It is often said “a true Scotsman’ wears nothing under his kilt”. And recently a journalist wrote - “the reason is, that it is very warm and cosy swathed in all that pure wool. If anything, it gets too hot down there. Underpants would just be – well, sticky.”

However the Scottish Tartans Authority, argues that the practise could be seen as ‘childish and unhygienic’ and that ‘going commando’ flies in the face of decency.”    

Traditionally of course nothing was worn under the kilt and if history is correct and charging Scots threw aside their feleidh mhors, no wonder they had such success on the battle fields.

We mere civilians have a choice to wear or not to wear boxer shorts or briefs. Common sense and a regard for others should rule the day. It's one thing to go 'bare' when hill walking but to do the same when attending an evening function that involved vigorous dancing, could lead to the charge of exhibitionism and scant consideration for the social comfort of others.

So, don't be brow-beaten into believing that nonsense. Toileting when in a kilt is something not easily learned and the results of that give kilt hire companies perennial headaches.

Refrence

Sure. But as a courtesy, please be prepared to field questions about specific name of the tartan you’re wearing. Proudly point them to this site for all you need to know about what the tartan means to us!

Also, be aware, there are many universal tartans:
• The Black Watch
• The Hunting Stewart
• The Caledonia
• The Jacobite

As well as the great number of Clan/Family tartans that are also tartans registered under the following categories:
• Commemorative (e.g. Buchanan, John & Isabella)
• Corporate (e.g. Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, Scottish Deerhound Club of America, Canadian Dental Association)
• Military (e.g. Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Royal Australian Air Force)
• Fashion (e.g. Buchanan Dress Blue (Dance), Sutherland Dress (Fashion))

Not forgetting the Personal Tartans that are often but not always restricted.

So, a district tartan might have meaning for you, e.g. have visited and loved Edinburgh - look at the Edinburgh tartan.

Plus, there are many unregistered tartans bearing a clan name, like the Buchanan Blue tartan (not shown on this site) or the Buchanan Dancers tartans in Red, Blue, Turquoise, Mint etc. which are woven specifically for competitive Highland dancing (loaded at the bottom of this page)

Firstly there is no ‘rule’ about who can wear a particular tartan.

That being said you may like to consider certain family ties, traditions, protocols and what you are trying to achieve by wearing a tartan when deciding what tartan to buy, especially if it is your very first tartan.

We encourage people to consider why they are choosing this particular tartan for this garment – will it be your first and only Buchanan tartan and if so, do you want people to see it and immediately think “That’s a Buchanan”

Or do you want to wear it at Scottish events to add to the image that many Buchanan’s are present?

If your answer to these questions is YES then without any doubt the Modern Buchanan is the number one tartan to achieve that goal.

If you’re choosing an additional kilt for your wardrobe or you’re not trying primarily to achieve the above goal of being visually recognized as Buchanan then you can choose any tartan from the range of clan and family tartans in the Buchanan range – or any other tartan for that matter.

Firstly, here on our site: www.theclanbuchanan.com/tartans

We also encourage you to browse through the listing of Buchanan tartans in the Scottish Register of Tartans where you will find interesting information on each of these registered tartans.

There are two registration numbers against most tartans which are from previous registers of tartans: STA the Scottish Tartan Authority and STWR the Scottish Tartans World Register. The Buchanan 2027 and 151 are both versions of the Modern Buchanan, one just shown in reverse to the other. These photos are good for recognizing the difference between the asymmetrical sett of the Modern Buchanan and the symmetrical sett of all the other tartans.

Please note: the tartan on the bottom on the page is definitely Chef Buchanan and not a misspelling of Chief. It is a personal tartan registered by David Buchanan, a professional chef. It can only be purchased with his express permission.

Some Buchanan tartans are now only available as special orders as they are considered ‘Old and Rare’ tartans but they are worth searching for as you may still pick them up from time to time. These include the Buchanan Hunting Ancient (a beautiful soft blue and green with a touch of brown and peach) and the original Buchanan Dress (cream background with mustard, yellow and a thin red line).

There are many other Buchanan tartans on the market, some that have been designed with no connection to Clan Buchanan but the marketing advisors understand the value of adding Buchanan to the name in the world of search engines etc. One tartan that has gained great popularity is the Buchanan Blue (not the Buchanan Dress Blue (Dance) tartan) which follows the asymmetrical sett of the Modern Buchanan but is purely a fashion tartan. The other group of tartans bearing the Buchanan name but with no link to Clan Buchanan is the Buchanan Dancers tartans – all have a cream background with a single other colour (Mint, Fushia, Gold etc.) plus a fine black stripe.

The contemporary Modern with all its bright colours is not for everyone so we encourage you to consider the Modern sett in the more muted tones sold as Reproduction or Old Colours etc.

What is a Sett?

A tartan's 'Sett' is what makes it unique. This is the 'thread count' that defines it - the sequence and number of coloured threads which produces that tartan's distinct look when woven in criss-crossing vertical and horizontal stripes.

There are more manufacturers around the world than we can keep track of. That being said, we highly recommend Scotland Shop.