How to make a more comfortable kilt

[AMM]

Recently, I've been wearing my Utilkilt a lot, despite its flaws, because it was too hot even for shorts and I'm not ready to "come out" everywhere as a skirt-wearing man. And I've been wondering:

Is it possible to make a kilt that I would find as comfortable as my skirts?

In summer, my favorite skirt is a 22" long, full, gathered skirt, with an elastic waist plus nylon web belt. It's made out of black broadcloth and has a polyester voile lining, so it "puffs out" a bit and has more air circulation than you would think. About the only thing I've found that is breezier is nothing at all. The only place it's tight is my belt line, and since it's light, I don't have to tighten it too much. The synthetic fabric means that even when I sweat into it, it doesn't stick to me like cotton does and it dries quickly. No matter what else I wear, as soon as I get home I change into it and feel 10 degrees cooler right away.

In winter, I usually wear a denim skirt with a lining, often with a petticoat with a ruffle to keep the draft out. That, plus knee socks, is enough to keep my draft-sensitive legs warm while stomping around the neighborhood even when it's below zero Farenheit (-20 C) My current long denim skirt is 33 inches long with a 100 inch hem, but I plan to make some that are a lot fuller (in the hopes that all that cloth at the bottom will keep the cold out.)

1. "Traditional" kilts are out, as far as I'm concerned. I don't find my wool (traditional) kilt comfortable in any season, mainly because it's intended to be belted around my stomach, and my stomach does not like thick, heavy, tight things pressing on it. It's also too short for winter (or even fall) and too hot for summer, and it doesn't have pockets. For these reasons, I don't wear or ever plant to wear my traditional kilt except for Official Scottish occasions.

2. My UK is somewhat better. Aside from the fact that it is much shorter than advertised and generally doesn't fit right (which I hope to fix by making my own kilt), I find that all that twill is hot in hot weather. It's a little tight in the hips. And one big problem is that even when I "sweep the pleats," they still tend to go sideways and not cover my bottom when I sit. With a skirt I can pull the hem out to both sides before I sit, but this doesn't work with deep pleats.

3. I have my college reunion kilt, which I made a few years ago out of the cotton print fabric that they made our reunion trousers and jackets out of. It's the same length and has the same lining as my Favorite Summer Skirt, but is pleated and wraps like a kilt. It's still pretty hot (reunions are the begining of June and always sunny) and heavy.

4. I'm still not sure what I could do for winter. I know many die-hard kilt-wearers insist that kilts are warm enough for winter, but I have legs which tend to cramp up when they get chilled, and I've yet to find socks that were warm enough without an outer layer to keep my calves from getting chilled when it's below freezing. And the cold air gets in under the kilt and chills my thighs. I was driving back from Philadelphia on an October afternoon in a kilt, and by the time I got home, my thighs were numb. And that was inside a car!

One thought is to simply make a longer kilt -- say, 30+ inches long. According to kilt historians, in the early days of kilts, before the kilt totalitarians (KTs) had taken over, people got kilts in any length they liked, in any material and style of pleating they liked. So I could claim that it was actually quite "traditional." Not as though I care what the KTs would say, but it would be useful if I could come up with a long kilt that seemed kilt-like enough to "pass" as a kilt (as opposed to a "pleated skirt") among my friends and neighbors.

Any suggestions for such a summer or winter kilt?

[Uncle Al]

Any suggestions for such a summer or winter kilt?

Try one of the Still Water Kilts. I have 3, and they are a bit
warm in the summer here in Texas, but up in N.Y. you should
not have that problem. I haven't worn one in Winter yet, but
in late fall, that's mid November here, they are a bit on the
cool side. One of the nice things is, you can't beat their prices.

Just remember when you're ordering, the smallest notch in
the straps is the original size you ordered. If you're a 46, then
I'ld order a 45 1/2 as it will adjust out to a 47. But if you have
a tendancy to 'put on a few pounds' during the winter, then
go with a 46 as the kilt will expand with you a bit.

http://www.stillwaterkilts.com

They are quick on mailing. I ordered 2 kilts late (10PM-ish) on
a friday night. Had them in the mail the following tuesday.
Great Service!

Uncle Al and his 2 cents worth.
Duncanville, TX

[cessna152towser]

I've found the Midas camo print box pleat skirt very acceptable for wearing out and about, so much so that I have just ordered a second one in different colours. These have five wide pleats front and rear and are very light and comfortable. So far it has always been accepted as a kilt and nobody has referred to it as a skirt.

[Gus]

Nice pic Cessna! I must admit that it certainly looks no less masculine than a pair of shorts. Interesting that there is still such a stigma attached to the name and people still want to refer to men's skirts as kilts. If you think about it a kilt is just a particular type of skirt and a Midas is another. Wish I could get a Midas but they are way too expensive for me, especially with the exchange rate here in South Africa.

Keep up the good work!

Gus

[JRMILLER]

Professor,
Nice to see you are still kicking, I hadn't seen a post from you in quite a while!

I have a regular Sportkilt which is made of a polyester blend. It's much lighter than my UK or a wool kilt. It fastens with velcro and I like it quite a bit, in fact, just ordered another one. See here: http://www.sportkilt.com/departments/me ... ilts~1.cfm

Same company also makes a Hiking kilt which is even lighter. I am going to get one next summer. See it here: http://www.sportkilt.com/departments/me ... kilt~1.cfm

-john

[crfriend]

I have a regular Sportkilt which is made of a polyester blend. It's much lighter than my UK or a wool kilt. It fastens with velcro and I like it quite a bit, in fact, just ordered another one. See here: http://www.sportkilt.com/departments/me ... ilts~1.cfm

How do those garments fit 'round the waist? Do they sit right up near the rib-cage in the style of a traditional kilt, or do they sit a little lower down?

It might be about time to get me a kilt; the price looks pretty reasonable (albeit that it's not a "genuine article") -- especially as they quote in dollars given as how the once-almighty buck has fallen through the floorboards....

[Kilted_John]

Carl,

IIRC, the Sportkilts sit at the natural waist, like a non-military traditional kilt. The military kilts are the ones with the rise above the natural waist that brings the kilt up closer to the rib cage. You may also want to consider are the Stillwater kilts, specifically the standard and the heavyweight wool SWK's. They're not much more expensive than a Sportkilt, but are higher quality and will be reasonably warm during the winter, combined with some wool kilt hose and your normal black dress shoes.

-J

[JRMILLER]

Carl,
I wrap mine right over my belly button.

What the heck do you want a kilt for?

[AMM]

IIRC, the Sportkilts sit at the natural waist, like a non-military traditional kilt.

I don't know what a "natural waist" is.

My skirt waistbands, like my trouser belts, tend to sit with their bottom about 4 inches below my navel in front, and about 2 inches higher than that on the side, etc. To avoid confusion, I call it my "natural belt line." The few times I have succeeded in getting the skirt waistband to sit up around my navel for any length of time, I've ended up with a stomach ache.

By the way, I've given up trying to make my waistbands level, and just build in a correction so that the hems are straight. Utilikilts calls this a "beer gut correction", but theirs is much too small for me.

An alternative to the beer gut correction is to make what is usually called a dress (or jumper/pinafore), but which we could call a "tunic" or "robe" to give the name some testosterone. I'm still mulling over some designs in my mind.

[crfriend]

I don't know what a "natural waist" is.

Technically, I think it's supposed to be where one's torso is narrowest, usually somewhere at around the level of where the elbows fall when one's arms are relaxed. Some guys have narrow ones, some guys don't.

The few times I have succeeded in getting the skirt waistband to sit up around my navel for any length of time, I've ended up with a stomach ache.

Which indicates that's a spot you don't want to wear a tight garment at. I don't much care for tight garments that get above my navel.

What the heck do you want a kilt for?

I feel a need to conform for some reason. Not too much, but sometimes an out-and-out skirt just seems, somehow, "over the top". Maybe if I sit down for a while the feeling will pass.