Kilts

Looking at Dave's picture reminds me of one of the pet dislikes of the Highlanders - the popular concept that kilts are historically scottish. They aren't. The Highland scots wore plaids and they'll be photos of it later. Essentially the English finally ended the Jacobite wars at the Battle of Culloden and cleared the Highands. They banned the Scottish language, the plaid, the bagpipes, haggis etc... They aimed to wipeout the Scots entirely by eliminating Scottish culture. However, Queen Victoria during her reign decided that Scotland would make a nice holiday spot and that the Scots were quite quaint. There was suddenly a tourism market for Scottish culture and some of it the English had to just sort of make up. Thus the kilts were invented (highly impractical for Highland conditions) and the idea of clan tartans was created. The clans had loosely had different tartans but only the clan chieftans wore them. Everyone else wore whatever material they could get their hands on. Also the little pouch that you see was never ever ever worn at the front (over the genitals). If you're wondering why then put a metal whiskey flask in one plus a metal dagger; then afix the bag at the front; then do Highland dancing. Once you've recovered from the mist of pain that has temporarily dazed you as this heavily laden puch has repeatedly slammed itself into your crotch you'll begin to understand why it was always worn on the side. It was traditionally an unadorned leather pouch to carry oats as well as possibly a flask and dagger. When climbing the hills all day to look after one's sheep the oats could be eaten raw, softened with snow or boiled up with a little stream water.