Kilt vs Tartan

This article is for the newbie who doesn’t about kilt, tartan, plaid, or other Scottish terminology. Many newbies take a keen interest in this cultural heritage of Scotland. This article will not only help in knowing the difference between the kilt vs tartan, but also you can learn other important terms. For becoming a true Scotsman the tartan is the initial step because it is the base of the Scottish kilt. We can give you in detail about the history of tartan and kilt in the next paragraph.

What is Tartan?

The tartan is a woven woolen cloth that has beautiful patterns. This fabric is manufactured in wool. The wool itself has no more than 1 color but the tartan has more colors because it is made with different wool threads. Many tartan mills manufacture tartans these days, but in the past, there were only renowned mills that were pioneers in making Scottish tartans.

As we have discussed above, this cloth fabric is made with different wool threads but these threads intersect each other in horizontal and vertical patterns. A check pattern is formed when beautiful thread colors intersect vertically and horizontally. The Scottish tartans have a history involved. There are although some Scottish patterns that do not have a history but these tartans have a name and are wearable worldwide.

History Of Tartans

The Scottish tartan was first discovered in the 16th century. At that time, there was no clear concept of the tartan because the tartan and plaid both term use the same meaning. However, there are some differences between these two patterns which we discussed later in this article. In that era, the full-length cloth (tartan) was worn by military or army men to not only cover the body in the winter but also for defense purposes. This full woolen cloth was the first recognized culture dress of Scotland which is known as the great kilt. So, we can say the discovery of tartan and kilt go side by side.

The tartan was only used as a full-length garment at that time but later this cloth was popular in many cloth items. The general public uses different tartans as a bedsheet, table mats, cushion covers, and blankets. As you know the tartan is a Scottish invention and it is originated in Scotland but at that time the people of Ireland also use tartan for making many household things.

Types Of Tartan

There are three major categories of tartans in which we can easily classify every tartan. These are

• Clan
• District
• Universal

Clan

The clan tartans are the tartans that represent the family. The families are the royal family of Scotland who invents their own tartan. The clan tartan is only for the specific family, so these tartans are rare and only wearable by that family.

District

The district tartans are the tartans that represent the nation or a district. These tartans include a country’s tartans, province tartans, city and state tartans. The broad example of this type of tartan is USA tartan and Canada tartan.

Universal

This is a great form of tartan because it is widely wearable. If you are not Scottish then no problem, you can choose the regular or universal tartans for your specific event. These are popular forms of tartans which are not only worn by the common people but also various Hollywood celebrities love to wear these tartans. The popular tartans in this category are Royal Stewart, Black Watch, Ramsay Blue, and Dress Stewart.

What is A Kilt?

The Scottish kilt or simply a kilt is the apparel that is wrapped around the body. The plain part of this apparel is on the front side of the body while the pleated side of the apparel is on the backside of the body. Straps, buckles, and waist buttons are used to fasten the kilt. The kilt is not only designed for men but also for women. Men wear more pleats and heavy kilts while women wear lightweight and fewer pleat kilts. This apparel resembles a skirt but it has more pleats than a skirt. The Scottish kilt hence the name suggests, derives from Scotland. In the beginning, the tartan is the only material source of the Scottish kilt because there was no concept of denim, cotton, leather, and other fabric kilts.

Brief History Of The Kilts

The great kilt is the father of the Scottish kilts and it was discovered in the 16th century when people need to protect themselves from winter and for defense. This woolen cloth is tartan but there are few tartans available at that time. Only a large piece of tartan is enough to make a great kilt. The great kilt is still widely being used as it was the historical dress. With the passage of time, traditional tartan kilts and other shorter kilts were discovered. Nowadays, kilt is not only popular in Scotland and Ireland but also in other countries which mainly include Germany, Denmark, and the USA.

Kilt vs Tartan

The Scottish kilt is apparel like other apparel. At weddings, the tartan kilt is mostly a wearable dress, so we can say that tartan is the material source of the kilt. Without the tartan, a traditional kilt never formed. On the other hand, tartan is the material discovered by Royal families. This is only a fabric like cotton, leather, and denim, but this material is the major source of the kilt.

In simple words, the kilt is incomplete without the tartan. The tartan is the major fabric in kilts and nowadays, this fabric is also used in many household items such as bed sheets, table mats, sofa covers, cushions, gloves, socks, etc.

Plaid

The plaid is similar to tartan but there is some difference between the two fabrics. As we know tartan has a history but plaid has no history. The plaid is also a criss-cross pattern like tartan but there is no name for the plaid and never used as a wearable garment. The most common form of plaid is bedsheets. There are many beautiful bed sheets that have too many beautiful colors but don’t have an exact pattern name. The plaid is also made in cotton and other fabrics not only with wool, so there is no limitation on plaid. In the USA, plaid and tartan are used in the same meaning but in Scotland, the Scottish people know about these terms.

Conclusion

In this article, we not only understand these two terms i.e, kilt and tartan but also the plaid. If you like this article, don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.