Tartan and Tweed is a comprehensive look at the chequered history of tartan and tweed from their origins in the Scottish Highlands to their reinvention, growing and continued popularity and use in contemporary fashion design, music, art and film.
Both tweed and
tartan are fabrics with a strong cultural identity and history. But
they have been reinvented to create multiple meanings, particularly
when used in street fashions and in haute couture to mimic or parody
the aristocracy, and to act as a subversive symbol of rebellion. This
lavishly illustrated book focuses on fashion over the last century
whilst looking back at the journey these fabrics have made from
traditional cloth to stylish fabrics. We follow the early popularity
of tartan and tweed including the fabrics' connections from crofters
and clans to aristocracy, and look at tweed's dramatic recovery
during an economic crisis and its subsequent re-invention as
desirable luxury fashion fabric.
The book explores
the use of tartan and tweed in fashion in the collections of leading
designers including Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Chanel
who have used these textiles in a fresh, subversive way, while also
paying tribute to their history. Making use of first person sources,
historic documents, paintings and fashion photographs, this is a
complete overview of tartan and tweed in Scotland and beyond.
Edinburgh authors
Caroline Young and Ann Martin with their new book. Photograph: Lisa
Ferguson
Edinburgh authors
unravel the myths behind tartan and tweed
JANE BRADLEY
Saturday 28 January
2017
Whether Bonnie
Prince Charlie or Mary Queen of Scots ever really wore tartan and why
CIA agents in the Cold War adopted tweed as their uniform are among
the myths explored in a new book dedicated to Scotland’s national
cloths.
Tartan + Tweed, by
Edinburgh authors Caroline Young and Ann Martin and published next
week, looks at the history and popularity of tartan and tweed – and
debunks myth and romanticism around them.
The book examines
fashion over the past century, charting the journey of both tweed and
tartan from traditional cloth to stylish fabrics. It follows their
use by crofters and clans to aristocracy and examines tweed’s
dramatic recovery during an economic crisis and its subsequent
reinvention as a luxury fashion fabric.
It also documents
their use in contemporary fashion design, music, art and film.
Young said: “Tartan
in particular not only defines a nation and lies at the heart of our
identity, but is also a political fabric, with countless meanings
attached.
“When Theresa May
wore the Black Watch tartan suit to announce her plans for Brexit,
what was the coded meaning behind it? Maybe it was a way of appeasing
Scotland, or was the Black Watch tartan, traditionally a government
tartan, a way of quashing rebellion?”
She added:
“[Scotland] is often seen as a misty, romantic country stuck in the
past, as shown in film and in advertising, and the TV series
Outlander, and tartan serves as the imagery of this romantic
depiction.
“While there is
evidence of wearing tartan in Scotland in ancient times, and that
plaid was the universal costume of Highlanders from the 16th century
to the Battle of Culloden in 1746, the concept of clans having their
own traditional tartan really only dates back to the 19th century.”
The book claims that
despite Scotland’s famous associations with tartan, many well-known
historical figures who have been depicted wearing the cloth, such as
Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie, may not have done.
It says: “Mary
Queen of Scots is another of Scotland’s figures where myth crossed
into fact. There is no evidence that she wore tartan, particularly as
she was a French Catholic woman who was more likely to have adopted
crucifixes and fashionable ruffs.”
In fact, while
tartan fabric has been around since at least AD230 – the Falkirk
Tartan was found stuffed into a pot containing a collection of Roman
coins dating back to then – its association with clans only goes
back as far as the 19th century, when a romanticisation of Scotland’s
history and the industrialisation of cloth led to the classification
of clan tartans.
The book also looks
at the decision for CIA spies to wear tweed throughout the Cold War –
a revelation discovered in research for the 2012 film Argo.
It says: “Production
crew on Argo spoke to the real-life spy Tony Mendez, to ask him what
he wore during his covert trip to Iran. He told them it was a Harris
Tweed jacket and slacks, with Harris Tweed acting as a subtle means
of indicating their work in covert international operations against
Russia.”
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