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Understanding the different shades of colors used in authentic tartans (kilts).

The shades of color in a tartan can be altered to produce variations of the same tartan. The resulting variations are termed Modern, Ancient, Weathered, and Muted. These terms refer to color only.

MODERN represents a tartan that is colored using chemical dye, as opposed to natural dye. The reds and yellows will be vibrant, and the greens and blues will be dark.

ANCIENT refers to a lighter shade of tartan. This shade is supposed to represent the colors that would be obtained by using natural dyes. The reds are usually more of an orange, and the blues and greens are usually quite pale.

MUTED or WEATHERED refers to tartan which is a shade between Modern and Ancient. This type of tartan is very modern, dating only from the early 1970s. The reds will appear to have a slight coral tone, the blues usually appear to be a grayish blue, and the greens usually appear to be slightly brown.