Things I love about SCD: my sash.

[insert photo here tomorrow]

Austinator and Applecheekedgirl gave it to me after I provided them with my spectacular dressmaking skills for a weekend or two, and I just love it! It’s the “loud McLeod” tartan – nothing like my personality at all LOL – which harks back to my McLeod ancestors who emigrated to Waipu, New Zealand in the 1800s.

Leave a comment to share what you love about SCD or my gorgeous tartan.

Chuck has a colleague at the university from Belarus. Andrej is an enthusiastic folk musician, which is why I contacted him to find out about local cultural events in Auckland. I missed the dance party he told me about a few months ago, so I was determined to attend this one-day festival.

Andrej

That’s how I ended up at the 34th Auckland Highland Games & Gathering on Saturday. You see, Andrej is a Scottish piper. Word is, he and his brother piped their sister down the aisle at her wedding back home in Belarus. They disrupted the other marriages happening that day at the registry office, as brides skipped out to get their photos taken with the men in plaid skirts. We often hear the skirling of Highland pipes coming from the nearby Auckland Domain and wonder if it’s him practicing.

As a former British colony, New Zealand has plenty of claims to Scottishness. The village of Waipu in Northland was settled by 1000 Gaelic-speaking Highlanders fleeing the Highland Clearances, by way of Nova Scotia. At the other end of the country lies the Edinburgh of the South, Dunedin, named in Scottish Gaelic after that northern capitol. The founders sought to emulate the layout of downtown Edinburgh, so you’ll find Hanover Street, Moray Place,  and Dundas Street here, too. Reportedly, the Southlanders from places like Dunedin and Invercargill bear remnants of the Scottish rolled ‘r’ in their speech, although I haven’t heard evidence of this yet.

One of New Zealand’s most famous folk heroes is Scotsman James ‘Jock’ McKenzie. This highland shepherd is famed for driving 1,000 stolen sheep alone across the wilds of the South Island in 1855. McKenzie’s Scottish collie is as famous as he is, whose skills at mustering sheep are legendary. What is known is that the man and his dog Friday (really, that’s his name!)  led the entire flock over mountain passes undiscovered by non-Māori settlers. When apprehended, McKenzie was able to escape, fleeing 100 miles south to Lyttelton before he was caught. Alas, man’s best friend turned informer, cheerfully identifying his master when brought into court. Jock’s explorations were acknowledged belatedly, giving his name to the region of South Canterbury he roved – Mackenzie Country.

On a side note, I heard just this evening from my Māori teacher’s husband that there’s been much intermarriage between Scots and Māori. He reckons that most of the common Scottish family names are well-represented among the local tangata whēnua (“people of the land”).

I’ve now attended Highland games in the USA, New Zealand and Scotland. One thing that immediately became apparent at this one was that the New Zealand version leans more towards the US style than the Scottish. The Auckland Highland Games had the character of a diaspora population’s focus on culture and identity, with sporting events on equal footing with bagpipe competitions and clan tents.

In Scotland, the Highland games revolve around athletic competitions.  Everything else is secondary, although it’s admittedly pretty hard to sideline a bagpipe band that much. At the games I attended in Glenrothes, Fife, the audience sat around the margins of a track field, watching everything from the traditional caber toss to bicycle races. The Highland dance and bagpipe competitions were squirreled away elsewhere in the area and took some work to locate. And I don’t remember any clan tents encouraging fairgoers to find out where their ancestors came from. Because people in Scotland already know that they’re Scottish. And they know – which apparently lots of Americans and New Zealanders don’t – that not all Scots are Highlanders or belong to a clan.

At this Games, there wasn’t much chance you’d forget where you were, as the grounds resounded with the constant skirling of the Phìob Mhòr, the big Highland pipes. I can’t count how many times I heard Scotland the Brave. Auckland mayor John Banks missed his cue to officially open the games but stood to review a record 10 pipe bands marching in tight formation. I saw Andrej’s Otahuhu & Districts Pipe Band in the lineup, but missed their call in the marching band competition.

Adorably-dressed girls competed in the Highland Fling and Sword Dance, as they do at every Highland games in the world, watched by intent judges and doting mothers. I chatted with some friendly Scottish country dancers who attempted to recruit me and pointed out that the scene in Auckland is less stodgy than what I found in Edinburgh. Clearly, the community is welcoming, as they were able to stage a demonstration with over 72 people!

A Sisyphean Task

The NZ ‘s Strongest Man competition saw some hefty guys carrying two 100kg pipes across field and moving five rocks weighing from 95-155 kgs onto large barrels. I was sad to miss the caber toss, as it isn’t often you get to see men attempting to flip a phone pole end over end. I also missed the parade of the West Highland terriers, but you could see the little white pooches all over the place.

Eventgoers joined in Scottish country dancing and tossing the sheaf (not tossing the sheep, as a few people misheard). I swear the MC had exactly the same accent as Sean Connery,* which added extra flavor to the announcements asking more ladies to sign up for the haggis hurling contest!

Taste o' the Haggis?

It wouldn’t be fully Scottish without a recitation of Robbie Burns’ Ode to the Haggis. And we got to taste the infamous delicacy, too! I heard some gasping when the Polish guy next to me in the tasting line referred to it as Irish food. We got that cleared up before he got into too much trouble, but I refused to tell him what was in this honored Scottish food until he tried it. Man, that was some good haggis, even without neeps and tatties on the side. It made me miss a good plate of it at The Last Drop in the Grassmarket in Edinburgh. The Polish fellow and his French friends liked it, too. Even after I told them it was meat, onions, and oatmeal cooked inside a sheep’s stomach.

Kilted kiwi

Part of the fun of attending the games was looking for particularly Kiwi touches. Of course, you could get a flat white at the coffee tent and the NZ flag flew next to the Cross of St. Andrew. And the New Zealand’s Strongest Man competition was a real crowd pleaser. But it was enjoyable trying to spot more subtle NZ flair. Like the tent selling jandals (Kiwi for “flip-flops”) and beach towels designed to look like kilts. Or the camaraderie between the kilt-clad Master of Ceremonies and a muscle-bound Polynesian, sharing a cigarette break. A personal favorite was the mascot of the Scottish country dancers from Waitakere – a kiwi bird dressed in full tartan regalia.

It was time to go when the weather got a little too “Scottish,” as James Bond’s voice double called it. Even the pipe bands garbed in their clever raingear weren’t enough to keep me there. No problem, as Amazing Grace and Flower of Scotland will be ringing in my ears for days.

More photos at: Auckland Highland Games by jocuteca.

Short video clip at: Auckland Highland Games 2009 on YouTube.

—-

* I was tempted to ask him whether he was also from Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, a place I strongly associate with the malty scent of the now-defunct McEwan’s brewery.

A competition begins to give members of the public the chance to design London’s first official tartan…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: city bus. The blog is also related to: motor city.

Enter Promo Code “PSNOV09″ at J. PRESS and receive 25 percent off of their “100% Lambswool Tartan” scarves. Just in case you don’t already own, you know, like twenty. Prints include “Royal Stewart,” “Dress Gordon,” and “Mackenzie,” which reminds us of our uniforms at Greenwich Academy. Not a bad thing!

EQB

ello Smexies,

I am participating in the 69 Hump day happiness this week too! … which means one of my higher priced items would be slashed to 69 lindens only ONLY TILL MIDNIGHT TODAY!! The item for this week is a cute exposed top in the punk check pattern! check the pic =>

The vendor is right on the store’s entrance!

Check the HYPER CULTURE mainstore now!!

much <3

Crissy!

…in which I continue my quest to become 100% Scottish by venturing into a Scottish Shoppe in Salem, Oregon

My pace slows as I register the wail of bagpipes filling the synthetically bright, subterranean-level shoppe with their insistent drone. I am instantly sobered by their sound and assailed with sudden doubts about my ability to complete this quest. I really don’t know if I can. It doesn’t seem quite such an amusing endeavour now. I had underestimated how much piping I might have to suffer in order to become a proper Scot. Maybe I don’t really want to become Scottish. Maybe 86% is good enough. Maybe the Kilt and Thistle Shop has a stock of fetching tartan earmuffs in my clan colours.

I’m not a fan of much traditional Scottish music. Like many things, this is my sister Orla’s fault. Her involvement with the Caledonian Strathspey and Reel Society as a teenager meant the rest of us were subjected to an annual fiddle and bagpipe-drenched CD, placed on heavy rotation for several months after each release by our proud parents. Shuddering at the memories and distinctly less jubilant, I slink further into the shop, but before I make it as far as the kilted mannequin, I catch the eye of a smiling woman in an off-white cable-knitted sweater behind the counter.

When she hears my accent, Cheryl Duncan immediately calls through to the back and her husband William lopes out. They start chatting about Scottish-American social shenanigans, making the assumption that I know what they are talking about, and are stopped in their tracks by my sheepish admission that I have no idea what my tartan looks like and that I am actually a bit hazy on the specifics of precisely which clan I am. Some kind of MacDonald, I knew. I called my Dad on the way here and it turns out that we’re MacDonnells, descendants of Sommerled MacDonald, Lord of the Isles.

Before setting out for Salem, I regaled Erin with highlights from the Kilt and Thistle Shop’s websites, Kilts.com and FeatherBonnets.com. I wanted to know who wears feather bonnets. Who even says “feather bonnets?” Back home, black bonnets with what looked like pheasant feathers tucked jauntily in their brims were worn for a short-lived and much-mocked stint by Ryanair’s surly check-in staff at Prestwick Airport. I am curious as to who might don such headgear now. Looking at the Duncans, impeccably dressed in their kilts and matching fisherman’s sweaters, I think that these are the people to explain the intricacies of traditional Scottish attire and complete my knowledge of such stylish shenanigans. I foolishly mention that I feel underdressed.

Within seconds the mannequin in the window is absent from her post and it’s me who is wearing the floor length kilt, puffy white blouse and tight, black velvet waistcoat. They fit me remarkably well. Disconcertingly well. In fact, a middle-aged customer who hadn’t noticed my existence until now starts giving me the eye. It is as if I have suddenly stepped onto his tartan radar.

My eyes light up when I see William approach with what looks like a foot high, black feathery nest.

“I figured you’d want to try this on,” he says with a smile. “This is called a feather bonnet. It’s made of ostrich feathers. This was actually the Highland military helmet for almost 100 years. This is what they actually wore into battle.”

Did they think they’d frighten their enemies away by wearing nests on their heads? By modeling toupés made from feather boa beehives? I try and cram the scary hat on and get a straggle of ribbons in my eyes.

William corrects me, “Ribbons in the back. Tails on the side.” He adjusts my black streamers and surveys his handiwork. I have the pose of an immature seal trying to pull off its very first nose-ball balancing act at the leisure park pool in-crowd initiation ceremony. I try very hard not to laugh. I fail.

“Not very scary,” decides William. “But with these, six-foot fellas became seven feet tall and very ominous.”

It’s more comfortable than you’d think, and as long as I manage to maintain the posture my mother wishes I’d maintain in public, my ominous millinery should be fairly safe from cascading floorwards. I flounce about the store deploying a brisk martial trot. I suspect that William thinks I’m enjoying myself too much, either because I’m cackling like a demented goose or because I haven’t stopped grinning since I tucked a fluffy two-foot sheep under my arm to complete the look.

William cuts in, “Wait till you march in them and they fill up with water. They really get heavy.”

He says this with the voice of experience. I make a note not to do any marching. Flouncing will have to suffice.

The yellow and slightly tattered and faded saltire flag hung limply from a flagpole in the front garden. A sign hung against the tartan patterned stained glass of the inner front door said ‘Ceud mile failte’, a hundred thousand welcomes. It was signed ‘Doogie and Morag’.

I rang the bell and waited. The bell chimes played ‘Scotland the brave’ before the door was opened and I was greeted by a man wearing a kilt. It was the proprietor himself, Doogie. Just for a brief moment it felt as if I would be crushed within an all embracing hug. He smiled, more of a huge grin opening from a bearded face, and shook my hand vigorously. It was a warm welcome.

“Aye you’ll be the guest. Come awa’ in, I’ll show yers to yer room.”

I had travelled north and was spending a few days in Scotland near Inverness, having first booked a small hotel over the internet. I am one of those people who like to know where they are staying before I actually arrive.

With a bag in one hand and laptop in the other I followed Doogie across the tartan carpet, up the stairs with the stag’s head on the wall and along a corridor decorated with tartan wallpaper. It was November and we exchanged pleasantries on the wretched state of the weather. Each room we passed carried a tartan plaque bearing the name of a different clan. Chandeliers of mock cut glass, well actually plastic, festooned the corridor every few feet and hung down to within 6 feet of the floor. Now I am over 6 feet tall and it was a narrow corridor and I had a bag in each hand and Doogie set a brisk pace. Several chandeliers swayed from side to side behind me.

We reached my room, the Macduff suite. It was nice. Large with a modern four poster bed and a good view to the hills, plain walls and carpet. No tartan, just pictures of the nearby Great Glen and Loch Ness. It would do just fine.

“Aye, you’ll take yer breakfast from seven thirty. Morag ‘ll see to yer.”

The next morning she did too. Breakfast was in the dining room and the ‘full Scottish’, but it has to be said, without the clootie dumplings. Big and bounteous, prepared and cooked by the fair hand of Morag herself, who was also big and bounteous. Now the dinning room and the decor was something else.  Did I mention they liked tartan and the odd Scottish adornment? A blueish green tartan carpet this time, more subdued, different to the brighter reds and blues in the hall and on the stairs. Near matching tartan wallpaper ran a third of the way up the walls, and not quite identical to the upstairs corridor. The chair seat covers were also tartan, but reds and oranges. Pictures of those Victorian idyllic Scottish landscapes; lochs, mountains and glens covered the walls and looked down upon you. Rabbie Burns surveyed the scene from a sturdy towering dresser. The far wall was hung with those painted ceramic plates of dogs, all West Highland terriers. Did I mention Morag liked dogs? There was a West Highland terrier called Mac who barked whenever the front door chimes played. The upper glass in the windows boasted more Scottish symbolism in the form of ‘stained glass’ highland ‘characters. The table cloths were all plain and starched white, but overlaid with a cloth of purple thistles. Ornaments, ceramics, brasses, curiosities and other things Scottish proudly stood on plate rails, window sills, radiator shelves and sideboards. The room definitely made a statement, it shouted out to you, screamed at you with a loud highland cry. Never mind the breakfast, Morag’s room was certainly the ‘full Scottish’.  The venison sausages were nice and the Dundee marmalade too.

Anyone like the address, or are you not too keen on tartan?                                                                                                                                                     HKE538VSNSTJ

A Norwegian house in Burberry tartan

If you want the exterior of your house to look different than the other houses on your block, there’s always a possibility to paint it in the pattern of your favorite designer-brand.

A 33-year old Norwegian artist, Jens Werner,  painted the exterior of his house in Burberry’s distinctive tartan, known as the Haymarket check, or even the Burberry classic check.

I costed him thousands of pounds to re-do the former lavatory buidling in Larvik, Norway, but the result is quite remarkable… don’t you think?

(Source: The Daily Telegraph UK)

It’s not just for school girls anymore.  Plaid, the Scottish classic, is one of those trends that comes and goes…and it has come again in everything from clothing, desk accessories, and dinnerware to upholstery and lamps. 

porcelain dessert plates

Ralph Lauren Home fabric

Williams-Sonoma Lamp

Williams-Sonoma Desk Accessories

Better Homes and Gardens

Going overboard with plaid can be easy.  Try using it in small doses around the house.  A tartan throw on a solid-colored bed or sofa is great.   My favorite plaid fashion item has always been the kilt…see what I mean?

Men in plaid

The Childrenswear by AllSaints aside, this Fred Perry Children’s range is probably the best (cutest) Children’s range I’ve seen this year. It’s absolutely amazing and makes the average lady and gent overly broody indeed!

You can purchase this lovely range of T-shirts online at FredPerry.com or via the ASOS.com website also.

Thoughts?

Cx

Loving bralets – especially the massive range Topshop are stocking! It’s just a shame they don’t always make these beauty lingerie masterpieces in my size, rubbish Topshop!!

Cx

Paisley Black Bralet, £20

Satin Bralet, £25

Lace Bralet, £18

Premium Velvet Bralet, £20

Premium Velvet Bralet, £20

Floral Bralet, £20

Satin Bralet, £18

Sequin Bralet, £35

Tartan Bralet, £20

This week I completed half of my Christmas shopping on eBay! I am so tempted to post what I got, but that would ruin the surprise for my friends an family who check the blog. If you haven’t started shopping yet and you have some tough people to shop for, I suggest you start now! You can find high-quality stuff for really good prices on eBay right now. But as you might imagine, when it gets closer to the holidays, tons of people will be bidding on eBay driving the prices way up. So shop now! Here’s more stuff I wish I were buying:

This pair of Miu Miu shoes has to be in my top 5 favorite shoes on eBay ever, and I am so jealous of all you girls who wear a 7.5, because this one is for you. $202 ending soon!

Balenciaga Top. Retailed for $495. Currently $119, 6 days left.

Everyone likes Stella & Dot jewelry, right? I considered buying this necklace for my mom. The retail is $300 but it’s on eBay now at $68, ending tonight. Awesome.

Robert Rodriguez Pants. Only $12 with 2 days left.

Stella & Dot earrings. $35.11 ending tonight.

A 70’s patchwork cardigan that reminds me of a road trip through northern California. $36 with just over a day remaining.

Alexander Wang Blazer. Another bargain at $56 with 1 day left.

Rachel Roy chain belt. $35 with 2 days to go.

A super chic Lela Rose dress. I love anything chartreuse. $169 with 2 days left.

Vintage Fiorelli purse, only $3.50, ending soon! I can’t help it, I still love 80’s pastels.

Miss Albright Shoes. $35 ending soon!

This Daryl K dress is cute and edgy, and a steal at $49. Ending soon!

Rachel Roy Shorts. $34.99 with 5 days left.

Miu Miu skirt. $99 with 1 day remaining.

Vintage Cape. Only $22.76 with a day and half to go!

An unsual Derek Lam dress. $49 with less than 3 days to go.

Miu Miu shoes, $199 with no bidders yet. 3 and half days left.

Another amazing Miu Miu pair with chunky jewels on the heel. $199 with 6 days left, no bidders yet.

Dolce & Gabbana. Cropped. Holographic. And less than $10 with a day remaining.

Miu Miu Handbag. Currently $157.50 with 3 days remaining. Gorgeous!

I’m really loving this cute Abaete cardigan. Only $9.49 with a day and half left.

Another cool Hussein Chalayan top. $70, ending soon.

A Marc Jacobs dress for the boldly stylish girl. A bargain at $69 ending tonight.

Alexander McQueen shoes. Retailed for $1070. Currently only $61 with 2 days left. Insanity.

Alexander Wang hook & eye skirt. $64 with a day to go.

LaRok Coat. Retail was $328. Currently $32.80 with 1 day left. Steal.

A lovely maxi dress by Ali Ro. Only $6.50 with a day left. Ridiculous steal!

Yaya Aflalo Khaki Jacket. Retailed for $575. Currently $49 with 3 and half days to go.

Alice McCall “True Reasonchild” Dress. Hotness. Currently less than $12 with about 4 days left.

2 Derek Lam pairs. Purple, $31 with under 2 days remaining. Gray, priced buy-it-now at $89.

I expressed my extreme frustration awhile back that some of my decorating magazines were arriving in the mail long after I’d seen all of the pictures online and scanned the covers while waiting in line at the supermarket.  But, problem solved! A friend of mine treated me to an online subscription to Elle Decor from Zinio and now the magazine pops into my inbox the day the magazine comes out! I didn’t think I’d like reading magazines online, but there are so many advantages, you can immediately click on the links for products and jump to the Web site and I can right-click and save images I like to my computer.

Anyway, to my point… of the last surviving shelter magazines, I do believe Elle Decor gets it right. They seem to be reaching a broader audience with a greater mix of interior styles and are spicing up the front of book with some actually affordable options paired with high-end pieces. Their spread on tartan trends, which I loved, has pieces from JC Penney, HSN, and Williams-Sonoma Home. Good job Margaret Russel, thanks for remembering us common folk!

In other news, whatta badass holiday outfit accessory these would make:

Dsquared2 via FashionPolice

今日11月8日はRemembrance Sunday（休戦記念日曜日）、Remembrance Day（リメンバランス・デー／戦没者追悼記念日）の記念式典が行われた。Poppy Day（ポピーの日）、Armistice Day（第一次大戦の休戦記念日）、Veterans Day（退役軍人の日）とも呼ばれるRemembrance Dayは、第一次世界大戦とその後の戦争の死者を追悼する日で、1918年11月11日に連合国とドイツ帝国の間で休戦協定が締結されたことに因み、11月11日と定められている。当日11月11日にも2分間の黙祷が捧げられるが、通常、Remembrance Sundayと呼ばれる11月の第2週目の日曜日に、ロンドンのWhitehall（ホワイトホール）にあるCenotaph（慰霊碑）前で、王室関係者や政府要人が参加して行われる国の追悼式典のほか、各地の戦争記念碑（war memorials）で慰霊祭が行われる。

今日の追悼式典では、小雨まじりの曇り空の中、20分の宗教儀式の始めに、コモンウェルス（イギリス連邦）高官、首相、世界の宗教代表、軍隊のリーダーたちが見守る中、エリザベス女王を筆頭にポピーの花輪が次々と捧げられた。そして午前11時に2分間の黙祷。その後7500人もの退役軍人と1600人の一般人が、慰霊碑前でパレードを行った。→BBCニュース

この時期、イギリスでは、胸に紙製の赤いポピーの花をつけている人を多く見かける。これは、1921年にRoyal British Legion（英国在郷軍人会）が、戦没者への募金を集めるために赤いポピーを売ったのが始まりで、第一次世界大戦の激戦地・西部戦線（フランドル戦線）のあった、フランダース地方に多く生えている赤い芥子の花（フランダース・ポピー）に由来しており、赤い色は戦争で流された血を意味する。この紙製のポピーは、退役軍人によって作られており、英国在郷軍人会の名の下で、街角での募金活動やスーパーなどの店頭で販売され、収益は退役軍人のサポートに当てられる。上の写真はオックスフォード・サーカスの街角での募金活動。下の写真は、Angel（エンジェル）の街角で、赤いタータンチェックのキルトに身を包んで、道行く人と楽しそうに話しながら募金活動していたおじいさんをスーパーで発見、こっそり撮影させていただきました。

Today is Remembrance Sunday and the Remembrance Day national commemoration was held in London’s Whitehall. The remembrance day, also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day (the event it commemorates) or Veterans Day, is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of wars since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918, when German signed the Armistice. Although two minutes of silence are observed on 11 November itself, but on Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November), ceremonies are held at local war memorials nationwide, and the national commemoration is held at Cenotaph in Whitehall to remember those men and women who have died in action serving their country.

Under the gray sky at the this year’s national commemoration in Whitehall, the Queen Elizabeth laid the first wreath of poppy flowers at the start of a 20-minute religious service, in front of the prime minister, military leaders, representatives of the world’s religions, and Commonwealth representatives. After two-minute silence at 11 am, 7,500 ex-service personnel and 1,600 civilians marched past the Cenotaph. →BBC news

Around the Remembrance Day, you see many people wearing red poppy flower made of paper, as a sign of remembrance. The poppy emblem was chosen because of the poppies (Flanders poppy) that bloomed across one of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, with their red color which is an appropriate symbol for the bloodshed of trench warfare. This artificial poppies are made by veterans and are sold on behalf of the Royal British Legion on the street by volunteers or at the stores. The sale go towards supporting former soldiers. The photo above is the fund raising at the junction of Oxford Circus. The photo below is the old gentleman in red tartan kilt, who sold the poppies at the street corner of Angel and enjoyed chatting with a passerby. I happened to have a chance to take a picture of him (secretly) at the Waitrose supermarket.

Non si conosce l’origine esatta dell’uso di tessere la lana con questo disegno nelle Highland ma sicuramente è molto antico. Comunque solamente intorno al XVI secolo il tartan scozzese assume le caratteristiche di oggi e diventa un simbolo di identità nazionale estremamente diffuso nel XVII e XVIII secolo. Fino alla metà del XIX secolo gli highland tartan erano associati a regioni e distretti piuttosto che ad uno specifico clan. In particolare, Martin Martin, nel suo A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland, pubblicato nel 1703, scriveva che i tartan potevano essere usati per distinguere gli abitanti delle diverse regioni. La distinzione dei tartan in connessione alle diverse famiglie pare dunque un’istituzione moderna originata dal fatto che i clan utilizzavano il tartan della zona dove erano presenti. Ancora oggi famiglie scozzesi che non sono connesse ad alcun clan utilizzano il tartan della propria regione.

Dopo la battaglia di Culloden nel 1746 il governo britannico vietò l’uso del tartan (con l’Act of Proscription) per cercare di avversare la rivolta dei clan gaelici giacobiti.
Nel 1765, finita la guerra, venne introdotto nelle divise degli Highland Regiments.
Nel 1815 la Highland Society of London chiese ai capoclan quale fosse il loro tartan e in tal modo venne stabilito il collegamento ufficiale tra un clan e il suo tartan.

Nel libro Wilson’ key pattern book del 1819 erano già stati raccolti 250 tartan differenti, oggi ne sono registrati 4.000 anche se i tipi in commercio si aggirano tra i 600 e i 700.

CLAN – I clan tartan, ovvero i tartan legati ad un particolare clan, risalgono soltanto agli inizi del XIX secolo. Moltissimi di questi tartan non erano in uso al tempo della Battaglia di Culloden nel 1746. La registrazione di clan tartan ufficiali iniziò l’8 aprile del 1815, su decisione della Highland Society of London (fondata nel 1778). Molti capi dei clan (clan chiefs), però, non avevano idea di quale fosse il proprio tartan, ma erano comunque desiderosi di ottemperare alle indicazioni ricevute e fornire così degli esempi. I tartan, spesso disegnati proprio in quel periodo, diventarono così un importante segno distintivo dei diversi clan.

ALTRI TARTAN – Esistono però, accanto ai clan tartan molte altre categorie di tartan registrati per famiglie, distretti, istituzioni e anche per commemorare particolari eventi. Alcuni hanno assunto comunque ulteriori significati. Il Duke of Fife tartan, ad esempio, disegnato in occasione del matrimonio di Alexander Duff, I duca di Fife con la principessa Louise, figlia di Edoardo VII e della regina Anna, è ormai conosciuto anche come tartan del distretto di Fife ed usato dalle famiglie della regione che non hanno un particolare clan di riferimento. Inoltre, la tradizione ne riserva alcuni alle Scottish Highland military unit del Regno Unito e degli altri paesi del Commonwealth. Quelle unità associate con la Famiglia Reale britannica utilizzano il Royal Stewart Tartan. La Famiglia Reale usa il tartan Balmoral. Ci sono inoltre tartan per le forze armate come il Royal Air Force ed il Royal Canadian Air Force, ma anche compagnie commerciali, speciali gruppi come Amnesty International, movimenti religiosi (anche Hare Krishna), città, club di footbal (inclusi alcuni non britannici, come ad esempio Hammarby IF), società di danza, gruppi celtici non britannici, regioni del mondo con una grande presenza di scozzesi. Anche gruppi etnici non scozzesi che vivono in Scozia hanno disegnato propri tartan. In Canada tutte le province hanno il proprio tartan.

Recently I have seen so many beautiful ideas for buttonholes that I have been inspired to design my own for this month’s *creative project*.  Sometime soon I will pull all the images together and showcase them on the blog as they are well worth sharing.

I have created my buttonholes for a cosy Christmas wedding, choosing some of the vibrant red berries that there are in the hedgerows at the moment combined with dark glossy greens. 

On Sunday I could be found stuck in hedgerows on the country lanes of Surrey searching for a selection of berries that I could use in this month’s project – with N sat in the car reading the newspaper wondering what on earth I was up to. 

Anyway, I opted for a sprig of plump, glossy hawthorn berries and one of blood red rosehips.  I have paired the rosehips with a small branch of bay leaves found in my garden (and many of yours I’m sure) and the hawthorn berries with some variegated ivy. 

Using some floral tape (I must confess I only had sellotape in the house but I wouldn’t recommend it for a wedding as I don’t think it would hold!) simply bind your chosen selection of berries and leaves together into a small posy.

Next, choose a complimentary ribbon or twine – I chose a moss green and a Christmassy tartan – and wind this round the tape a couple of times.  Secure the ribbon at the back of the buttonhole and you’re finished!

Zoe (2008), an informal lounge (available in indoor, outdoor and child-size versions) by Lievore Altherr Molina for the Italian company Verzelloni.

So I promised November’s creative project would be posted yesterday, but our plans changed around and we didn’t get home until after dark. 

Tonight I shall post the project and pics in full, but for now here’s a sneak peek:

Also coming soon details of my weekend and the start of our wedding planning!

Retail Price: 98 usd + tax

Our PRICE : SGD 178 (self-pick up only, includes sales tax and shipping & handling fee)

*Please top up SGD 5.00 if you opt for registered mail. Home Delivery is available at SGD15.00 islandwide.

MALAYSIA PRICE: RM550 (includes sales tax and DIRECT shipping & handling fee)

Desire #: CO43286P1     Colour: Pink_Multi-colour

Details:

# Lightweight tartan plaid with classic signature metallic over-print
# Crinkle patent trim
# Outside front zip pocket
# Zip-top closure, fabric lining
# Strap with clip for attaching to the inside of a larger bag or to form a wrist strap
# 8 (L) x 4 3/4 (H) x 2 (W)

Brand new with tag. Includes Care Card, Coach tissue and Coach sticker. Coach paper bag available for self collection/ home delivery. Gift Receipt & Gift box is available upon request. Dustbag will be provided if COACH / COACH outlet provides them. Large gift box may require top up for shipping.

The Complete History of America: Abridged

By Steven Fletcher

An off-kilter rendition of the national anthem began Gordon College

The Complete History of America: Abridged

 Theater Department’s production of The Complete History of America: Abridged, written by Adam Long, Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor. The play satires American history, covering nearly everything from Amerigo Vespucci to George W. Bush.

Directed by Jeffery S. Miller, chairman of the theater arts department at Gordon College, History features theater majors Benjamin Drake ’10, Sarah Romig ’12, Kyle Huck ’10, Alec Lewis ’11 and Jasmine Myers ‘11.  These actors have played in past Gordon productions such as last year’s Joyful Noise and Our Town.

Miller wrote in his director’s note, “The Complete History of America: Abridged, despite its skewering of any and all things American, is a wicked and wry celebration of a country decidedly flawed but astonishingly unique in human history.”

The production fires off comedy at a breakneck pace. Actors could change roles and characters at any given moment. History fills the Margaret Jensen Theater with pun and poetry, drawing the audience in as part of the gag.

Actors call on the crowd for questions, douse the seats with a few bursts from a super-soaker, and hand out Famous Women of America trading cards. “You’re assaulted,” said Miller. The front row seats are indeed splash-down seats. Unlike most plays, which tell the audience a story, History brings them in as additional actors.

“Every single audience is different,” said Huck, mentioning that the actors never know what to expect from the crowd. This play gives its actors the freedom of improvisation; no two shows are identical. “It’s going to keep getting better,” said Miller.

The cast described the production as a necessary departure from the sentimentality that often accompanies American history. “It’s really great that we are able to poke fun at our own country,” said Jones.

Miller wrote, “The biting sting of satire is a kind of occasionally needed rebellion against complacent, inhuman, and even oppressive cultural ideas.”

The play showed on Friday, Oct. 22 and Saturday, Oct. 23, and will show again on the Oct. 27 and 31. Student admission is $7.

I went to Kennington yesterday to the teeny-tiny gallery space of The Camera Club, a members-only photography club where you can hire studios and dark rooms, to see an exhibition of fashion photography. It slightly reignited my desire to do photography myself, as I used to really enjoy developing pictures back in the pre-digital days. I’m more designed to sit around in cafes reading Look magazine than I am to dedicate myself to art but regrettably the Club is too serious to have a cafe.

Kennington turned out to be pretty posh. I was under the impression it would contain mainly tower blocks and an air of menace but in fact it had a Pizza Express.

I mainly post in order to show you my new coat, brought all the way from New York’s Banana Republic. I know we have one here now but it’s quintessentially American y’all! It has a Mad Men/Gossip Girl feel because of the “bracelet-length” sleeves and lack of collar. My posing and British wintertime does its niceness no justice. I wanted to wear some original 60s vintage under it but it’s really hard to wear calf-length skirts in 2009 without feeling terribly frumpy.

The addition of some gloves would make this outfit the business. I already felt like an old lady from the 50s when I was tottering around Kennington with the coat buttoned up and with my Lulu Guinness cameo lady bag ramping up the twee factor. Buttoned-up old ladies are my idols. The brooch and the lace top are needed to stop this being gloomy. Maybe some silver lurex tights are what this outfit is really hankering after – something to reflect some light!

S