Fashion, Clothes and National

Costumes in the UK
National Dress | Dressing for the Occasion | Interesting Fashion Links

With dictionary look up - Double click on any word for its definition.
This section is in advanced English and is only intended to be a guide, not to be taken too seriously!

National Dress in Britain

Scottish National Dress

One of the most famous national costumes in the world is that worn in Scotland, the kilt, however some people say that
the kilt is not as traditional as some would have it. Be that as it may it is certainly what people associate with Scotland,
along with whisky and haggis that is.

Some people consider it very bad luck to wear a kilt in a tartan that does not belong to your family.

Just to remind you should you visit Scotland any time - the men do not wear skirts - they wear kilts - and don't you forget
it!

Gentlemen

Today traditional dress for men in Scotland is a kilt with shirt, waistcoat and tweed jacket, stockings with garter flashes,
brogue shoes and a sporran. A bonnet is often worn displaying the clan crest.

Ladies
Traditionally ladies don't wear kilts, they do however wear dresses or pleated skirts in a tartan material. More often though
they wear a light plaid or shawl of tartan material,

For more information on Scottish National dress visit the Highland Dress

Do you want to know what a Scotsman wears under his kilt? - Click here if you dare!

Welsh National Dress

Welsh National dress is relatively young and not as famous as Scottish National dress. Still they do have a National
costume, but it's the way the ladies dress that is most well known, in fact there isn't really a National costume for men
although recently through the rise of nationalism in Wales a tartan has been created and tartan trousers or kilts are often
worn.

For the ladies the typical Welsh costume consists of a hat, made of black felt, with a high crown and wide brim, which is
worn over a lace cap. A red flannel shawl is worn over a crisp white blouse, and a full skirt made of wool with a black and
white check pattern and a starched, white apron. Proper Welsh ladies always wore black woolen stockings and black
shoes and carried a basket, made from willow withies.

Read more about the Welsh National costume at the Museum of Welsh Life - St Fagans.

Irish National Dress

With the revival of Irish dancing, the traditional Irish costume has become associated with the bright flamboyant costumes
worn by traditional Irish dancers. However in ancient Ireland people were more likely to be seen wearing 'leine' (Irish for
shirt), trews (Irish for trousers) and long cloaks fastened with a brooch.

All in all there are a lot of myths and legends surrounding many of the so called 'traditional' costumes. Often when you do
some real historical research you will find that they aren't that old or traditional.

English National Dress

Unfortunately the English don't really have a traditional National Dress as such. In one notorious episode during the Miss
World pageant the English contestant came out wearing a Beefeater's costume, it was very embarrassing I can tell you.

There have been calls over the years to create a costume, but as usual no-one can decide on what it should look like.
Even Henry VIII got in on the act and commissioned an artist called Van Dyck to create an English National Costume, this
also failed. So for lack of anything else I will leave you with the following picture of the nearest thing - a Beefeater costume
as worn by Miss England.

Dressing for the Occasion

When invited to a formal/business function there is nothing worse than discovering you've dressed incorrectly. If you
receive an invitation that gives no indication of dress requirements, telephone your host and ask. The following will guide
you on formal wear.

Semi-formal
Men Women

Good quality dark suit. Ballet or cocktail-length dress.

White shirt, dark tie.

 Dark socks and black shoes

Formal

Tuxedo preferred - Dark suit acceptable in some

situations. Ask your host.
Long dress

Do not wear tails

Black Tie

Tuxedo (dinner jacket).

Long dress
White dress shirt, cuff links and studs
Sheer stockings
Cummerbund (wide silk belt)
Peau-de-soie pumps (i.e., heavy silk or silk-like
Black silk socks material shoes) dyed to match dress or evening
sandals
Black patent leather shoes

White Tie

Tails

White wing shirt, cuff links and studs

Long dress

White bow tie

Sheer hose

White cummerbund or white vest

Peau-de-soie pumps dyed to match dress or evening
sandals
White gloves (optional)

Long, white gloves

Black silk socks

Black patent leather shoes

Play it safe. For the men colourful ties and cummerbunds are not businesslike. For the ladies low-cut, slinky, sexy dresses
are not suitable for business functions.

Do you want to know more about British fashion? Here are some
interesting fashion links:-
Two of the most famous (or infamous) designers in the UK are Zandra Rhodes and, slightly less controversial; Paul
Smith, check out their web sites and see what you think.

- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/culture/clothesculture.html#sthash.HpTuUUfU.dpuf

 UK Fashion
Currently riding on a high again for its fashion, Britain has some of the most cutting-edge designers around. The British
Fashion Pack', including John Galliano, Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen, is creative, original and often
controversial. Big fashion houses such as Chanel, Givenchy and Chloe snap up the hottest new talent . Love them or
hate them, they keep the rest of the fashion world on its toes and celebrities like Sadie Frost, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate
Moss very well dressed.

Off the catwalk, Britain is still riding on the Cool Britannia' vibe it enjoys overseas all that is vintage, all that is heritage,
all that is the New Mod'. London's Carnaby Street was the original home of British fashion in the 1960s and it's alive
again with concept stores for vintage, street and sports brands like Puma, Ben Sherman, Fred Perry and
Lambretta. There are loads of 2nd hand clothes stores around Covent Garden and Portobello market for cool rejects.
Away from the capital, city centres like Manchester and Leeds are home to individual boutiques original, up-to-the-minute
designs.

All this cutting-edge fashion ensures that young Brits are a pretty well-dressed bunch. City-centre institutions like French
Connection, Oasis and Next are cheerfully mobbed at weekends. You'll soon notice a few distinct tribes label-conscious
clubbers (Cockfighter and Libertine for boys, Preen and Marc Jacobs for girls), Gentry Geezers' clad
in Burberry, Pringle and Hacket, and outdoor types who won't go anywhere without a Berghaus fleece.

Those keen on snapping up the latest threads for less will find bargain-priced designer outlets at various locations around
the country. The best place for good value latest trends is Top Shop, with branches nationwide. Also try H&M for high
street copies of catwalk pieces for men and women .

London Fashion week held in February and September is the main UK fashion event attracting the glare of the world's
style gurus. Hobbs Show in Bristol around March is another well-known fashion-fest showcasing raw new talent.

- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/culture/fashionweek.html#sthash.jm8fAJwV.dpuf