Women's Tartan Plaid Pants & Trews

Tartan trousers cut close through the leg, traditionally on the bias so the sett runs diagonally. They are older than the modern kilt and count as formal Highland dress in their own right, worn with a jacket rather than with any kilt accessories.

Trews if you will be seated for long stretches or travelling, since they need no management and no hose. A skirt if the occasion is photographed heavily, since it reads more traditionally Highland. Both are entirely correct at a wedding or a Highland ball.

You can, though it is less common than with a skirt and it works best at genuinely formal events. Pin it at the shoulder through both the sash and the garment underneath. See tartan sashes for how the convention works.

Close through the thigh and calf without gripping, sitting higher at the waist than modern trousers, and long enough to break slightly over the shoe. Send waist, hip and inseam measured from the crotch to the top of the shoe heel.

Considerably, since they cover the leg and need no hose. For an outdoor ceremony, a winter wedding or a long evening in a draughty hall, that difference is the main practical reason people choose them.

They are better for it than a long skirt, since dancing in full length cloth needs managing and trews do not. Wear flat or low heeled shoes with grip, since ceilidh floors get slippery quickly.