Some Belted Plaid/Great Kilt Questions

[OC Richard]

There is no historical documentation of what a Great kilt was or how it was worn. Everything you see today is re-creation or fantasy.

At least we do have both verbal accounts and imagery. Loads of imagery, in colour!

There are many things from previous centuries which we have only a vague description, or only a weathered statue; yet we do the best we can to understand the past using the evidence we have.

Yes all the great kilts made and worn today are re-creations. It's like that with any ancient stuff that we don't have surviving examples of. Too bad we don't have an original one to examine- therefore some details will have to be guessed at.

I always imagined that the old "mantles" (as writers often called them) were fairly thick stuff, different stuff than the elegant great kilts worn by 18th century aristocracy which we have so many images of. Years ago a piper friend had a great kilt made of the sort of stuff I imagine- it was tartan, yes, but the weight and feel of Harris Tweed or Donegal Tweed.