How do you explain the X-marks tartan?

[ronstew]

I don't often wear a kilt because I prefer to save it for special occassions. I have only had my good kilt since May, and last night was probably the fourth time I have worn it in public. It is a beautiful nine-yard, knife-pleated specimen in the xmarksthescot.com tartan.

At the restaurant and live theatre I visited, three different people asked me if the tartan represented a particular family. These were well-informed and polite people. I struggled a bit to explain the tartan. I said that it is a club tartan for a web site for people who discuss wearing kilts. When I said it out loud, that seemed a bit odd. It seemed to take one fellow a few moments to digest it.

So, my question is, how do you explain the xmarks tartan when people ask you what clan it represents? What reaction does your explanation get?


(While I am posting in the tartans forum, where can I see the official registration of our tartan?)

[BEEDEE]

Here's the link to the original announcement of the tartan http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/x...919/index.html

Here is the registration at the Scottish Register of Tartans http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tar....aspx?ref=4790

If I am ever asked my response is usually It's the X Marks the Scot tartan. X Marks the Scot is an international on-line community so this is the world's first internet tartan

Hope this helps,

Brian

[Chas]

Some people have difficulty in grasping the concept. If I see that they are struggling, I try to give an example that they would know. In the UK, Car Owner Clubs are well known (any car, Ford, GM, whatever). I tell them we are like that - they own and drive, we own and wear.

I also tell people that we are the largest community, when I say "far larger than any Clan", they are really impressed.

Regards

Chas

[Riverkilt]

I found the colors of the tartan match the colors on the dustjacket of the current (4th Edition) of the book Alcoholics Anonymous. So, when my AA friends asked I've told them its the AA tartan....

I'm guessing the above links will give you the correct information though.

Lets just say its a versitile tartan too.

[ccga3359]

A world tartan as our members are on all four corners of the globe.

[auld argonian]

I think that somewhere back there when the tartan was being designed Xmarks was referred to as a "virtual clan" and a "cyber clan".

There are the universal tartans and the special tartans like the Firefighters' and Leatherneck and the like...in this age of the World Wide Web it seems pretty appropriate that kilt enthusiasts should have their own special tartan.

I just feel bad because I'm sitting on my yardage that I ordered so long ago and haven't done anything with it...maybe that's a New Year resolution.

Best

AA

[Steve Ashton]

As I just came from one of our local craft fairs and was wearing my 16oz Marks Tartan Kilt I think I can answer this with....

Q. Oh, you're wearing a Kilt. What Tartan is that?

A. Why thank you for noticing. This is the World's First Internet Tartan. It is the Tartan designed for the largest and most active on-line forum for Kilts.

Q. An internet Tartan? I didn't know there was such a thing.

A. Yes there is. It was designed by Matt Newsome, Curator of the Scottish Tartans Museum for our forum.

Q. And what do the colors mean?

A. Well, it is actually a myth that the colors of most Tartans have special meanings other than they were pleasing to the designer, but the colors of this Tartan do have meaning to the members of our forum.
As we are called X Marks the Scot and use the Saltaire flag as our symbol we chose the Blue with the White stripes to represent that symbol.
The Gray was chosen to represent the typing on the computer screen.
And the Yellow was chosen to represent the smiley faces.

And the conversation goes on and on from there.
It usually ends with the person asking about this forum and getting one of my business cards with this web site address on the back.

I think I repeated this same thing over 50 times this afternoon alone.

[bricelythgoe]

I love that tartan. I wish I could purchase 8 yards of that. So, if anyone is wiliing to part with some....

[chasem]

I have 6 yards hemmed pv I'm considering parting with.

[The F-H.C.A.G.]

We say that this is our clan tartan. Then we explain, as has been described in the previous posts.

Be well,