The book, which is numbered 37 of 500 copies, is set to fetch between £500-800 in the sale. It also provides a historical observation on the literature, art, manufactures, and commerce of the Highlands and Western Isles during the middle ages, and on the influence of the sixteenth century, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries upon their present condition.

The books authors have been the subject of much controversy in recent years, and were recently the subject of the BBC documentary Spinning a Yarn: The Dubious History of Scottish Tartan.

Costume of the Clans was published by John and Charles Allen, the sons of a naval officer, who moved to Scotland from England and changed their name to Sobieski Stuart, claiming to be descended from Bonnie Prince Charlie.

When it was first published, the book was celebrated by the gentry, but experts now insist the brothers were fantasists or early marketing geniuses, who invented many of the tartans and traditions themselves.

They also claimed to have discovered a manuscript, Vestiarium Scoticum, or wardrobe of the Scots, which could be traced back to the 1580s.

Vestiarium Scoticum was published in 1842, followed in 1845 by The Costume of the Clans.

Brian Wilton, director of the Scottish Tartans Authority, said: “The Costume of the Clans is amazing, filled with fantastic illustrations. The problem is, one does not know what is fantasy and what might be based on fact.“The Sobieskis produced beautiful tartan designs, and even allocated tartans to families, who had never had a tartan before, particularly in the Lowlands.“Of course, they were only too happy to accept everything the Sobieskis said, because it made them the equal of those in society who were connected to the Highlands.“Much of it was pure fantasy, but they were hugely influential. Following the visit to Scotland of George IV in 1822, the Sobieskis helped establish the importance of tartan.“Most of these are the tartans we have today for the clans.”Henry Baggott of Bonhams said: “This particularly impressive book had an enormous impact when it was originally published in 1845, and lavishly reproduced nearly 50 years later in 1892. It is beautifully bound and the artwork is striking.

“There could be a large market for this book, including perhaps among clan chiefs. There is also a strong market in America for this kind of thing.”

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Cabin crew sport tartan scarves in front of easyJet’s new tartan-clad plane

A distinctive orange and black tartan-clad aircraft has been unveiled to mark a new early morning flight from Inverness to London Gatwick. Budget airline EasyJet launched the tartan today entitled “Highland aircraft” on its Airbus A319 aircraft, alongside a kilt and scarf sported by cabin crew on its inaugural 6:40am service.

However the kilt is not set to become part of regular cabin crew uniforms, and will only be used for special occasions. The design is the first tartan to be officially registered by the Scottish Register of Tartans since records began six years ago.

Reaction to the tartan has been mixed, with some design experts calling the launch an appropriate way for the airline to mark its commitment to Scotland. Design expert Susanna Freedman, head of brand at design firm Emperor said: “Tartan is such an iconic textile, and employed with consideration – as part of an overall design scheme – can add real impact and authenticity.

“I hope we see a ‘less is more’ approach – or innovative execution in its use – that fits with easyJet’s brand positioning, rather than it appearing as a superficial ‘bolt on’ to current easyJet apparel.”

Richard Havers, a former British Caledonian general manager for Europe, admires easyJet’s idea but not its design. Tartan-clad cabin crew is most famously associated with now-defunct British Caledonian and its predecessor Caledonia Airways. Staff wore a range of tartans from the 1960s until its takeover by British Airways in 1988.

He said: “It’s quite a clever idea, but a bit of a dubious tartan. Making up a tartan is a cheap trick. Sir Adam Thomson [British Caledonian’s founder and chairman] would be turning in his grave.

“British Caledonian used about 30 tartans, but none were designed for the airline, that would have been against its ethos. It would have felt it was not the right thing to do.”

Mr Havers said both cabin crew and check-in staff had chosen which tartan to wear.

He added: “Most based their choice on their hair colour, with blondes picking green tartans and those with dark hair going for red ones.”

The former airline executive said tartan had been part of British Caledonian’s brand image, which was the “total antithesis” to easyJet’s. He said: “It was an era when flying was more glamorous – passengers wore jackets and ties.”

Mr Havers said it was a “pity” easyJet appeared to be using the tartan as a publicity stunt.

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Hands off the Haggis

An English food historian has declared Haggis as an English delicacy, claiming the Scottish origins of the dish are as “made up” as tartan. Peter Brears has described Haggis as a ‘fine English dish’ in his new book Traditional Food in Northumbria, stating the food was made throughout England from the late 14th Century.

Brears said the earliest recipe he found was from a English book dated 1390 called The Forme of Cury, which means ‘the art of cooking’.  Traditionally made from a mixture of oatmeal, liver, heart and lungs, the south of the border version is quite different. “Newcastle haggis has got fruit, oatmeal, suet and meat in and you could get this in the Grainger Market.”

He also said that the Scots decided they would make Haggis their own when they needed a national identity. He said: “Basically, the Scots association with Haggis is as authentic as the tartan. With the revival of Scotch culture, tartan designs were brought back, which were said to be authentic, but in reality they had been newly invented. The association of haggis as the Scottish national dish is really a product of the Scottish revival of the 1820s.”

Haggis expert, Jo Macsween from the renowned haggis producer Macsween of Edinburgh, said the dish was a global phenomenon with a rightful place in Scottish culture. “When I talk to people around the world about haggis, I get the same reply – ‘Oh, we call it la la in our country because it equates to something indigenous’. I do not think it is English per se – it is global.”

She added: “No one in Scotland can claim to have invented haggis, but we made it was it is today. We put it on the map.”

This is not the first time England and Scotland have battled over Haggis. In 2008 Scottish Haggis makers leapt to the defence of the national dish when another English food historian named Catherine Brown claimed she found references to the dish in a book called The English Hus-Wife from 1615. She said the first mention she could find of Scottish Haggis was in 1747.

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Mr Lundgren channeling Scotland

A bus driver in the northern Swedish town of Umea has begun wearing a skirt to work as temperatures sore past 25C. Mats Lundgren decided to find a trouser alternative when his boss turned down his request to wear shorts to work, stating he was fed up of sitting in the drivers’ seat for hours at a time in dark uniform trousers.

“The Scottish are very lucky to be able to wear kilts all the time,” he said – adding he was not trying to imitate all of the traditions that come with wearing one. Mr Lundgren is exploiting a loophole in the firm’s dress code, which allows skirts to be worn but does not specify which sex should be wearing them.

“The reaction here has been nice – the passengers all smile and my workmates think it’s hilarious, but I don’t expect to set a trend among them,” he told BBC News Online. “I wore it all day yesterday. It was very nice to have a bit of a breeze.”

As Mr Lundgren settles into the driver’s seat, the navy blue skirt slides up his thighs just above his bony knees, revealing a pair of hairy white legs. “It’s even better than shorts. It’s unbearable driving a bus in long trousers when the sun is blazing through the windscreen, but with the skirt it feels just great,” he says.

“I am divorced, so I had to borrow the skirt from a friend. Unfortunately, she is a couple of sizes smaller than me, which means I have to squeeze into it,” he added.

Rolf Persson, managing director of Umea’s transport authority said he was surprised to see Mr Lundgren dressed this way. But his hands were tied, he said, as careful perusal of regulations produced no mention of rules about men in skirts.

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Donny Osmond proudly wears the tartan of Susan Boyle

Scottish classical singer Susan Boyle has announced that she is releasing her own tartan. In a statement released on her website, the Blackburn based singer revealed to fans that a tie she gifted to Donny Osmond earlier this month was the first look at her new range.

Britain’s Got Talent star Susan gave Donny a tartan scarf and some other gifts as she made an appearance during his performance with his sister Marie in Glasgow.

She said: “After my performance, I got Donny back on stage to give him a little gift to say thank you for inviting me to be a part of his UK tour.

“He is now the proud owner of a Glasgow tartan scarf, some Scottish gifts that every man should have and also a Boyle tartan tie!”

“I have my own tartan now and it’s in full production. What meant so much to me was that for the second half of the show Donny wore my Boyle tartan tie. It suited him.”

The range, rumoured for several years, is to be registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans which has come under fire recently for failing to prevent the registration of “shallow and irreverent” tartans.

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Creative director Karl Lagerfeld’s collection combined elements of gothic grandeur with tartan, tweed, sporrans, argyle socks and brogues, coloured with a rich earthy palette. The show ended with a nod to the palace’s most famous resident Mary Queen of Scots, as models glided past braziers and fountains in regal high collared gowns.

Scotland provided a heavy inspiration for house-founder Coco Chanel who championed the appropriation of menswear as womenswear. This design philosophy popularised active, casual chic in the 1920s, liberating women from the confines of the corseted silhouette. During her stays in Scotland with the Duke of Westminster between 1924 and 1931, Chanel took to borrowing the Duke’s tweeds for her long walks in the countryside. Photos from this time show her dressed in men’s attire including tweed jackets, cashmere cardigans, trousers and sturdy boots, with several dogs in tow.  Chanel gathered leaves, moss and earth from her walks, which were taken to the local tweedmaker so he could incorporate the colours into the weave. Fabrics from this mill were shipped to Paris and made into perhaps her most iconic creation, the two piece tweed suit.

The Linlithgow showcase also confirmed Chanel’s continuing legacy in Scotland who have recently acquired Hawick-based Barrie Knitwear, longtime manufacturer of Chanel cashmere. The deal saved 176 jobs, threatened with closure after the mill’s owner went bankrupt in August.

A gallery of the showcase can be viewed here.

Coco Chanel with friend Vera Bate at Lochmore

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Peter Rabbit’s Tartan, created to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the first publication of The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter.

The Scottish Register of Tartans has been criticised for including designs in their repository by Disney, a German Pipe Smokers group and Peter Rabbit.

The Government register, which provides a definitive resource for protecting and promoting tartans, has come under fire by Scottish Members of Parliament, claiming the approval process needs to be changed to prevent “shallow and irreverent” tartans.

Alex Johnstone, Conservative MSP for north-east Scotland said regulation of tartan legislation ensures the protection of Scotland’s heritage so that Scottish culture continues to be held in high esteem. “The way the Register is behaving only serves to enhance the nonsense it was set up to prevent. There is an excellent case here for demanding that the SRT is overhauled to protect our heritage.”

While Johnstone fully supports ‘inclusive’ tartans such as those designed for Islamic societies and asylum-seekers in Scotland, Green MSP Patrick Harvie says he was puzzled by political designs such as the Occupy Movement’s tartan. “The issues such causes represent are important. But I’m struggling to see how having their own tartan would help defeat capitalism.”

Read the full story here, and check out Disney’s listing on the Scottish Register of Tartans here.

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The Occupy Wall Street Demos

Dr Giles Jackson an American based academic and long time supporter of the anti capitalist movements worldwide has come up with a novel way of uniting those who support this cause under a tartan banner. He has registered a tartan called ‘Liberty Square’ which he hopes those who support the cause will wear. The tartan has this gold lines which he says reflect the uneven distribution of wealth. The tartan is one of a series that his ‘Liberation Kilt Company’ have registered that support global causes such as climate change, water aid, and political freedom of expression.

Dr Jackson, an associate professor at Shenandoah University in Virginia was born in the UK and has Scottish roots, he was inspired to design a tartan for the movement after wearing a kilt to a protest in 2008. He said: “I’m tapping into a long and glorious tradition. Long before tartan became the garb of royal subjects it was a badge of dissent.” His first design was a tartan for the climate change movement but from there it expanded into many other causes. A percentage of the profits from the sale of products produced will go towards helping the relevant causes.

The notes on the Liberty Square tartan on the Public Register of Tartan’s website reads:

Image: Liberty Kilt Co

Liberty Square (fictitious name) symbolises the golden rule of capitalism: ‘Those with the Gold make the Rules’. In a throwback to the gilded age, the spoils increasingly go to a protected class of global profiteers (represented by the gold stripes), while the ordinary citizen (centre) is gradually stripped of their freedoms, money and dignity. In the US, real wages for average workers are slightly below their 1970 level, whereas the top 0.1 per cent has increased its share nearly fourfold, with the 400 richest people now having assets equal to the poorest 140 million. Many democracies are becoming virtual plutocracies designed to prolong, protect and intensify the wealth and influence of those who already have wealth and influence, sapping entire nations of their vitality. This tartan honours the Occupy protesters around the world who have recognised the danger and stepped up to demand transparency, reform and a return to democratic values.

The occupy movement has divided opinions and its foray into tartan is no exception. Many online discussions have become heated with some in support of the idea but just as many condemning it. We would love to hear your opinions on this.

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Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton

The King’s Speech star Helena Bonham Carter met a real-life royal today as she was honoured with a CBE.

We have to say how fantastic she looks, decked out in a Vivienne Westwood creation of striking red tartan and miniature top hat.  Not many people could pull off this outfit – but Helena looks great!

When Helena learnt that she was being honoured with the award, she said: “I am thrilled, though not sure that I deserve it.

“I always thought my father deserved a medal for facing 25 years of chronic disability with quiet daily heroism so I am delighted to accept such a wonderful honour in his memory.

“I am wondering does it mean I get to command, because at the moment it’s my four-year-old daughter who does the commanding in our household. Must inform her of the change in situation.”

Helena, has been nominated for an oscar twice and has appeared in Hollywood blockbusters Fight Club, Planet Of The Apes and Harry Potter, and basically anything directed by her husband Tim Burton.

We are all big fans of hers here at ScotClans.

Helena Bonham Carter – receiving her CBE from the Queen

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Here are the stories behind each of the new and fresh designs.  Just click on the images to see a larger versions.

Strathdon tartan

Strathdon – “Nestling towards the western end of Aberdeenshire, this valley carries through it the water of the River Don as it cuts its way through the hard grey granite, which is the building block of this rugged countryside. The tartan reflects this rugged terrain through the use of the Blue slate for the mountain scree, the deep Maroon for the dark heathers, and the Yellow Brown of the sandy shale revealed by the scouring at the river edges. The Azure line is the flash of metal spears of the Men of Lonach on their march through Strathdon.”

Strathmore tartan

Strathmore – “The name means the Big Valley and its fertile lands have made the area lying between the Grampians to the north and the Sidlaws to the south one of the wealthiest farming areas in Scotland. The tartan is thus influenced by the Brown and Black of the rich soil, the Green of the pastures, the Red for the abundance of soft fruit grown, and the Gold to represent its prosperity.”

Strathtay tartan

Strathtay – “The valley of the River Tay. Scotland’s longest river, cuts through the Highlands down into Central Scotland, finally passing through Perth and Dundee, flowing from its estuary out into the North Sea. The tartan is influenced by the dramatic autumn colours of the wooded banks in the upper reaches of the river valley, with the Olive Greens and mix of the Reds of the leaves cut by the Silver Blue and the Green of the river as it flows swiftly through to the more pastoral waters of its estuary.”

Strathisla tartan

Strathisla – “In the north west corner of Angus, close to the border with Perthshire, lies Strathisla, which, though one of the smaller Straths, is no less diverse than others. This tartan is influenced by the dark foaming upper reaches of the River Isla as it crashes through the uncompromising heather covered mountains of Angus, symbolised in the cloth by the Purple and Blue hues. While the Red of the design reflects the abundance of berries to be found in the late summer growth of the Rowans on the lower slopes.”

Strathtummel tartan

Strathtummel – “Strathtummel is the valley of the River Tummel which spills from Loch Rannoch to flow through serene, but rugged, mountains and lochs on its journey south to merge into the waters of the Tay. The summer colours are echoed in the tartan, with the Purple of the heather, the Blue of the mountains, and the Green of the ferns in the foothills, while the White stripe depicts the enduring summer snowfields, a reminder of winters past and still to come.”

We would love to know what people think of these new tartan designs.

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