Quote Originally Posted by OC Richard View Post
One thing these very history-conscious Ren Faire people do, is avoid using any modern Clan tartans, as they did not exist in the 16th century. They go to a fabric shop and buy random plaid wool in patterns which look vaguely tartanlike but are not any modern recognisable tartan.
The SCA has a second reason beyond the history of the clan tartan being "out of Period". It's part of the same reason one's persona can not be an actual historical, legendary, or mythological person. The SCA is based on actual history, but it is fiction. So, it is preferred (at least in the Kingdoms I've been in: Meridies, Atlantia, and Trimaris) to use non-clan tartans (i.e. fashion plaids in the period colors) to keep people from confusing a persona with an actual person and/or offending someone specific (i.e. the Kilt Kops)