wearing other family tartan rather than your own

[joeydknecht]

hi all as i wear the murray tartan my question is , is it allright to wear someone else tartan just for the sake you like the colors and style of the plaid? is it wrong or do you need permission? any comments. i have not done this yet but ofthen think of it as there are kilts i really like but are not my own clan colors

[Tobus]

Public opinion is split on this. There are no enforceable rules on it, so the answer is yes, you're allowed to wear a clan tartan that is not your own. And many people do. But it can lead to social awkwardness if you're challenged on it (which may or may not happen).

Modern Scottish tradition says that it's bad form to wear a clan tartan other than your own. But before clan tartans existed as such (i.e. before the early 1800s), most Scots who wore tartan just wore whatever they fancied. All tartans were fashion tartans, so to speak.

You really just have to decide for yourself. Personally, I would not wear the tartan of a clan I had no relation to. There are plenty of fashion tartans, district tartans, and other tartans out there that would suit my needs for variety, if I were so inclined.

[joeydknecht]

ya i have to agee with you there, as i dont wear anyother clans tartan, but liek u said with distict tartans and such there are good choices... not to mention if you own clan has a variety or hunting and weathered modern and ancient tartans...just wanted to get peoples views on it as i think i would bother me if say a person who was not a murray was wearing the tartan..i dunno guess it depends on yer mood and the company you are with and where you are at.....think ill just stick with my own clan and national tartans thanx

[YoungMan]

As Tobus said, the camp is pretty split on this little question. Traditional Scots tend to favor the one kilt, family tartan only approach. Many Americans have a partial connection to multiple clan tartans, or they just appreciate the wide variety available and choose to wear the colors and patterns they find most appealing.

I stand to be corrected on this, but I think a general consensus would be that whatever tartan you wear, it's always considered good form to be knowledgeable about what you're wearing. e.g. You might like a pretty yellow tartan, but it's going to be uncomfortable if you can't at least tell passersby that it's MacLeod Dress. Also known as "Loud MacLeod". (Yes, the same clan as Duncan and Connor MacLeod from the Highlander series.)

EDIT: It might also be ill-advised to wear a clan tartan you aren't connected with to a Gathering of any kind. Having 20 MacGregor's or so approach you and start asking you about your family connection is only going to lead down a disappointing road.

[Riverkilt]

Can only speak for myself here. Do think its fine to wear other clan's tartans - and I have. Motivation was, as you say, liking the colors and wanting a kilt in that color range.

Over time though, it just doesn't feel right. I've purchased kilts in six other clan's tartans (though one never knows their family tree completely I can only guess I've no clan blood for them). After a while I've sold four of the six kilts and one more is currently offered for sale.

The exception for me is the MacLean Hunting - a beautiful tartan and the tartan frequently worn by Sir Sean Connery. Think I'll hang on to that one.

Point is, for me at least, over time - wearing another clan's tartan just doesn't feel right, even if it seemed a good idea when purchased.

So, how you feel about it when you lay your money down may change when later you're wearing the kilt out and about.

[Jack Daw]

My primary clan connection (MacIntyre) has only two tartans routinely woven by the mills, so I'd be hardpressed to wear just those two kilts. I also wear Buchanan, also in my family line, and other tartans outside of my family connections. I have never really been challenged on it, other than by a Scottish vendor, who was only teasing. But, I'm prepared to tell any commentors that I am a piper and need the variety.

[RockyR]

I know there are strong opinions on both sides of the argument, so I'll simply say that I have 45 +/- kilts, the majority of which are clan tartans. I know the name of every one (though I can not say I know the history of each clan) and wear them in a respectable manner... i.e. they're not ripped up with stains all over. In 8 years of wearing kilts (pretty much on a daily basis), I can honestly say that I have never had an awkward moment with anyone asking me about my tartan. Have people ASKED me "is that your family tartan?" Yes. My Answer: "No, this is the ____ tartan. I really liked the design and color shades the mill used and added it to my kilt collection." Generally, that is MORE than sufficient to answer the question and satisfy the inquirer.

I have worn them to many gatherings where there were clan societies present (highland games, Burns Suppers, etc) and have only had positive comments. Actually, if I happened to be wearing a clan tartan when that clan was present and they asked me about it, they are usually happy ("honored" is slightly too strong a word here) that I liked their tartan enough to wear it even without a clan association.

Some people are of the opinion that you may only wear the tartan of your Father's line. People at the other end of the spectrum will wear whatever tartan they like, regardless of name. Others fall somewhere in between and wear any tartan they can claim any kind of association with, whether clan, service or universal. Some wear their immediate family's (mother OR father) tartan(s).

Bottom line... YOU have to be comfortable with the decision.

Last $.02...

Generally, people are just happy to see a guy in a kilt, no matter what tartan he's wearing.

[MacLowlife]

I can't argue with anything said so far. In particular I agree that some things seem like a good idea at the time, but evolve into something else.

Still, what I notice again and again is the lengths we will go to to claim a tartan (or other affiliation) as our own when we want to. You can read here and elsewhere that clan affiliation only passes through the paternal line, only through the maternal line, through either or both, or can be adopted by any interested person. If all of those things are true, they are "true" to different people, which I imagine is the case. I will probably never be a clan chief, but if I were, I am not so sure how I would react to the practice, much discussed here, of asking permission to wear my clan tartan. Somehow, I am put in mind of some Monty Python skit, where John Cleese is trying to get something done, say a war or distilling a particularly intricate batch of whisky, and people keep coming up to him and asking about wearing his tartan. HOW SHALL WE ____ OFF, MASTER? OK, that was Graham Chapman, but you get my point. Call it respect, call it admiration, call it social affiliation...

Wait, let me put it this way. Let's say your name is Campbell. You are riding down the highway and you see an attractive woman with a Clan Campbell sticker on her car, pulled over with a flat tire. Do you suppose your wife is going to believe the Campbell sticker is why you stopped? Would you still stop if there were two lazy looking louts instead of the winsome lass? Would you leave work, home, and family and travel to Scotland if Torquil Campbell sent you a letter asking you to come at your own expense and help him "Do something about these McDonalds once and for all?" What if the letter were pre-printed and said "Dear friend or member of Clan Campbell"? What if it were a postcard?

My point is this: we can often manufacture a family connection when we want one. We may even attend Clan gatherings. We may send in dues. But for most of us, the Clan tartan is 99% spiritual and 1% practical at most. If it offends your spirituality, stay away. If it doesn't, have a good time.

[seanachie]

I have worn them to many gatherings where there were clan societies present (highland games, Burns Suppers, etc) and have only had positive comments. Actually, if I happened to be wearing a clan tartan when that clan was present and they asked me about it, they are usually happy ("honored" is slightly too strong a word here) that I liked their tartan enough to wear it even without a clan association.

I would just piggyback on Rocky's comments. My ancestry is Irish (and I still have family there) not Scottish, so more than once I have had a proud Scot approach me whilst I was kilted and ask me if I were a Scot or a question in that vein. (of course I often wear my saffron or solid green) When I have replied no and then follow up with some comments on explaining my enjoying the kilt I have never been chided or taken to task. I have only one kilt that is a clan tartan, it is a MacPherson. I got this sort of by accident when I had placed an order for a different tartan that was not available from the mill and the MacPherson was. I was a little awkward at first, but I really llike the colors of the tartan and have made an effort to read up on the clan history. I, too, pay attention to being respectful and never wear the kilt in a way that I believe could be deemed inappropriate or cause offense. Admitedly I would have some level of reservation picking a clan tartan for a new kilt, as there are so many wonderful universal tartans, my Isle of Skye is a real favorite. But I am not going to going around worrying about somebody getting upset with me...I am comfortable knowing I enjoy wearing the kilt and do it in a positve way.

[Andrew M. Stewart]

You will get people telling you "You are not allowed to wear that!" which is a load of...... I've had people from the Canadian Scottish regiment in Canada here telling me that I shouldn't be wearing my Hunting Stewart tartan kilt because "It belonged to their regiment"! I didn't matter what I said, these guy's saw it as THEIR TARTAN"!
Hogwash!