The Cheongsam
January 23, 2012Retro Chick Reviews: Style Me Vintage Clothes
January 27, 2012Happy Burns Night!
I hadn’t planned to do this today, then I felt guilty because I’d done Chinese New Year on Monday and I do like a nice haggis supper on Burns Night, so I thought in the interests of fairness I’d take a look at Tartan today!
Burns Night is poet Robert Burns birthday on the 25th January and started being held around the early 1800s after Burns death. It includes speeches, toasts, poetry readings, and, importantly, Haggis. If you haven’t tried haggis you really should. It sounds disgusting but I think it’s delicious with a spicy oaty flavour.
But onto Tartan! I was a big fan of tartan mini skirts and trousers when I fancied myself a punk in the 90s, but since then I’ve reserved it mostly for pyjamas and the occasional shirt I’m afraid. I’ve fancied a full tartan skirt for a few years, but not been able to find one I could afford and my seamstress skills just aren’t up to, well, anything!
I’ve dug out some vintage photos of women in Tartan, though they were surprisingly harder to find than I expected.
And a few places to pick up some tartan of your very own. (Top tip, wool tartan skirts are a common Charity Shop find)
1940s Tartan print dress – £78.98 on Etsy
1950s Tartan Cloak – £28.30 on Etsy
Tartan Wool Ladies Skirt – £55 on eBay
For the more sizing flexible world of vintage repro we’re back to Vivien of Holloway who has the most amazing tartan pencil skirts.
Tartan Wiggle Skirt – £45 Vivien of Holloway
17 Comments
I won’t be eating haggis – oh no no no. Love that tartan pencil skirt!
Pfft. Such a wuss! It’s lovely!
Yay for tartan!
xx Charlotte
Tuppence Ha’penny Vintage
Tartan is a common chazza shop find, unless I have been there. In which case there will be none left. Mwhahahahaha! I have 2 long and 1 short tartan skirts- all well under a tenner, result!
An interesting fact is that whilst, as you say, Haggis sounds rank and actually tastes nice, deep friend Mars Bar (the other food stereotypically associated with Scotland) sounds intriguing but tastes gross and burns your mouth. :/ Bad experience, never again!
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I love a bit of tartan! Vivienne Westwood does amazing tartan stuff, although a tad on the pricey side!
With a Scot for a father (and an uncle and an aunt and cousins), I was virtually forced to wear tartan as a child so have a slight aversion to wearing it now. However, as a trim on something I think I could cope.
Happy Burns Night.
Check out Edinburgh Woollen Mill for Tartan otherwise known as Plaid depending on whereabouts on the planet you are!!! I’ve never had Haggis either, but then I’ve been vegetarian for a very long time so I have a reason. X
You can get vegetarian haggis! 😀
I absolutely adore tartan. I made my 30th birthday party dress from tartan raw silk, such is my love of it, and hubby knows that if he buys me anything tartan that it will bring a smile to my face. Is it wrong to be that addicted to tartan? lol.
I’m like Fi, strange that the two Fiona’s hail from Scotland! I was put in tartan a lot as a child but it hasn’t put me off I like it. I even had a proper kilt made for me once (although I suspect maybe twice) by a kiltmaker in Aberdeen as a child I remember them being very heavy!
I love the Vivien of Holloway number, fabulous!
I might eat Haggis, but only the veggie one!!
Hurrah for Tartan!! Yay to poetry readings! Boo to haggis! (soz)
Pffft. Another Haggis wuss. More for me! Muahahahaha!
Ohhh I love a bit of tartan! Lovely pics.
Any excuse for a wee dram of whisky tonight…hic! Love the skirt!
That cape is gorgeous! I should have worn my tartan skirt today. Found it in a clothing exchange last week. Bargain!
My wardrobe cries from its longing for that VoH wiggle skirt.
I’ll pass on the haggis though. It tastes a lot like it smells – nasty.