Dress tartan = failed concept?

**Jock Scot** · 2nd February 10, 04:02 AM

I think the biggest drawback, until recently, has been the cost of a second kilt that would not be worn all that much. Don't forget, affording another "tank",the only choice until recently(possibly in some ways still is, in Scotland), was not an option for most.

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 2nd February 10, 05:28 AM

A lot of people who are new to kilt wearing see the term "dress" in the name and think to themselves, "Well, this is just for formal occasions and I need a kilt that can be used for everyday wear," so they don't think of dress tartans as an option. But there is no rule anywhere that says dress tartans are for formal wear.

I've seen men (outside of Highland Dancing) wearing Dress Gordon, Dress Campbell, Dress Stewart, Dress MacPherson, Dress MacDonald, and many other dress tartans. It's not common, no, but it is done.

**Dixiecat** · 2nd February 10, 06:04 AM

I wonder if you could edit the title of this thread? Dress tartan is not fail. How can you not love Dress Turnbull?

**KD Burke** · 2nd February 10, 09:07 AM

Would you really call this a "fail"?

**Farlander** · 2nd February 10, 12:09 PM

Originally Posted by Dixiecat

... How can you not love Dress Turnbull?

I do not believe that I have seen Dress Turnbull before. I have to agree, it is quite an attractive tartan!

I think it is a bit unusual though for a 'dress' tartan in that it does not have the usual large white stripes (or other light color). As such, I would guess that this tartan may not be as good for dancing? My understanding for dancing is that you want/need large contrasting colors. On the plus side, being as attractive as it is, it might make it more popular for general wear.

**Dixiecat** · 10th February 10, 11:48 AM

Originally Posted by Farlander

I do not believe that I have seen Dress Turnbull before. I have to agree, it is quite an attractive tartan!

I think it is a bit unusual though for a 'dress' tartan in that it does not have the usual large white stripes (or other light color). As such, I would guess that this tartan may not be as good for dancing? My understanding for dancing is that you want/need large contrasting colors. On the plus side, being as attractive as it is, it might make it more popular for general wear.

Actually, one of the dancers at my dance school wears Dress Turnbull for her kilt. It looks awesome.
The only reason that white background tartans have taken off with dancers is that they standout against dark background stages or dim light dance venues. In the last 10 years or so, the colours have exploded into fushias, raspberry, turquoise, wine, lavender, etc. They are no less real tartans because of the fashion colours.

I would wear a family tartan for dancing if I had any Scottish connections. I thought I did with my Oliver great grandparents, but it turns out that they game from Wales before going to Newfoundland.

**Fit2BKilted** · 4th February 10, 07:37 AM

Originally Posted by Dixiecat

I wonder if you could edit the title of this thread? Dress tartan is not fail. How can you not love Dress Turnbull?

I was just about to mention that Dress Turnbull (with it's conspicuous omission of White thread) is very handsome (it's also my mother-in-law's tartan).

**ThinBlueLine** · 3rd February 10, 06:30 AM

Hey all,

Interestingly enough the standard Hannay tartan is mostly white/off-white while the "dress" version is pink/red.

Standard Hannay:

"Dress" Hannay:

**Tartan Hiker** · 3rd February 10, 01:44 PM

Thread title changed per request of OP.
Bill

**Tobus** · 2nd February 10, 09:59 AM

Heh, well, in the title what I meant was the idea of dress tartans seems to have failed to catch on in mainstream kilt-wearing circles (not that wearing a dress tartan means you have failed as a human being or that all dress tartans are failures). The point being that, like Rocky illustrated, dress tartans are very rarely requested.

I changed the title of the thread, though. I hope no one took offense or misunderstood it.

I do like the looks of the dress tartans you have shown so far in this thread, though! Some dress tartans look very nice. The pics posted thus far seem to show a nice blend of color with the addition of reasonable amounts of whites.

Some of the designs I've seen, though, seem to be just plain awful. The Colquhoun dress tartan just makes me scratch my head and wonder, "What were they thinking? Did they really think people would wear this?" They took a perfectly nice and traditional tartan design and ran huge white bands through it, throwing off all sense of symmetry and balance between colors. Maybe it would look better when seen in actual wool tartan, completed in a kilt. But I'd think a kilt-maker would have nightmares trying to lay out the pleats.

http://www.tartans.scotland.net/tart...an_id=1069.htm

*edited to add: Apparently the system won't let me change the thread title that displays in the forum. Sorry.