Product Code Database
An arisaid (2025). 9780847829828, Rizzoli. ISBN 9780847829828 ( " Earasaid " at Dwelly's Gaelic Dictionary or arasaid) is a draped garment historically worn in Scotland in the 17th and 18th century (and probably earlier) as part of traditional female Highland dress. It was worn as a dress – a long, feminine version of the masculine belted plaid – or as an unbelted Shawl. An earasaid might be brightly coloured or made of lachdann (dun or undyed) wool. Quoting: Some colours were more expensive than others. The garment might be single-coloured, striped, or tartan"The usual habit of both sexes is the pladd; the women's much finer, the colours more lively, and the square much larger than the men's, and put me in the mind of the ancient Picts. This serves them for a veil and covers both head and body." William Sachceverell, of the Isle of Mull, in 1688; quoted in A chronological list of tartan-related source texts – especially of black, blue, and red stripes on white. White-based earasaid tartans influenced later dance and sometimes dress tartans, as well as household-item tartans in a style called "barred blanket" tartan.
Near the beginning of the 18th century, Martin Martin gave a description of traditional women's clothing (i.e. dating at least well into the 17th century) in the Hebrides, including the earasaid and its and .Martin, Description of the Western Islands of Scotland, (1703), pp. 208–209: quoted in Robertson, ed., Inventaires de la Royne Desscosse, Bannatyne Club, (1863) p. lxviii footnote.
The ancient dress wore by the women, and which is yet wore by some of the vulgar, called arisad, is a white Full plaid, having a few small stripes of black, blue and red; it reached from the neck to the heels, and was tied before on the breast with a buckle of silver or brass, according to the quality of the person. I have seen some of the former of an hundred marks value; it was broad as any ordinary pewter plate, the whole curiously Animal style etc. There was a lesser buckle which was wore in the middle of the larger, and above two weight; it had in the centre a Smoky quartz, or some finer stone, and this was set all around with several finer stones of a lesser size. The plaid being all round, was tied with a belt below the breast; the belt was of leather, and several pieces of silver intermixed with the leather like a chain. The lower end of the belt has a piece of plate about eight long, and three in breadth, curiously engraven; the end of which was adorned with fine stones, or pieces of red coral. They wore of scarlet cloth, closed at the end as men's Waistcoat, with gold lace round them, having plate buttons with fine stones. The head dress was a fine kerchief of linen strait (tight) about the head, hanging down the back taper-wise; a large lock of hair hangs down their cheeks above their breast, the lower end tied with a knot of .
The 1845 illustration is a reconstruction based on this description, then a century and a half old. Somewhat older drawings from life do not show details of the garment:
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