It was the bottom half of a great kilt.
The great kilt, also called the belted plaid, was still worn. The Highland regiment of the British Army adopted the design of the small kilt. The military kilt became famous in civilian life and has stayed that way ever since.