Scotland and its iconography have attracted a wealth of recent media attention. In the summer Dior presented their 2025 Cruise Collection in the Renaissance Gardens at Drummond Castle; media hype has surrounded BBC hit television show Traitors; and the BBC has recently commissioned Icons of Style, a production to delve into the social history of Scotland’s fashion.

In the examples of both Dior and Traitors, the Highland vision is strong where Scotland is presented as a place of isolation and intrigue. Harper’s Bazaar has described Scotland as “having a moment” and other media headlines centre around how to “get” Traitors presenter Claudia Winkleman’s “gothic Highland” look.

The Dior show was received very positively in and outside of Scotland as an example of genuine cultural appreciation and a celebration of Scottish French relations, but it also indirectly influenced a wave of tartan........

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