Aberdeen Tartans
2 variationsEach tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress
About tartan variations
- Ancient
- Modern
- Weathered
- Hunting
- Dress
Ancient Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans, mossy greens and sky blues, a more orangey red and some would say showing off the pattern to much greater effect as as the contrasts are much brighter than the Modern tartans. The pattern or sett remains the same across all variations of a single tartan, and only the shades or tones vary.
Helpful Advice
Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Modern Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans. Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Helpful Advice
The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern
Weathered Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer, more earthy colours typical of the Weathered tartans, reminiscent of bolder colours subjected to wind, rain and sunshine producing beautiful faded tones, olive greens and browns, and very light blues with reds that are more pink than red.
Helpful Advice
Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.
Hunting Tartan
The Hunting Tartans are the camouflage tartans and some clans don't have these variations because they are already predominantly green or brown and don't need amendment to blend in with nature's colours. The Black Watch or Gunn tartans are examples of these, whereas a tartan such as the Fraser is predominantly red and would not provide much cover for men out hunting.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
Dress Tartan
The Dress Tartans were designed as the name suggests for celebrations and highland dance. The sett or pattern of the tartan remains the same and the main colour is changed to white, or extra white is added to the pattern to give it a brighter, more "fancy" appearance. The Scots do like to bend the rules and occasionally instead of white thread, yellow is used and this is where the rather wild MacLeod Dress Modern and Barclay Dress Modern came from.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
From the Start
Aberdeen Tartan Origins & History
Explore the history of the Aberdeen tartan
How it all started
Territories
The Aberdeen tartan is predominantly red, pink, black and white and a particular favourite of ours and used in a few photoshoots. If you love your whisky then the city of Aberdeen is home to the largest number of whisky distilleries in Scotland and many of them are open to visitors if you are in the area and fancy a tipple. US President Donald Trump fell in love with the Aberdeenshire coastline and controversially build a Golf Links and Hotel in Aberdeen. To be fair President Trump boasts Scottish roots as his mother was born in Scotland. He has been spotted in his MacLeod Dress plus fours.
Clan Chief
The Aberdeen tartan is a district tartan and therefore does not have a Clan Chief.
An Overview
Aberdeen tartan is a District tartan and Aberdeen is a major city in the North East of Scotland. Aberdeen is the county town of Aberdeenshire and 3rd largest city in Scotland lying between Rivers Don and Dee. The tartan was designed in 1782 during the prohibition period (1746-1782) and is the oldest tartan designed by the Wilsons of Bannockburn.
Aberdonians
Surprisingly enough, there are many notable people from the city of Aberdeen and the surrounding areas, one of the most famous including Annie Lennox, member of the band The Tourist and Eurythmics. Other people include Paul Lawrie - Golfer who won the British Open in 1999, Robert Gordon - founder of Robert Gordon's College, later changed to Robert Gordon University and Thomas Blake Glover - founder of Mitsubushi.
Sightseeing Spots
Aberdeen has many places both in the city and in the outskirts that play a significant part in Scottish History including; Dunnottar Castle, Crathes Castle and Balmoral Castle.
Aberdeen: Granite, Weddings, Whisky and Tartan
With more than half of its buildings built from locally sourced granite, Aberdeen is often referred to as the Granite City. Glorious golden whiskey, vast golf courses and beautiful, scenic hills to walk are all a sure find in Aberdeen. Read on to find out more about Scotland's third largest city...
Obar Dheathain is Gaelic for Aberdeen.
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