mens Vs. women's sashes

[creagdhubh]

Greetings,

I wear a day plaid occassional, usually only in Scotland for my clan's annual gathering and rally in Badenoch, and am quite fond of them - given they are used in the appropriate clime and place. This style of plaid is often preferred by many Highland Chiefs, as well as Chieftains of cadet branches of a particular clan - this is the case with my own clan, the Clan Macpherson - though Cluny (my Chief) hasn't worn a day/blanket plaid in several years.

They can be rather expensive (far more costly than a simple lady's sash, or a gentleman's fly-plaid), with much of the price depending upon certain details regarding the tartan itself. The construction of this style of plaid is fairly straightforward: Typically, 3 1/2 - 4 yards of tartan, single or double-width, with hand-purled fringing (about 4 to 5 inches in length) on the opposite ends, but not on all four sides as in a fly-plaid. It's basically reminiscent of a tartan picnic blanket and can actually be used as such for an 'off the cuff,' inpromptu Highland picnic! Keltoi and the Scottish Tartans Museum Gift Shop offer these type of plaids for sale, or you could simply order the tartan and do the fringing yourself (there have been threads on this forum relating to purled fringing). Best of luck!

Here are several visual examples of a day/blanket plaid in use; they have been a part of traditional Highland day attire for many years:












Cheers,