Can you identify this tartan?

[Archangel]

Sort of like a weed is a flower out of place.

[apack]

Since the use of "fashion," or if you will, "nonaligned" tartans predates clan tartans, I think they are just as real as any other, just unnamed.

I agree with this too. One reason I got this is that the complexity of the sett, such as the asymmety in the warp and weft directions, is similar to that found in many older tartans (18th-19th c.) The colors are also similar to those found in some of the older tartans (note that the tartan really appears a bit darker than in the image posted here -- or at least on my monitor). So this is worn at least in part a historical garment, and as the féileadh mhor was worn well before there were defined clan tartans -- and indeed this was true for most of the period in which the féileadh mhor was worn as a practical garment -- I don't have any problem whatsoever wearing one in an unrecognized tartan. As long as the quality of the fabric is good, which it is, it is perfectly fine with me. As I mentioned, I was just curious to find out if anyone recognized it.

[Hamish]

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Another quick follow-up for Matt and Hamish: so do you recognize all or almost all of the official tartans off-hand? I know there are several thousand registered tartans, though I guess only some hundreds are really traditional ones. In either case, I would be impressed at the level of dedication and familiarity required to know that many on sight! Definitely an interesting subject though.

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It is not that I work with tartans like Matt (who has also made in-depth studies of the subject), it is just that I have had an interest in them for a very long time and, indeed, have been wearing them for 57 years. With such experience, one develops an 'eye' which sometimes, but not always, distinguishes between a 'serious' tartan and a 'frivilous' one. A gut feeling, in other words.

As for what makes a 'true' tartan: I suppose I tend to think, rightly or wrongly, that an officially registered or recorded tartan is a true one.