Zoe Ball

I remember cream cheese in celery, with a sprinkling of paprika, served at my dad and stepmum's 'soirees' in the 70s, where people danced to Slade in long tartan dresses. I'd go down and eat the cheese cubes left over from cheese and pineapple on sticks, because guests would only eat the pineapple.

Adrian Dunbar

We lived in this ghetto during the worst excesses of the Seventies. When the tartan gangs came to wreck our estate, we had to defend it. We were barricaded in with diggers and earth-movers. It wasn't a case of joining the Republican cause, or the IRA - we were fighting for our very existence.

Irish Actor

Matthew Williamson

I got my fair share of stick. But I surrounded myself with fabulous girls, and they all loved me because I made them clothes. I remember making them all leopard print tops and tartan skirts for a party we went to once. It's scary to think about it now, actually.

British Designer

Diana Gabaldon

There's not a lot of pictorial evidence from the Highlands, because only the very wealthy had their portraits painted - but there is one well-known painting of the two sons of the Duke of Argyll, wearing tartan.

American Author

Jesse Tyler Ferguson

I have lots of Scottish blood and know that my family name is Scottish. At my home in the States I have a tartan crest but, unfortunately, I do a terrible Scottish accent.

American Actor

Ronnie Barker

We had hoped to have been bringing you Arthur the Human Chameleon, but this afternoon, he crawled across a tartan rug and died of exhaustion.

English Comedian

Ronnie Corbett

If I wear too much tartan, I tend to look like a Thermos flask.

Scottish Comedian

Tartans can signify the wearer's Scottish clan, showing cultural heritage and pride.

Cultural Identity

While strongly linked to Scotland, tartan patterns are used worldwide in various designs.

Not Always Scottish

Tartan is often worn at formal Scottish events, like weddings and Highland games.

Special Occasions

Individual tartan patterns represent different Scottish clans or families.

Clan Representation

Official tartan patterns are registered to preserve their unique historical significance.

Recorded Patterns

Although tartan is Scottish, the adjective describes the pattern, not the origin.

Beyond Scottish Style

Tartan has moved beyond tradition to become a trendy choice in modern fashion.

Trendy Fashion

When used in clothing, 'tartan' typically implies a casual or informal style.

Casual Wear

 because you have to count all the whisky and the tartan. If you wanted to count every product and service on offer in New York -- there are 10 billion of them -- it would take you 317 years. This is how complex the economy we've created is. And I'm just counting toasters here.