Larp Couture

On tartans:

1. Tartan is the name of the pattern.
2. Plaid is the name of a big swath of fabric that predates kilts. Plaids are worn like this or like this.
3. Kilts are what the gentlemen in the photo above are wearing.
4. Until the early 1800s, there was not, as far as we know, any meaningful tradition about which clan could wear which pattern. (source)

I remember learning, at some point in my pop culture education, that tartan patterns were hugely important and ancient symbols of clans and whatnot. Unfortunately, it turns out that belief was a result of a resurgence in interest in Scottish culture in the 1800s. People assumed tartans were a clan symbol, something to be proud of, and a way to show their general Scottish heritage as well as their specific clan heritage, and so, going forward, they started to have that meaning- but it was based on a belief in the historic use of the patterns that simply wasn’t true.

Symbols are funny that way. The Scots had trouble connecting with their heritage the usual way because, well, they had been subject to various attempts by the English to suppress and eliminate that heritage. Breaks in tradition often mean new traditions must be created.

How does this relate to larping?

Well, as a player, consider the idea that your character might think things about their own heritage that are factually incorrect.The easiest way to roleplay this would be if you picked something that the game lore establishes as a fact- like, say, the invasion of Elfland by the Thinly Disguised Japanese Analog culture. The elves, as the oppressed people, probably had some of their culture suppressed. When pressure from the TDJA lets up, and the elves are free to express themselves again, they may well have lost direct links to their heritage- documents burned, elders that have died, etc. They want to return to their roots, now that they have the freedom to, but those very roots are obscured.

What fills the gap?

Well, if the TDJA culture said elves were stupid, especially their stupid leaf pattern, then a reactionary movement might well elevate the leaf pattern to the height of fashion and cultural significance. Since they keenly feel the desire for a link to their past, it would be incredibly tempting to claim that the pattern has always been this important, even if, pre-invasion, the leaf pattern was just one of many.

The thoughts of the dominant culture about the oppressed culture can often affect how the oppressed see themselves long after the dominant/oppressed dynamic has officially ended. This is also an excellent source of conflict between players- imagine how an elf would feel if a TVJA historian claimed the leaf pattern wasn’t that important!

While you’re mulling this over, take a peek at this lovely kilt blowing video from Dragon Con 2010.