Highland dress Highland dress is the traditional, regional dress of the Highlands and Isles of Scotland. It is often characterised by tartan (''plaid'' in North America). Specific designs of shirt, jacket, bodice and headwear may also be worn. On rare occas ...

, the modern fly plaid originated with the traditional Great Plaid () worn in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...

. The Great Plaid was a large piece of cloth, which by the 16th century measured up to in length, half of which was

pleated A pleat (plait in older English) is a type of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabric to a narrower circumference. Pleats are cat ...

and belted about the waist, while the upper half was draped over the left shoulder, was then gathered in front and could be used as a cloak and hood during inclement weather. The fly plaid harkens back to that garment and was introduced in the 18th century when fashion dictated a switch to the modern

kilt A kilt ( ) is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill-woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish Highland dress for men, it is first r ...

. The fly plaid replaced that portion of the Great Kilt that was draped over the shoulder. It is today typically worn in two lengths, from about a metre (39 inches) square to 1.4 metres (56 inches) square (54 inches being a standard fabric width). It is worn in the same

tartan Tartan or plaid ( ) is a patterned cloth consisting of crossing horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours, forming repeating symmetrical patterns known as ''setts''. Originating in woven wool, tartan is most strongly associated wi ...

or colour as the kilt. It is typically worn with a jacket that has epaulets, but this is not mandatory, and

brooch A brooch (, ) is a decorative jewellery item designed to be attached to garments, often to fasten them together. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with enamel or with gem ...

. Some fly plaids are sewn so that one corner is gathered prior to attaching the brooch. Others are not sewn and are pleated by hand before draping over the shoulder or inserting through an epaulet.

References

{{Reflist Highland dress

See also

References