Gallery Tartan kilts
Campbell Ancient tartan
The tartan
The Campbells are a powerful family: During the 16th to 18th Centuries they were one of the leading families in Argyll and Perthshire and they have played important roles within the government of Scotland.
Field Marshall Colin Campbell (1792-1863): "A man in a kilt is a man and a half."
Several tartans are connected with the Campbell clan. However, the Campbell Ancient tartan is not a clan tartan, but a military tartan, also known as Campbell, The 42nd.
The Campbell Ancient tartan has always been one of my favourite ones. It is easy to accessorize. Very many colours in kilt hose go with it, or you may wear short socks, no socks, or even tights, either due to temperature, or simply as a fashion statement, should so you wish.
The kilts
Two kilts are shown on this page. The first one is a 4-yard "economy" kilt - so cheap kilts were called around 2000 - and the vendor was TartanWear-Direct. The other one is a 5-yard "James Morrison" kilt from Heritage of Scotland.
1. TWD TartanWear-Direct kilt
18 pictures in the gallery
TartanWear-Direct in Glasgow might have been one of the first kilt vendors to have utilized the internet as a sales platform.
Their ready-made kilts were available in no less than 21 different tartans and in three different lengths, 24", 22", and 21".
This kilt is 22” long.
Tne company must have left the market during the last half of the tens. The last time I bought a kilt from them was in 2006. The sewing quality was fine and the poly-viscose fabrics extremely good. Weak points were (sometimes) pleating and, in general, straps which were far from being high grade, even if they, over time, became better. The price was no more than £39, increasing to £43 by 2006, meaning they, price-value wise were unbeatable.
I still have six of them, and one I have sold due to unprecise pleating. I wear them very often, especially in summer. That they are in fact 3-yard kilts, and not 4-yarders as promissed, doesn't change anything.
2. Heritage of Scotland kilt
17 pictures in the gallery.
The Heritage of Scotland kilt is a 5-yard “James Morrison”, made to my measures, 36”/43”/22.5” (waist/hip/length) and in 11 oz. pure new wool, meaning a lightweight kilt.
It has been in Spain, Japan, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. At home I will wear it for a lot of purposes, including taking the dog out for a walk. Dressed up with an Argyle kilt jacket, a nice shirt, a tie, dress shoes, plus, of course, sporran, kilt belt, and kilt hose I have been wearing it to the concert hall and the opera house.
Versatility, it is.
Page revised February 25, 2025.
