Quote Originally Posted by kiltedrennie View Post
From what I've read, the earliest references to the great kilt is around 1594. Which just barely puts it in the Elizabethan period (1558–1603); the period usually represented by Renaissance fairs. Before that they wore a 'brat', a wollen cloak, over a long linen tunic. Very early versions might have been plain or a simple checked pattern made from undyed black and white wool.

I've read varying accounts and references across the Intertubes, which of course must be taken with a grain of salt.
Been doing a bit of reading myself on these times. Seems some say that the kilt is derived from the tunics that were worn by the Romans and Irish. Some have even said that the Highlanders would take off their kilts before battle and fight in the tunics that they wore below their kilts. I know the Web and grains of salt are taken with a lot of the information that I see. But then I'm also relying a lot on books written by historians that are a bit more sturdy in their study. Of course, even historians can come in with a bias. An example would be every book I've read on the feud between the MacDonalds and the Campbells.