What do Highland Dancers Wear? (Continued 2)

The final two outfits that the dancers wear in competition are the Sailors Hornpipe outfit and the Irish Jig outfit.

These costumes are only used by the top two levels of dancers in competition. The Hornpipe outfit is worn for a dance that imitates the sailors in wars so the dancers dress up as sailors.

They wear either blue or white long pants and matching long sleeve shirts. The dancers have there own hornpipe hat. The traditional ghillies are worn during this dance.

The Irish Jig outfit varies depending on boys and girls.

The girls wear a red or green dress and apron. The jig outfit is the outfit that varies most between each person. There are so many different designs. Almost no one has the same exact one.

The guys wear tan pants that go to the knee, a white shirt, a vest, a jacket and knee high socks. The guys outfits also differ, usually with the age and level of the dancer. The guys also have props while they dance. The most common prop is a pipe.

Both guys and girls wear specialized jig shoes. They are either green or red and the have heels on them.


These two outfits are both for something called character dances. For more information on the background and history of the Sailor's hornpipe go to this website.