Early History

• Reconstructing History says the kilt first appears in Scottish history in the late 16th Century. Before then, Highlanders wore a long shirt called a liene, which was worn full length for women and knee length for men. The outfit included a plaid long blanket or cloak worn over the shoulders and pinned at the chest.
  
  

Kilt

• Kilts, the Scottish national dress, were once only worn by Highlanders. According to the School of geoSciences website the kilt is worn by males and made from 7 to 8 yards of cloth. Traditional dress for women in the Highlands is the pleated skirt made of a similar fabric to the kilt.
  
  

Dress

• The kilt was made popular as formal attire in the 19th Century by Britain's Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert. The Highland dress was formalized to include the sporran, the kilt and a jacket. The Clan Grant website explains jackets are worn shorter than suit jackets to better show off the kilt. The sporran, or kilt purse, hangs from a plain strap around the top of the kilt.