There is a danger of thinking of tartan too analogously with heraldry. One can only take these analogies so far. Simply put, tartan is not heraldic. Never has been, historically. And even though people tend to think of it as an heraldic badge of sorts today, it simply is not so. Comparing tartan to heraldry is like comparing apples & pears.

The point that I specifically want to make here is that recording a tartan with the Scottish Tartans Authority does not imply anything one way or another about that tartan being approved by the clan chief, or any other authoritative body. Firstly, it is incorrect, technically, to speak of "registering" a tartan with the STA. They do not "register" tartans. They record them.

The function of their International Tartan Index is to provide as complete a record as possible of tartan designs. This means all manner of tartans are included that may or may not have any stamp of approval from a governing body. If fashion variants of the MacMillan tartan that have been dreamed up by textile designers with no consultation with the MacMillan chief are included, why not this new "dress Mackay?"

I have to come to Terry's defence here. Whether or not the Lord Reay ever decides to formally accept or reject this tartan design, recording it in the ITI is a logical step. It provides an historic record of the tartan -- who designed it, when it was designed, why it was designed, whom it was woven by, etc. Later on down the road, if Lord Reay expresses an opinion about it, that information will also be added to the historic record. Even if it is just to say "the clan chief does not regard this as a proper clan tartan."

Let's say that Lord Reay eventually expresses a negative opinion on this tartan. Then 20 years from now someone in Vancouver decides to create a dress MacKay tartan. He could consult the ITI and discover that this idea has already been tried and the tartan rejected by the chief.

Or more to the point, let's say that L. L. Bean decides to create and market "Dress MacKay" tartan flannel shirts. And the Rev. Pahls and/or the Clan MacKay Society USA want to challenge this, claiming the design is theirs. The inclusion of the tartan in the ITI provides record of who created this design and when.

In short, there are all manner of reasons why someone would want a tartan recorded with the STA, and doing so should not be read to imply anything, one way or another, about the standing of that tartan with the clan cheif, or the opinion of the clan society for their titled head.