A full plaid, or just a plaid (plæd) , is a long piece of
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 ...
fabric, most often worn as part of a
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 ...
. It usually matches the tartan of the
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 ...
. A modern full plaid is
pleat
A pleat (plait in older English) is a type of fold formed by doubling textile, 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.
Pleat ...
ed the whole way, with half of its length sewn shut (so that the pleats cannot open). Its length is about twice the distance from the ground to the wearer's shoulder.
A full plaid is typically only seen on members of
pipe bands
A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common.
The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland bagpipe, ...
which elect to wear full dress (military styled) uniforms, and occasionally as formal Highland dress.
The full plaid is wrapped around the wearer's chest and under right arm, pulled firm to the body. The plaid is twisted on the left shoulder with one loose end falling behind the wearer's back and getting tucked into the waist belt. The leading edge of the other loose end is pulled forward and draped over the wearer's left shoulder.
Properly worn, the edge of the plaid should be level with top of left
spat point at the rear of the leg, with fringe, composed of several inches of
warp
Warp, warped or warping may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Books and comics
* WaRP Graphics, an alternative comics publisher
* ''Warp'' (First Comics), comic book series published by First Comics based on the play ''Warp!''
* Warp (comics), a D ...
threads of tartan fabric, hanging down below this level. The lower edge of the plaid should be horizontal and parallel with the ground. The leading edge and front face of the plaid is secured by a brooch (often a
cairngorm brooch) on the left shoulder.
To the lay person it would appear as a long, tartan, shoulder-
cape
A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...
.
Scottish military dress
The plaid first appeared as a feature of Highland military dress in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
with the establishment of six independent companies raised in 1725. These subsequently became the
Black Watch
The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...
, and the plaid continued as a conspicuous feature of the uniforms worn by Scottish infantry regiments. As a military garment, the plaid served the practical dual purposes of a blanket and overcoat during the 18th century. It also provided protection from rain for the soldier's musket and powder. In its original form, the plaid comprised about twelve yards of double-width regimental or traditional tartan, which had to be laid on the ground and rolled into.
[R.M. Barnes and Thomas B. Beatty, page 255 "The Uniforms and History of the Scottish Regiments", Sphere Books 1972] The plaid continued to be a feature of regimental
full dress
Full Dress (foaled 1966) was a French-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare best known for winning the British Classic Races, classic 1000 Guineas in 1969. Full Dress was beaten on her first two starts as a two-year-old but ...
uniform throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, although by 1914 normally worn only by officers, sergeants and pipers.
See also
*
Fly plaid
In Highland dress, the modern fly plaid originated with the traditional Great Plaid () worn in the Scottish Highlands. The Great Plaid was a large piece of cloth, which by the 16th century measured up to in length, half of which was pleated an ...
, a smaller tartan-cloth mantle, worn pinned to the left shoulder
*
Belted plaid
The belted plaid is a large blanket-like piece of fabric which is wrapped around the body with the material pleated or, more accurately, loosely gathered and secured at the waist by means of a belt. Typically, a portion of the belted plaid hangs d ...
or "great kilt", an earlier form of the kilt, it was a large plaid (blanket) pleated by hand and belted around the waist
*
Maud (plaid)
A maud (also Scottish Lowlands, Lowland plaid or Scottish Borders, Low Country plaid) is a woollen blanket or plaid woven in a pattern of small black and white checks known as Border tartan, Shepherd's check, Shepherd's plaid or Galashiels grey. I ...
, a cloth mantle made in a small black-and-white chequered pattern
Notes
{{Reflist
Highland dress