Author Archives: Gary

Kilt Hats & Caps

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We have just unveiled a whole brand new category on buyakilt.com. Our new Hats & cap Badges category includes a host of new hats, tammys and cap badges; perfect for completing your kilt outfit or for keeping you warm in the coming winter months.

Our Glengarry range includes choices for any budget; from our basic Glengarries all the way through to our custom made luxury versions. The Glengarry cap (or bonnet) is a traditional boat shaped hat without a peak with a toorie (pom pom) on top, rosette cockade on the left, and ribbons hanging down behind. It is worn as part of Scottish Highland dress as an alternative to the Balmoral cap.

For a more traditional hat why not try out our Balmoral Hats? The Balmoral cap is a Scottish hat that can be worn as part of formal or informal Highland dress. It dates back as far as the 16th Century and takes the form of a knitted, soft wool cap with a flat crown. The hat is named after Balmoral Castle, which is a royal residence in Scotland.

We also have a number of tartan tammys and barnton caps in a range of exciting and traditional tartans. These hats offer a more casual look for day to day wear and are especially good for keeping your head warm in the cold winter months!

Our cap badges are a perfect way to compliment your chosen headwear. Why not show your allegiance with our clan crest cap badges? There are also Irish themed badges for our Gaelic neighbours and other Scottish themed badges to highlight your patriotism.

This new category is further proof of our ongoing commitment to offer you the best choice available in Highland Dress websites. Look out in the near future for a range of new items which will keep you warm in the winter!

French island adopts Scottish-style tartan

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Yet further proof that Scottish culture has influence in the strangest of places, as a small French Atlantic island called Ouessant has created a distinctive Celtic tartan and registered it with the overseers of the traditional motif in Scotland. Following the visit of MSP Rob Gibson to his island home, Serge Cariou (Ouessant, Brittany, France) decided to design his own tartan.

“A few of us wear kilts on Ouessant, to cock a snook at outsiders as a joke. So, after a trip to Scotland, we thought ‘Why not design a tartan in our island’s colours?’,” Serge Cariou said in Brest, on mainland Brittany.

According to Cariou, the new Ouessant tartan includes red, yellow and black to represent the flag of the Isle of Ushant and a black, green and white check to represent Brittany. You can see the tartan below:

Ouessant, known as Enez Eusa in Breton, lies around 30 kilometres (20 miles) off the Breton peninsula, making it the most westerly inhabited territory in France, and shares Brittany’s Celtic culture and traditions. Jean-Yves Cozan, who represents the Ouessant Township and the District of Ouessant on the County Council of Finistere, has kindly authorised the use of the name ‘Oeussant’ and ‘Eusa’ for the registration of the tartan.

“This tartan is not a gimmick, it’s an act of cultural identity to assert that we have roots,” declared Cozan, Ouessant regional councillor.

“Just as a rootless Japanese puts his kimono on when he gets home, I’ll put my kilt on when I get back to Ouessant,” he said, brandishing a Eusa kilt cut for the occasion by a Scottish tailor.

The Eusa design has been entered on the Scottish Register of Tartans as number 10,236, 10 years after a loosening of the rules as to who can declare a tartan led to an explosion of non-Scottish and non-clan motifs.

The Scottish Register of Tartans (the Register) is a national repository of tartan designs and has thousands of different designs registered. You can search for many of these tartans on our own tartan finder. Why not give it a try?

Kilt Voted World’s Best Traditional Item

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We like to think here at Macdonald Sporrans that the kilt is a pretty damn sexy piece of clothing. And now it is official. In a recent poll of international traditional clothing, 67 per cent of respondents put the kilt in top position, with many women describing it as “very attractive” on a man – single guys take note!

The survey of 2,034 people by travel website www.sunshine.co.uk showed the kilt was streets ahead of it’s nearest rivals – the kimono from Japan and the hulu skirt from Hawaii; the Mexican sombrero was also popular. However, German lederhosen was considered “very unfashionable” by 87 per cent of people.

In a more humorous aspect of the results, as many as 24 per cent thought the shell suit best represented England’s national dress.

The kilt has enjoyed a constant popularity over the years and lately prominent fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood have brought the item onto the catwalks of the fashion world; most prominently the New York fashion show, “Dressed to Kilt”.

Tessa Hartmann, Scottish Fashion week organiser has said: “The kilt is one of the most iconic fashion outfits in the world. It dates back to the 16th century and has been constantly updated. Designers continue to do different things with it; people like Paul Smith, Vivienne Westwood and the late Alexander McQueen have had great fun with the kilt.”

She added: “If you can pull off (wearing] a kilt, you can excel. It’s much more of a statement than a black tie.”

We ourselves have seen a great increase of kilts being sold to countries such as Australia, France, Germany and even as far as Singapore. This just goes to show that you don’t have to be Scottish to wear a kilt and look great. So if you are looking to wow the ladies at your next wedding do then get in touch!

Knife Laws in Scotland

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We are aware that recently there have been a few fears raised about a potential knife law which could look to make the possession of certain Sgian Dubh’s illegal. This law has been introduced in order to crack down on the inherent knife crime and concealed weapon culture found in Scotland’s streets.

Shops and online retailers selling any form of knife have been warned to keep them to less than three and a half inches in length but this has led to a large outcry from Scottish highland dress retailers who believe that this law will hit consumers and tourists who want to buy “heritage or highland dress products” the hardest.

Under the far-reaching proposals anyone buying a knife in the restricted category would have to produce photographic ID, and the dealers would have to keep a record of customers and the knives sold.

During its consultation on the controversial plans, a government spokesman said: “This may be a consequence of the scheme, but there is no practical way of exempting tourists from the requirements of the licensing scheme.

“Tourists will still be able to make purchases of sgian dubhs or other small knives that have a length of blade of under three and a half inches, as these will be exempt from the licensing laws.”

We are happy to announce that this law will not affect any of our customers as we can guarantee that all of our Sgian Dubh’s have a blade that measures less than three and a half inches. As an integral part of our highland dress we are adamant that any changes in the law will be met in order that we can continue to stock these fantastically varied and stylish items. We also fully support any law that aims to cut down knife crime in our country.

It is ironic that the whole tradition of carrying a Sgian Dubh in the top of the wearers sock was originally started in order to avoid having concealed weapons. Courtesy and etiquette would demand that when entering the home of a friend, any concealed weapons would be revealed. It follows that the Sgian Dubh would be removed from its hiding place and displayed in the stocking top held securely by the garters. Of course it is now more commonly used for ceremonially cutting haggis or as the perfect way to compliment your kilt outfit.

Contemporary Araca Tweed Jacket & Vest

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We are delighted to unveil yet another new item for our website. The Contemporary Araca Tweed Jacket & Vest is an item we have been looking to stock for quite some while, and we believe it will offer our customers an even larger and varied selection of jackets and waistcoats.

The contemporary style of the jacket makes it great for any occasion. It’s modern look makes it an elegant choice for a summer wedding; perfect for wearing with a ruched tie and semi dress sporran. However the look of the jacket is versatile enough to suit any formal occasion and can be worn with a black bow tie and full dress sporran.

The jacket is made from 15oz pure new wool and comes with Staghorn style buttons; giving the overall look of the item a modern yet rustic feel. The look and style of the buttons make our Staghorn kilt pins and Sgian Dubhs a great choice to create an outfit which fits together beautifully. The jacket comes with a nice fitting charcoal 5 button waistcoat that matches perfectly. Both the jacket and waistcoat are made in Europe from British cloth so the quality of the item is fantastically high and the cloth has been woven to a smooth, crisp tweed giving it a great feel and look. Other features include cloth epaulettes and decorated cuffs and pockets and at the amazingly low cost of £163.91 it offers a price that is hard to beat.

We are certain this jacket will become very popular with our customers, especially in the coming summer months where we are fast approaching wedding season. The charcoal colouring of the jacket makes it perfect to suit our traditional 8 yard kilt, one of our fashion kilts or even one of our budget kilts. Look out in the near future for a fantastic range of outfits that incorporate the Contemporary Araca Tweed Jacket & Vest.

Custom Tartan Neck Tie & Bow Tie

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We have yet another new addition to the website in the form of our custom made tartan neck ties and bow ties. We have had quite a few customers requesting to have these items to match their custom kilts and trews but we have been unable to offer these items until now. We are proud to use our connections to two of Scotland’s top mills, Lochcarron of Scotland and The House of Edgar, to be able to offer these products to our customers.

Lochcarron of Scotland are one of the most diversified textile companies in the world. They are based in Selkirk in the heart of the Scottish Borders where the company caters for the fashion conscious whilst maintaining its vastly appealing Scottishness.

For many years now, The House of Edgar has been the worldwide market leader in Highlandwear combining a fully flexible service with value for money. More than 1000 Clan, District and Irish County tartans in a variety of weights and compositions are held in stock, together with a comprehensive range of Highlandwear products.

Our custom made pure wool tartan neck tie is available in any House of Edgar 13oz Old & Rare tartan or any Lochcarron 11oz Reiver tartan. This tie is perfect for formal occasions such as weddings, however it is also suitable for more informal occasions. This tie is a great way to liven up a plain white shirt with a colourful tartan and is the perfect accessory to your custom made kilt. As the item is custom made it takes 1-2 weeks to be produced but at £23.50 it offers fantastic value for money.

Our custom made pure wool tartan bow tie is available in any Lochcarron 11oz Reiver tartan. It comes in a pre-tied style and is suitable for all formal occasions and is priced at the very reasonable price of £23.38.

As these items are hand made by some of the most experienced kilt makers in the UK you can be assured that your tie will be made to the highest possible standard with some of the best pure wool in Scotland.

5 Yard Wool Stock Kilt

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Another new addition to our website is our 5 Yard Wool Stock Kilt. We believe this will be a fantastic new option for our customer as it offers the quality of a pure wool kilt and the delivery speed of a stock item. The kilt is available in six tartans – Black Watch, Freedom, Hamilton Grey, Heritage Black, Heritage of Scotland and Royal Stewart.

The kilt is made in Scotland from 5 yards of 16oz pure wool tartan cloth and it is pleated to the sett. Pleating to the sett is the most common type of pleating which results in the kilt looking the same at the front and the back. A full sett of the tartan is folded into each pleat so that the tartan appears to be continuous across all the pleats.

It is made with a 100% cotton lining to make it more comfortable to wear. The kilt has 2 leather straps to fasten kilt – 1 on each side and these straps allow the kilt to be expanded by roughly 2″ above stated size. As it is a stock kilt it has a standard 24″ drop, but the kilt is made in such a way that the drop can be altered by any good tailor quite easily.

The kilt is priced at the fantastically low cost of £141 and is dispatched from stock, usually within 3-5 working days. When you compare this to our 5 Yard Custom Made Wool Kilt, which has an average price of £200 and a dispatch time of 4-6 weeks, the benefits of having such an option available are immediately apparent.

We are very excited to be able to provide yet more choice for our customers and we believe this is another step to providing a kilt for any price range. From our 8 Yard Poly-Viscose Stock Kilt at £41 to our 8 Yard Custom Made Kilt at an average of £350 we feel this is a perfect high quality option for those looking at a price range somewhere between these two.

New Lambswool and Cashmere Scarves

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We have introduced an number of new scarves to go with our already extensive clan tartan range. We have now added two new scarves category to cover Lambswool tartan scarves and Cashmere scarves. These scarves are perfect for the damp Spring weather we have been experiencing lately and in fact are a great year round fashion accessory. We believe that this new range will provide our customers with a great choice in price and styles and are very pleased to finally unveil these items.

Our lambswool scarves come in a variety of colours and patterns including tartans and checks.These scarves cover styles ranging from our Autumn Check scarf in baby blue, pink and yellow colours all the way to our Wallace tartan scarf in Dark red, black and yellow tartan.

Each scarf measures roughly 60″ by 12″ or 150cm by 30cm and is made from 100% pure lambswool. These scarves are available at an astonishingly low price of £7.36 so offer a great quality budget alternative to our other scarf ranges.

Our cashmere scarves offer a great high quality alternative and are also available in a wide range of solid colours, check patterns and tartans. These scarves provide a new style of clothing at Macdonald Sporrans as they are not exclusively made up of tartans. We have styles such as the Plain Baby Pink Cashmere Scarf or the Multicoloured Stripe Cashmere Scarf which we believe will be fantastic additions to the website.

Each scarf measures roughly 60″ by 12″ or 150cm by 30cm and is made from 100% pure cashmere. These scarves are available at a great value price of £24.56 so offer a fantastic quality alternative to our other scarf ranges.

All our scarves are perfect for a highly valued gift for someone close or even as a little treat to yourself. Check out our Tartan Scarves section now to see the amazing range of choice we now have .

Ghillie Brogues Additions

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We have been working very hard to extend our range of items across all parts of the website and are excited to announce that we have significantly increased the amount of ghillie brogues that we offer.

We now can supply 16 different types of brogues suitable for all your needs. This selection now includes a far greater variation in the style of shoe that we offer. From our Ghillie Boot to our Day Brogues you will find many styles to suit all casual or formal occasions.

We believe brogues such as our Comfort Ghillie Brogues will become very popular with our customers. This is an extremely comfortable shoe combining soft & smooth calf leather uppers with a super flexible sole unit. The shoes is constructed from high grade leather lining to avoid sock staining and is available in UK sizes 6-13 (including all half sizes).

We also now offer a higher quality alternative brogue in our Executive Grade Ghillie Brogues. This is a premium quality, fully-featured shoe made with smooth calf uppers for added luxury and unparalleled comfort. They have PORON shock absorber insoles for maximum comfort and kip lining as used by the worlds leading quality shoemaker. The shoes also come in dust bags in order to keep them in great condition.

We have been working hard to provide our customers with some alternative styles and we believe that our Buckle Kilt Brogues fit this description. This is a traditional evening wear buckle shoe and is available in matt and polished finish.

Another new style we have available is our Highlander Brogues. This is an authentic Jacobean casual slip on shoe with a pewter buckle. This style of shoe is said to have been worn by Bonnie Prince Charlie. The shoe has high grade leather lining to avoid sock staining and is kip leather lined in burgundy. It also has a tapered heel for a more comfortable fit.

We are now confident that whatever style of shoe you require for your kilt outfit; we can now provide it.