Scottish dress

The term Scottish dress describes the traditional dress of Scotland. It is often characterized by the appearance of tartan (plaid) patterns in some form.

Male apparel includes kilts, sporrans, and ghillies. Gillies, or Gillie Brogues are traditional thick soled shoes with no tongues and long laces. The laces are wrapped around and tied above the wearer's ankles so that the shoes do not get pulled off in mud and muck. The shoes lack tongues so the wearer's feet can dry more quickly in typically damp Scottish weather. The Gillie Brogue is named after the "Gillie", the traditional Scottish gamekeeper and outdoorsman.

Female apparel also includes women's shoes also called "Gillies" that are tied on the same way, but have thin soles for indoor wear and dancing. Traditionally, women and girls do not "really" wear kilts, but may wear ankle-length tartan skirts. A tartan sash or shawl may also be worn to indicate clan affiliation. Women may also wear "Dress Tartans" which are modified to include white threads woven into the patterns. "Dress Tartans" were intended to demonstrate prosperity because the wearer could wear the tartan without fear of it being soiled.

The Scottish cultural icons of tartan, the kilt, the tam o'shanters, the accent and bagpipes are widely but not universally liked (or flaunted) by Scots, but their establishment as symbols for the whole of Scotland only dates back to the early 19th century and specifically to the pageantry for the visit of King George IV to Scotland organized by Sir Walter Scott.