I have a scarf in my clan tartan that I use as a 'fly plaid' - Looks great in the pix and does not weigh my shoulder down or pull my Prince Charley jacket backwards. 👌
I love my fly plaid... its a pain sometimes, but I really rely on it. I am retired Army and I wear my medal rack on it and it looks spectacular. I could wear my dress mess uniform, but since I don't want to shave, I am in kilt, prince Charlie, and fly plaid for all formal events.
I feel your pain, guys. I wore a fly plaid with my Prince Charlie for our wedding and I couldn't wait to get it off. I was even dumb enough to wear it with the same Prince Charlie on the Tokyo subway one time going to a formal party when I lived in Japan (I was married in Japan as well). I tell you what, if you ever want to feel out of place, with wide eyes staring you down in amazed confusion, while wearing a kilt, do it in Japan! Americans almost always at least have an idea that there's a thing called a kilt from somewhere in Europe... but Japanese people haven't the slightest clue. Japanese people are also not at all ashamed to openly stare at someone doing something not "ordinary" with eyes wide and mouth gaping. Want to really test your kilt-wearing insensitivity? Do it in Japan!
The pipers plaid makes way more sense than the fly plaid. The pipers plaid is actually secured to the body in a far better method so it isn't moving around. I vote that we simply replace fly plaids with pipers plaids for a far better looking and functioning accessory!
A properly made half paid has some sort of a strap sewn on the other end so you could tie the loose end around your waist under your jacket or tunic. Back in my army days our drummers used to wear that with full kit and a drum strap and also their bugles and I have never heard any complaints that it is cumbersome.
Wait!!!! Fly plaids. Don't disregard them, they look awesome! Yes, WEAR them. This is how. Solutions; First! Choose your fly plaid in a light or medium weight cloth (tartan always matching kilt!!). If unavailable, you CAN still wear heavy weight. All mine are heavy weight. Do NOT use pins, you will damage your jacket! Instead SEW the plaid on, over, or near front of shoulder (this can be temporary or permanent). A temporary stitch is easy to remove, holds the plaid neatly in place, helps stop slipping/dragging. Thus also possible to wear without epaulettes. Pin your plaid brooch to the plaid NOT the jacket. Position the plaid a little LOWER at the front than you normally see in photos. It still looks ok and will do LOTS to counter balance the weight of the plaid. Finally. Do NOT wear a fly plaid with ANY jacket that cannot be buttoned at the front. Fastening the buttons will greatly help stop slipping or even eliminate it. So AVOID Prince Charlie/Coatee/Sheriffmuir type jackets. Instead wear a Kenmore, Argyle, Montrose, even a Tweed day jacket. Job done!
I like it. I don't find it as tedious as I hear others do. I ordered 2, I used one as meant and gave the other to my Lass who wore it more like a shawl with her black dress. All the people who saw us loved it!
I was at a wedding ceremony recently, and my boys and I all wore fly plaids. My jacket had an epaulette, and the brooch pin was sufficient in keeping it from pulling back. On my boys, I safety pinned the back (and brooch pin up front) as mentioned around the 2:20 mark, and that did the trick. No constant tugging on the plaid, and they looked quite neat.
I use a twist tie to connect the brooch to the nearest button, since I don't have epaulettes on my jacket. To keep it from shifting, I take the end of the fly plaid and tuck it into my sporran strap at the back. It drapes very well and will even stay in position for dancing, if I'm careful.
I enjoy learning so much for y'all. I also think back to all of the things i didn't do "right" with a kilt. When I got married, I didn't have a jacket, but wore a fly plaid, broach pinned to my shirt. I also wore a dress sporran and belt together. I laugh at myself now for it, and I have always had a blast wearing a kilt. Thank you for your knowledge!
I have two different tartan fly plaids, Red Inness & Royal Stewart, they both have a black ribbon loop where you put the loop over the button on your band jacket. The waist on them has a tartan belt with tartan loops on it so you can tie it round your waist & believe it or not, it does not ride over the left shoulder, stays secure. I also have three full pipers plaids,but, they are another story.
To negate the 'pull'... and this is just me... BUT... When I wear a fly plaid (and that is rarely... ) I take the end hanging off the back, bring it up and under the jacket... and tuck it into the back pleated waist of my kilt and it gives the illusion of a 'nod' to the great kilt.
I have considered wearing a second heavy plaid broach hidden on the underside in an attempt to double the counterweight effect. I'll have an opportunity to try that for a Burns Supper in January.
I mean there are ways to keep it from falling. I saw one gentleman install a snap in his Prince Charlie and another on the back of the fly plaid that snapped it in place. You can use magnets maybe one attached to your fly plaid brooch and the other inside of the jacket. There are ways. You just have to decide what you’re comfortable with.
I forget who it was, but about 2 years back there was a guy in the interwebs who showed how he had a snap button added to his PS jacket at the appropriate spot and on the flyplaid he added the same thing but the other end so he could snap them together to help keep the from moving. Genius
I took a plaid with my kilt when I hiked the AZ trail last year. I lost my hat first day, plaid saved me. Used it as a hat, a shall, a blanket, and as a seat. I also never wear “traditional highland dress”. I wear American kilts
So as functionality goes, if I wanted a very casual Celtic wedding... Would a great kilt be acceptable dress? I recognise the archaic nature of the garment itself, but it would be a lot more practical than a fly plaid pulling at the shoulder of a Prince Charlie all the time that would only be worn one time.
Fly plaids I agree, however a Day or Laird's plaid accompaniment is better to use for different situations. Best explained/made by Issac Walter-Kiltmaker.
The guy that talked me into buying a fly plaid just spent five and half minutes tell everyone why they suck! Not mad...they're completely right...they look OUTSTANDING for pictures but are a complete PITA the rest of the time. Not going to lie...completely worth it. After all you only get married three or four times.
The fly plaid and the piper's plaid descend directly from the great kilt, but indirectly from more ancient upper body covers like capes. cloaks, mantles, and shawls. From before the Bronze Age right through until the early Middle Ages, standard dress for men consisted of a tunic, cloak, and trousers. These tunics and trousers were loose fitting. Tunics, of various lengths can, of course, be worn without trousers, and often were, in Mediterranean climes. Trousers consistently expanded in use with the spread of Indo-European horse culture, and the ancient Celts were certainly instrumental in promulgating their use. The direct descendant of these trousers in Celtic cultures are the (greatly modified) trewes. But let us concentrate on cloaks. Early cloaks were simply a square or rectangular piece of fabric pinned across the shoulders various ways. As swords became more popular, the most common fashion was an asymmetrical "hang", with the pin on the sword-arm side to enable open display of the weapon and ready access. The pin did not also go through the tunic: the cloak stayed in place by fit and hang. Cloaks of this style could be doubled over if the fabric was long enough, forming a shoulder cape. This style was the direct lineal ancestor of the Inverness Cloak we recognize today. As time passed, cloaks could be rounded and dagged or fringed at the ends. The final evolution of the asymmetrical cloak saw them cut to semi-circular design, with or without a semi-circular cutout for the neck. Sometimes they were even cut to a full (split) circular design if more fabric or warmth was desired. The ancient Celts were famous for their woolen cloaks, which were coveted by the Romans. I use double-dagged asymmetrical cloaks ("brats") of rounded or semi-circular pattern. "Plaids" are like the vestigial appendix: cute but not very useful.
For those that care. The invention of the safety pin is credited to Walter Hunt in 1849. Broaches and the like have been known to predate the safety pin.
If you aren't wearing a 'proper' great kilt/plaid, you shouldn't have anything over your shoulder faking the look lol :-p Disclaimer, do what you do, no-one elses opinion really matters :-D
I don't seem to follow any traditional way of wearing it. I pleat mine tuck the bottom into the kilt belt slightly and wrap it like a great kilt. I am a daily kilt wearer and I tend to never look formal but more like I came out of a tribe in the woods. It's about keeping culture alive so wear it as you please or don't wear it at all. Honestly rules to wearing these things is absolutely silly to me. I try to think of it as pretty much anything goes. Or how our ancestors would have worn them. The tradition of how they're all worn today is not the historical tradition.
[rant] Just ban them! They are horrible. The kilt is a highly practical garment and the fly plaid is the antithesis of practicability. While you are about it, can you also ban ruche neck ties? They are an abomination, have nothing to do with highland dress and generally look awful in photos.[/rant]
Just secure it in the back of the shoulder with a baby pins slightly toward the middle of the back and it won’t fall The annoying part is that you generally gonna need someone to do it for you
I have a scarf in my clan tartan that I use as a 'fly plaid' - Looks great in the pix and does not weigh my shoulder down or pull my Prince Charley jacket backwards. 👌
I love my fly plaid... its a pain sometimes, but I really rely on it. I am retired Army and I wear my medal rack on it and it looks spectacular. I could wear my dress mess uniform, but since I don't want to shave, I am in kilt, prince Charlie, and fly plaid for all formal events.
I feel your pain, guys. I wore a fly plaid with my Prince Charlie for our wedding and I couldn't wait to get it off. I was even dumb enough to wear it with the same Prince Charlie on the Tokyo subway one time going to a formal party when I lived in Japan (I was married in Japan as well). I tell you what, if you ever want to feel out of place, with wide eyes staring you down in amazed confusion, while wearing a kilt, do it in Japan! Americans almost always at least have an idea that there's a thing called a kilt from somewhere in Europe... but Japanese people haven't the slightest clue. Japanese people are also not at all ashamed to openly stare at someone doing something not "ordinary" with eyes wide and mouth gaping. Want to really test your kilt-wearing insensitivity? Do it in Japan!
The pipers plaid makes way more sense than the fly plaid. The pipers plaid is actually secured to the body in a far better method so it isn't moving around. I vote that we simply replace fly plaids with pipers plaids for a far better looking and functioning accessory!
A properly made half paid has some sort of a strap sewn on the other end so you could tie the loose end around your waist under your jacket or tunic. Back in my army days our drummers used to wear that with full kit and a drum strap and also their bugles and I have never heard any complaints that it is cumbersome.
Wait!!!!
Fly plaids. Don't disregard them, they look awesome! Yes, WEAR them. This is how.
Solutions;
First! Choose your fly plaid in a light or medium weight cloth (tartan always matching kilt!!). If unavailable, you CAN still wear heavy weight. All mine are heavy weight.
Do NOT use pins, you will damage your jacket! Instead SEW the plaid on, over, or near front of shoulder (this can be temporary or permanent). A temporary stitch is easy to remove, holds the plaid neatly in place, helps stop slipping/dragging. Thus also possible to wear without epaulettes.
Pin your plaid brooch to the plaid NOT the jacket.
Position the plaid a little LOWER at the front than you normally see in photos. It still looks ok and will do LOTS to counter balance the weight of the plaid.
Finally. Do NOT wear a fly plaid with ANY jacket that cannot be buttoned at the front. Fastening the buttons will greatly help stop slipping or even eliminate it. So AVOID Prince Charlie/Coatee/Sheriffmuir type jackets. Instead wear a Kenmore, Argyle, Montrose, even a Tweed day jacket.
Job done!
I like it. I don't find it as tedious as I hear others do.
I ordered 2, I used one as meant and gave the other to my Lass who wore it more like a shawl with her black dress.
All the people who saw us loved it!
I was at a wedding ceremony recently, and my boys and I all wore fly plaids. My jacket had an epaulette, and the brooch pin was sufficient in keeping it from pulling back. On my boys, I safety pinned the back (and brooch pin up front) as mentioned around the 2:20 mark, and that did the trick. No constant tugging on the plaid, and they looked quite neat.
I use a twist tie to connect the brooch to the nearest button, since I don't have epaulettes on my jacket. To keep it from shifting, I take the end of the fly plaid and tuck it into my sporran strap at the back. It drapes very well and will even stay in position for dancing, if I'm careful.
I enjoy learning so much for y'all. I also think back to all of the things i didn't do "right" with a kilt. When I got married, I didn't have a jacket, but wore a fly plaid, broach pinned to my shirt. I also wore a dress sporran and belt together. I laugh at myself now for it, and I have always had a blast wearing a kilt. Thank you for your knowledge!
I have two different tartan fly plaids, Red Inness & Royal Stewart, they both have a black ribbon loop where you put the loop over the button on your band jacket. The waist on them has a tartan belt with tartan loops on it so you can tie it round your waist & believe it or not, it does not ride over the left shoulder, stays secure. I also have three full pipers plaids,but, they are another story.
To negate the 'pull'... and this is just me... BUT... When I wear a fly plaid (and that is rarely... ) I take the end hanging off the back, bring it up and under the jacket... and tuck it into the back pleated waist of my kilt and it gives the illusion of a 'nod' to the great kilt.
I have considered wearing a second heavy plaid broach hidden on the underside in an attempt to double the counterweight effect. I'll have an opportunity to try that for a Burns Supper in January.
I love wearing my Fly Plaid. It took some time to find the perfect balance. But I got there in the end and love it...
I mean there are ways to keep it from falling. I saw one gentleman install a snap in his Prince Charlie and another on the back of the fly plaid that snapped it in place. You can use magnets maybe one attached to your fly plaid brooch and the other inside of the jacket. There are ways. You just have to decide what you’re comfortable with.
I forget who it was, but about 2 years back there was a guy in the interwebs who showed how he had a snap button added to his PS jacket at the appropriate spot and on the flyplaid he added the same thing but the other end so he could snap them together to help keep the from moving. Genius
I took a plaid with my kilt when I hiked the AZ trail last year. I lost my hat first day, plaid saved me. Used it as a hat, a shall, a blanket, and as a seat. I also never wear “traditional highland dress”. I wear American kilts
You know, they have these things called safety pins and they are quite handy for keeping pieces of cloth in place.
Personally I like them, I always wear mine but it's always fun to hear other opinions about it.
Have to done a video on Glengarry and Tam O Shanter styles and sizes.
No fly plaids for me… ever. I can’t think of any situation (for me) where I’d wear one. I’d rather put the cost of a fly plaid into another kilt!
I was thinking about getting a Fly Plaid. Glad you talked me out of it. Saved me $$$$.😂
I was thinking of having one for my wedding dress, but methinks I'll switch for a material lighter than wool or just a scarf.
Couldn't you stay stitch it in?
They're stitches that you can leave in temporarily so maybe you can use that to help for weddings and such.
So as functionality goes, if I wanted a very casual Celtic wedding... Would a great kilt be acceptable dress? I recognise the archaic nature of the garment itself, but it would be a lot more practical than a fly plaid pulling at the shoulder of a Prince Charlie all the time that would only be worn one time.
Fly plaids I agree, however a Day or Laird's plaid accompaniment is better to use for different situations. Best explained/made by Issac Walter-Kiltmaker.
The guy that talked me into buying a fly plaid just spent five and half minutes tell everyone why they suck! Not mad...they're completely right...they look OUTSTANDING for pictures but are a complete PITA the rest of the time. Not going to lie...completely worth it. After all you only get married three or four times.
Haha
The fly plaid and the piper's plaid descend directly from the great kilt, but indirectly from more ancient upper body covers like capes. cloaks, mantles, and shawls. From before the Bronze Age right through until the early Middle Ages, standard dress for men consisted of a tunic, cloak, and trousers. These tunics and trousers were loose fitting. Tunics, of various lengths can, of course, be worn without trousers, and often were, in Mediterranean climes. Trousers consistently expanded in use with the spread of Indo-European horse culture, and the ancient Celts were certainly instrumental in promulgating their use. The direct descendant of these trousers in Celtic cultures are the (greatly modified) trewes. But let us concentrate on cloaks.
Early cloaks were simply a square or rectangular piece of fabric pinned across the shoulders various ways. As swords became more popular, the most common fashion was an asymmetrical "hang", with the pin on the sword-arm side to enable open display of the weapon and ready access. The pin did not also go through the tunic: the cloak stayed in place by fit and hang. Cloaks of this style could be doubled over if the fabric was long enough, forming a shoulder cape. This style was the direct lineal ancestor of the Inverness Cloak we recognize today. As time passed, cloaks could be rounded and dagged or fringed at the ends. The final evolution of the asymmetrical cloak saw them cut to semi-circular design, with or without a semi-circular cutout for the neck. Sometimes they were even cut to a full (split) circular design if more fabric or warmth was desired. The ancient Celts were famous for their woolen cloaks, which were coveted by the Romans. I use double-dagged asymmetrical cloaks ("brats") of rounded or semi-circular pattern. "Plaids" are like the vestigial appendix: cute but not very useful.
For those that care. The invention of the safety pin is credited to Walter Hunt in 1849. Broaches and the like have been known to predate the safety pin.
Have you (USA Kits) not designed an alternative to the Fly Plaid?
Has anyone tried attaching a weighted magnet to the fly plaid by the brooch to help the balance?
And the brooch beats the shit out of the bottom section of ones bass drone. Romantic Victorian fabrication, to hell with them.
would you recommend great kilts instead?
ya, I would just go great kilt!!
I do like the look, but you're right, wearing it sucks! But, I thought you shouldn't pin the brooch to your jacket?
use 3 hidden safety pins to reverse pin it under the epaulette = no sliding around
What if one were to wear it like a Cape? Too tacky?
I guess the other option is to have something like what Wesley Snipes wore in the 2 nd Coming 2 America
I am Scottish! Thank you for pronouncing plaid as 'Play-d' and not 'Pla-d' .
If you aren't wearing a 'proper' great kilt/plaid, you shouldn't have anything over your shoulder faking the look lol :-p
Disclaimer, do what you do, no-one elses opinion really matters :-D
I think this is a consequence of modern jackets being less sturdy and structured than they were before the world wars.
1849, so close on the year!
Americans, experts in all things Scottish.
Aye! Nae more needs to be said!
I don't seem to follow any traditional way of wearing it. I pleat mine tuck the bottom into the kilt belt slightly and wrap it like a great kilt. I am a daily kilt wearer and I tend to never look formal but more like I came out of a tribe in the woods. It's about keeping culture alive so wear it as you please or don't wear it at all. Honestly rules to wearing these things is absolutely silly to me. I try to think of it as pretty much anything goes. Or how our ancestors would have worn them. The tradition of how they're all worn today is not the historical tradition.
Engagement engagement engagement
Just wear a great kilt forget that thing
So, just get a great Kilt and you will be okay.
[rant] Just ban them! They are horrible. The kilt is a highly practical garment and the fly plaid is the antithesis of practicability. While you are about it, can you also ban ruche neck ties? They are an abomination, have nothing to do with highland dress and generally look awful in photos.[/rant]
Just secure it in the back of the shoulder with a baby pins slightly toward the middle of the back and it won’t fall
The annoying part is that you generally gonna need someone to do it for you