Tweed Kilt Jacket Colour Timeline

[figheadair]

I well remember two things about tweed worn in those days. Russet Brown(the sort of shade and type that Glen----"McMurdo"---- wears so effectively) was common place and secondly the distinctive smell of damp tweed. These days the russet brown is rarely(never) seen and the modern tweed does not have the same smell. Yes, it still often has the wet dog, tobacco, gunpowder, gin, port, whisky, fish smells, but that distinctive damp tweed smell is now missing. I seem to recall someone on this website telling me that a certain chemical used in tweed making in the past is not now used in modern tweed making hence the smell is very different.

Jock, I think that that 'chemical' was in fact the continued use of the lichen Dark Crotal, even in commercial Harris Tweed weaving until the 1970s or so. I have a jacket made from cloth dyed, spun and woven by the late, great Marion Campbell; she used crotal and I dare say if I dropped by wearing it, that you would be taken back to a different time.