LL-L "Clothing" 2009.03.06 (02) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 06 March 2009 - Volume 02
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From: Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Music" 2009.03.05 (05) [E]

Dear Heather:

Subject: LL-L "Ethnic Dress"

You wrote:

It has always struck me as an interesting coincidence that the Greeks and
the Celts share the bagpipes and very pleated skirts for men.

You are so right in more ways than one, & differing seriously in only two
particulars, tartan (bracan) & the great mantle (plaid)

Both are survivals of the formal dress of the 'Honestior', the upper crust
(Aristocracy, Military, Administration) of the Late Roman Empire: Both races
are of course quite conservative.

However the pleated skirt of the efzone is a survival of the pleated skirts
of the heavy linen military shirt of the soldier, preserved for show (to
show that you are honourable). Beneath the pleats the efzone wears white
tights, as the Scot used to also, only in tartan. In his case the tights,
'trews' were displaced by 'curt hose' or stockings; & the 'leine croich' or
arming shirt was not white but dyed saffron, & the way a Scot wrapped his
plaid around his body & belted it in removed it from sight. The only way to
get so much cloth, five metres of it, in any sort of order is to pleat it
under the belt, & when the top half of the cloak was abandoned, only the
bottom half, the 'philabeg' or kilt remained.

It was simple to do that to a plaid because it was already two long strips
of woollen tacked together, being made on a standing as opposed to a
horizontal or English loom. The latter only of the two can do 'broadcloth'
(two clothyards) in reach with two websters working together or one with a
flying shuttle, a fairly recent invention.

I wrote a long letter on this subject at one time, which Our Ron was
gracious enough to suffer on this list even though it had nothing to do with
language per sé: Wish I could find it again.

Yrs

Mark.

•

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