I had my first kilt at 8yrs old and over the years have experimented with different tartans and weights of cloth

I had my first kilt at 8yrs old and over the years have experimented with different tartans and weights of cloth. I thought it about time to try the = Feileadh Mhòr, the= usual dress of the highlander into the 18^th century.

There is no kilt making involved in a Feileadh Mhòr since it is just a double width piece of = cloth pleated to form a kilt and plaid and held in place by a belt and brooch.

The finished result is highly functional, being adjusted by the wearer, to form= an upper and lower garment, as well as a blanket at night. Pockets or a hood could a= lso be fashioned to suit the wearer. There are numerous illustrations of the Feileadh Mhòr in h= ighland portraits, each seemingly showing a different style of dressing.=

However one must not be too romantic about this form of apparel. Sir Edward Burt no= ted “Highlanders were fond of punctuating a conversation with a fling of their plaid over the shoulder, a gesture which released a disagreeable smell from the garment worn all day and sweated in at night”*.

So you want to wear the Feile= adh Mhòr?

By Duncan A G Cameron

Like so many things from the past, how the Feileadh = Mhòr was used is not well recorded, since peop= le assumed the knowledge to be general and it went unrecorded. The knot for ty= ing garters is I believe another area of mystery?

So how does one go about finding and wearing the belted plaid today? I approac= hed Kinloch Anderson in Edinburgh<= /st1:place> for their help and was able to purchase a Clan Cameron muted tartan (House = of Edgar 2036) Feileadh Mh&og= rave;r for £345.

Kinloch Anderson take 5 metres of cloth, 1.4 metres wide= and cut it in half and sew it together. The result is 2.5x2.8metres.

Hector Russell at Drumnadrochit supplied a Feileadh Mhòr bein= g 5.5 metres of double width tartan (about 55” wide) Cameron of Erracht muted tartan (House of Edgar 1202) for £= ;275.

Buying a Feileadh Mhòr is only half the problem. The next issue is how to wear it? Hector Russell not only provides photos in their brochure of a Feileadh Mhòr being worn but also s= upply handy instructions on how to manage the beast. Should you have seen the fil= ms Braveheart or Rob Roy you will have seen the belted p= laid worn, and in one scene being put on.

In theory one puts the plaid on the ground with a belt beneath it, folds the centre area into neat pleats leaving two aprons to cross over in front. The wearer then lies down with the cloth just above the knee, wraps each side o= ver and fixes the belt. . I found it easier to put the sporran strap beneath the plaid and secure it to the waist strap, attaching the sporran later.

You then stand up and large loose folds then fall down. These are then arranged= to the wearer’s particular fancy and need. Essentially the loose part is taken over the shoulder and secured with a plaid brooch, whilst the remaind= er is tucked into the waist in a neat arrangement and to reveal the sporran. In practise it is easier to bring one end of material over the left shoulder a= nd the other end in front of the wearer and secure the two ends together diagonally across the chest to take the weight of the material. A shirt is = not really up to supporting all the weight, although I see Hector Russell’= ;s brochure illustrates it like that. Their instructions even talk of alternatively bringing the lose material over the shoulder and tucking under the belt.

Because of the difference in size and shape of the two plaids I have tried there are very real advantages and disadvantages to consider. Both versions are easy = to pack for travel, folding to a flat package.

The Kinloch Anderson Feileadh = Mhòr produced about 10 pleats and because of the width, provides an enormous amo= unt of material to arrange, both in folds at the back to the bottom of the kilt= and also over the shoulder to be secured in folds.

The Hector Russell Feileadh Mh= òr, being 5.5 metres long (18ft) produces about 20 pleats and looks, when worn, similar to the modern kilt or Feileadh Beag. However being a double width cloth it is half a= s wide as the Kinloch Anderson one and therefore there is much less material to br= ing over the shoulder, let alone consider decorative folds behind the wearer. I= was just able to bring one end over my left shoulder and secure it diagonally across my chest to the other end brought under my right arm. This process requires a good deal of patience and ingenuity let alone a helpful companio= n!

If one wanted to wear a jacket under the Feileadh = MhòrI don’t think this could be achieved easily with the Hector Russell Feileadh Mhòr. With the Feileadh Mhòr from Kinloch Anderson there is more than = enough material for deep folds from the waist belt looping up over the back to encompass the length of a jacket. In the past doublets were adapted to the bunching of the plaid by the addition of small flaps.

S= o if you are interested in your highland past, want to cut a fine figure at your nex= t function or find your present kilt a bit too tight for comfort why not consider a Feileadh Mhòr.

-----------------------------------------= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= ---

<= o:p>

Postscript=

Duncan has described the intricaci= es of putting on the great kilt or feileadh Mhòr (anglicised to phila= more as opposed to philabeg which is the short or li= ttle kilt). It was as Duncan explained, simply a way of carrying your blanket. The actor, the late Russe= ll Hunter used to do a wonderful performance of this in which he lay on his blanket formed the pleats, fastened the belt and threw the extra over his shoulder. The modern kilt is a Victorian invention but based on the model <= st1:place w:st=3D"on">Duncan describes.<= o:p>

Alan