Highland Dress: The Great Plaid

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The tartan sunach is the national fabric of Scotland and consists of a plaid design woven in wool. It was originally made from vegetable dyes produced from lichens, mosses, berries, and flowers of the mountainsides and is now made with chemical dyes.

The national costume of Scottish men is the breacan feile (belted plaid)or feileadh mór, (the great plaid) (pron. breckawn fayl, fay-luh more) The cloak brat (pron. braht) consists of a wide yardage of tartan fabric belted at the waist and arranged over the shoulders. It is worn over a knee to calf-length saffron-colored linen or wool shirt with kimono shaped sleeves and green and red embroidery called a léine.(pron. LAY-na ) The saffron war-coat: leine croich is a gambeson padding worn under chainmail. Made by pleating or quilting 24 ells ( one ells = 37") of saffron-colored linen vertically. A long boot: cuaran is made of untanned hide and laced up to just under the knee or sandals. (2, 3)