Costumes

Traditional Scottish dancing costume Details

Corryvrechan has several costumes, ranging from formal to informal for both men and women, plus two special costumes for Hebridean and other dances from the Scottish islands. They have been designed to reflect the rich traditions and tartans of Scotland - plus an element of practicality for performance!

Please click on the costume names to see example photos.

Women

Formal: the dress Red Ghillies tartan is one of the 12 "dancing tartans" chosen specifically for competitions.
Aboyne: each costume is in a different tartan, making it rather less formal in appearance.
White dress & tartan sash: popular amongst Scottish dancers since the 1920s.

Men

Rustic jacket: based on a very old design of belted waistcoat, teamed with rustic style shirt.
Velvet shirt: Montrose style shirts in dark green or blue.
Black evening jacket: evening dress style black Prince Charlie jackets and bow ties.

Special costumes from the Islands

Breeches take the place of kilts for the men for these two costumes: typical striped overskirts and petticoats are worn by the women. The white mutches (bonnets) are made to an original design and hard shoes are generally worn with these costumes.

These two "Island" outfits would have found many parallels in the villages and crofts of the islands in the 18th and 19th centuries, although the Corryvrechan women are undoubtedly showing a little too much of their ankles to be thought seemly by original standards!

Musicians' costumes

Farquharson tartan is the backdrop to the Corryvrechan logo, which fronts the music stands. The male musicians wear trousers in the same tartan, teamed with the same rustic shirts as the dancers. The women wear Buchanan tartan full-circle skirts and their sleeveless jackets are based on a Scottish shortgown of the late 1800s.