Not all plaids are tartans.......but all tartans are plaid....at least they are now....2 McQueen tartans from Alexander McQueen, used in charming ways.
Late fall, all of winter, because of the dark days and the Holidays makes me desire plaid even more.
Tartan is a check pattern made of crossed horizontal and
vertical lines or threads in multiple colours. We think of
Scotland when we hear "tartan". Did you know the word
plaid, is from Scottish Gaelic
plaide, meaning "blanket"?
Early forms of tartan have a history dating to pre-Roman times. Hallstatt culture, dating to 400 BC - 100 BC, produced tartan-like textiles in Central Europe and when the Celts entered the British Isles, they brought their talents and culture along.
Here's a list with pretty pictures of almost 400 tartans !!
Until the middle of the nineteenth century, the highland tartans were
associated with either regions or districts, rather than by any specific clan....Highland.......Lowland......This was because tartan designs were produced by local weavers for local tastes and would tend to make use of the plant-based dyes available in that area.
Want to know more? Turn to your trusty friend, Wikipedia. and donate some $$ to Wiki...You can be Scotch.....just $10. bucks will do.
The Scottish Register of Tartans was established by an act
of the Scottish Parliament in 2008, to protect, promote and preserve tartan.
The Register is a database of tartan designs, maintained by the National Records of Scotland.
Dress Stewart is very popular, right? here it is.
Jaunty 60s wool cap, and
a vintage CPO shirt in a soft brushed wool.
OK. Now on to Christmas. Why are the traditional colors of Xmas.....Green and Red?
When Christianity started taking over ancient cultures, Christians took rituals from their pagan days and incorporated them into their "new" Christian beliefs and traditions.
Pagans celebrated Yule during the dark winter months and the colors of Yule are red, green and gold.
So we have the Yule log...a huge chunk of wood, or a tasty cake made to look like wood....faux bois.
December 25th was celebrated by Roman people who would hang wreaths of holly, with its red berries. This festival was to welcome back the sun at the time of the winter solstice. Its name is " natalis
solis invicti", Birth of the Invincible Sun.
Pagans used evergreens in their homes as symbols of life during cold dry dead winters. Nothing smells so good, or looks so hopeful...as a lovely spray of evergreen foliage......or hey, how about a tree brought inside for some cheery cheer. And grog. And mead.
Xmas = Christmas, and ignorant modern people have been told that Christ is being driven away from Christmas which is....drivel. Back in the old old old old days, most peasants and many wealthy people could not write or read or spell. So...Christ was written as X. Now it makes sense, don't it? Don't be ashamed to write Xmas. I do it all the time..and I'm a Preacher's Kid!
the other explanation is this--- The X actually comes from the Greek letter
Chi, which is the first letter of
Χριστός. which translates to ..... Christ.
Hey look!! Vintage Converse Christmas Holiday Sneakers !!! in Red and green....and in Plaid!! woo hoo......we came full circle.
Here's my favorite plaids this week........
from seller ShopRabbitHole
Betsey Johnson 1970s Stewart plaid set... from seller Deltasvintage
Vintage Gunne Sax plaid dress from seller dirtybirdiesvintage
Sweet goofy vintage cloth doll with a tartan dress, from seller VintagePolkadotcom
so....the winter coats and shirts and vintage military....coming to funkoma vintage....they are selling almost as fast as I can list them!!
....and traditional fun cozy sweaters......coming up....
Polar Bears, snowflakes, falling snow, soft fluffy mohair, Irish fishermans, heathered wools in red and gray and berry.
