Highland Dress
has become the distinctive costume of the whole
of Scotland, despite its suppression as a symbol
of Scottish independence. Its components were
drawn from elements in daily use within the
Highlands, but these have become rationalised for
use in modern life and tailored fashions.
It was the Victorian age that transformed costume
and Scottish symbols in general, but there would
have been little sentimentality for early
Highland dress as it was a practical matter and a
fact of life. With this in mind, it is good to
visualise the practical and economic realities
that the earlier forms represent.
The Scottish regiments continued to use Highland
dress since they were government forces, and
their forms of dress influenced the creation of
the modern form, practical for military tailoring
and evening dress. The lowland forces, for
instance, adapted trews into a military uniform
employing tartan.
The wealthy classes, apart from their own
military connections, often had a Highland
background or property. It was then Queen
Victoria's royal patronage that resolved the
developing elements into a regular form for use
in society.
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