Tartan or not?

**CDNSushi** · 6th November 12, 02:37 AM

I just picked up a really nice scarf... I really don't think it's a tartan at all. I think it's just a fashion pattern... But ya never know. But even if it isn't, I really, really like the colours and design! Anyone want to offer an opinion?

The warp / weft patterns are completely different. The orange bands repeat in only one directions and they are replaced by blue bands in the other. I imagine that it itself might disqualify it from being a tartan. Or... do such tartans exist? But that's why I'm asking those who know more about it.

Is this a tartan?

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**David Thorpe** · 6th November 12, 09:19 AM

Not a traditional tartan, and not a tartan at all by some definitions. The warp and weft are completely different. Pretty plaid, though.

**unixken** · 6th November 12, 09:27 AM

The closest thing I've seen to "non-tartan tartans", is most of the stuff coming out of the Wales Tartan Center - those non-historic fashion weaves that carry Welsh family names ("Ellis of Wales", for example.) But in those patterns that I've seen, it's no so much that different colors appear in warp and weft, but that the thread counts and stripe patterns in each direction, are different.

**Chas** · 6th November 12, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by CDNSushi

Is this a tartan?

Not in my house. And it doesn't look like one of the Welsh ones.

Regards

Chas

**The Wizard of BC** · 6th November 12, 11:55 AM

Repeat 10 times after me.

"All Tartans are plaids. Not all plaids are Tartans."

"All Tartans are plaids. Not all plaids are Tartans."

"All Tartans are plaids. Not all plaids are Tartans."

"All Tartans are plaids. Not all plaids are Tartans."

"All Tartans are plaids. Not all plaids are Tartans."

"All Tartans are plaids. Not all plaids are Tartans."

"All Tartans are plaids. Not all plaids are Tartans."

"All Tartans are plaids. Not all plaids are Tartans."

"All Tartans are plaids. Not all plaids are Tartans."

"All Tartans are plaids. Not all plaids are Tartans."

**figheadair** · 6th November 12, 12:50 PM

Not a tartan.

**CDNSushi** · 7th November 12, 08:56 PM

Yeah, like I said -- I pretty much figured it wasn't... My understanding of "tartan" is that the warp and weft pattern actually does have to be the same.

In any event, since I brought it up, does anyone know of any ACTUAL tartans that have a similar combination of colors? (muted orange, combined with deep blue to create maroon squares, along with pale yellow fields and yellow pin stripes)?

**dh20318** · 7th November 12, 09:02 PM

After following this website for some time, I have been curious as to what constitutes a genuine tartan. Is it that all colors go both weft and weave, or is there other distinguishing characteristics.