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Little advise please

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 12:16 am
by Epiceneguy
So I've lived in Scotland for over 20 years and I'm now toying with the idea of buying a kilt (can't rush these things!), I'm thinking it would be a socially acceptable way to wear a skirt like garment out and about but I've no idea on designs, sizes, tartans or price ranges etc....
Sooooo a little help from you guys would be greatly appreciated (I'm toying the idea of getting a reasonably priced one from ebay but as I mentioned I've no idea on szes etc..).

Re: Little advise please

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 4:11 am
by new2skirts
Kilts are very expensive... but sites like The Scotland Kilt Company are reasonably priced. An economy kilt (PV) starts at £45, in the typical tartans of Royal Stweart, BlackWatch, Scottish National, Hamilton Grey etc... but kilts usually require accessories like a sporran, the socks, belt, jacket which makes it all add up. Ebay is a good place to find a proper wool kilt, the waist size is the same as trousers, wear the kilt at the navel like you would a pencil skirt.

I wouldn't turn up to such a kilt shop skirted as they might take offence, but if you want to avoid social interaction (a must in these anxiout times) then go on gumtree or ebay. A decent kilt can be up to £450, so quite an expensive hobby! Skirts and tights are a fraction of the price.

Kilt forums like X Marks The Scot are good, though they are very anti Fashion Freedom in terms of men in regular skirts and not kilts.

I rarely post in the kilt section here, and most kilt enthusiasts seem to avoid this forum like Coronavirus... quite a shame as a kilt is a type of skirt, but they would argue not all skirts are kilts :roll:

Re: Little advise please

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 5:21 am
by Kirbstone
EpG,

I have acquired a range of kilts over the years, the first being for an English wedding where a niece married a Cameron. I must say, at a slim 6'5"+ the groom was a kilted sight to behold! For that I kitted up with a 'Lowland Potain' outfit, which, though formal enough for the occasion wasn't quite in the same league as the Bonnie Prince Charlie or similar.

Frankly I find great kilts with 8 yards of wool very cumbersome and heavy and I prefer the lighter possibly polyviscose 'Leisure' kilts much more user-friendly. They also take up much less room in a standard flight bag.

When ordering they ask for four dimensions: Waist (as in trousers) length (hem on knee, top middle or bottom), 'Fall' ( distance down from the waist to the broadest part, hips) and the hip measurement.
I like my hem at the top of the knee, so I specify 23", Waist 34", Hip 42" and fall,8". When I get them they usually fit fine, with adjustment available at the buckles on the waist.

Tom

Re: Little advise please

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 9:44 am
by Big and Bashful
Living in Scotland, it is fairly easy to go into a Kilt shop and get measured up for a tailor made kilt that should last you a lifetime, the last one I bought wasn't cheap, from memory it cost £299 but that was for a twelve yard heavy wool kilt (I am not small). Once measured you leave the shop for a few weeks while they make the kilt up then return for a size check, then walk away with your new tartan sheep! I also bought the erm, Argyll jacket (I think that is right) shoes, ghillie shirt, Skean dhu etc. The full outfit including kilt carrier. The whole lot weighs an incredible amount!
Yes, you can buy off the peg kilts, if you are anything like a standard sizing. Another option would be to go to a shop that hires out kilts (plenty around in the cities), and see what ex-rental kilts are available to buy, that way you could try them on for size, while assisted by someone who knows how they are supposed to fit/look. I went for a tartan to match the 1/16 of me that is Scottish but there are no rules and plenty of options. Some kiltmongers have options like pockets (Hector Russel I think offered a lightweight hiking kilt with pockets). Other options are things like pleat types, box pleats tend to be used on military kilts, look good but I am told they don't swing as well as erm, knife pleats (Is that the right term?). Because on my first kilt the leather straps were quite thin on the last kilt I bought I made sure they fitted thick leather straps, with a third one lower down to reinforce it, also got them to fit loops for the belt (made out of the same tartan wool).
Hope this helps!

Re: Little advise please

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 11:42 am
by r.m.anderson
Don't ya yee become hasty in getting your tank (a very heavy weight kilt 8 yards or more) !
Do some research on the matter as your are doing now.
Are you looking for a formal kilt or a casual one ?
One to attend weddings (and funerals) civic events social gatherings ? FORMAL
Or just simply to toss the caber around hiking and kicking a soccer ball ? CASUAL

You can get a very authentic expensive formal kilt in your home country - or -
a casual inexpensive one made in the near east i.e. Pakistan eBay seller - or -
even a better option for just getting the hang of wearing a kilt think:
Stillwater Kilts - https://store.stillwaterkilts.com/
Sport Kilt - https://sportkilt.com/

For even more check out the links provided by member Milfmog LINK:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=17958

There is a problem with ordering from abroad the SHIPPING & HANDLING charges
somewhere up with the astronauts although the delivery is fast like falling out
of space - quality of the foreign kilt sometimes leaving much to be desired.

Read on as much as you can.
Measurements of course are critical*** - know about the details and difference
between Formal kilt - casual hiking etc. one what kind of materials are used
in the construction - be it tartan wool - acrylic (faux wool) - leather - canvas
cotton and other man made material.
*** Those measurements:
Waist is normally at the navel (that belly button) and for a 6 foot bloke with
knees on the floor the measurement should be 24 inches from navel to the floor.
Of course if you are like some of our members YMMV !
If you wear the kilt lower than the navel waist then maybe you would not
want the kilt to be 24 inches long.
At the waist the formal kilt will have three straps with buckles - 1 left side
and 2 right side one of which is maybe 3-4 inches lower.
With the casual kilt only two straps one each side is the norm.
There are some kilts like those from SportKilt that close with Velcro accommodating
a multitude of room for the expanding waist.
As for the PLEATS - a KILT YA GOT TO HAVE THEM and the more the better for
that fabulous swishing movement across the hinder.
Basic knife pleats are the norm here - the more yardage in the kilt the more the pleats.
With more yardage the possibility of doing some fancy work with lining up the tartan
to the set or the pleat can be done.
Moving that along further is the box pleat creating a different wave pattern -
Making that a double box pleat and you will be whistled for back field in motion.
With more pleats there is more yardage - with more yardage the cost of the kilt
goes up incrementally and the labor work to create the beast.

Study up and get some more information before that leap of faith to the kilted side.
See what you can do with your personal measurements.
As noted above if you have the option chance to visit one of those kilt hire shops
take advantage of this to see if there are other issues about the fitting that are
missed here.

The accessories to be added can be done in a package or individually later.
Commonly a tux shirt and bow tie - Prince Charlie or Argyle jacket w/o vest -
sporran - kilt sox and brogue shoes for formal wear
For casual wear a ghillie (poets) shirt (shirt with lacing at neck) no jacket - vest optional -
shoes and sox to compliment whatever one is doing drinking hiking - kicking the can
down the road.

There are some over 450 clan tartans in the registry -
A lot of these are common generics and can be worn by anyone as noted above
the Black Watch is one and all of the Stewart family tartans - the Pride of Scotland
Heritage of Scotland (purple tartans) are some of these.
For a more specific family or clan tartan read up to see if you can wear this without
becoming the black sheep of the family - in most cases the bravehearts defending
the family clan tartan are long gone and you won't be losing your head to a claymore.
But it is awful nice to observe the family history culture something to write home about !

And another thing to note ya don't have to be Scottish or Irish to wear the kilt -
you can be a half crazy Dane like me to rubbing the wool the wrong way ! ROFLOL !

Re: Little advise please

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 12:49 pm
by Shilo
Having purchased a couple of inexpensive utility kilts recently from EBay with entirely satisfactory results, I would recommend looking there. There are plenty of sellers with UK stock in a variety of styles both utility and traditional. One thing to note, follow the advice of the sellers as the waist size you specify is what you get. The cheapest I bought was £9.99 and it fits and looks fine. If you like them then you can go all out and get one custom made

Re: Little advise please

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 5:20 pm
by partlyscot
The only kilts I have are for women. I hardly ever wear them outside. Most of my skirts do have a sort of kilt "feel" to them, but as far as I'm concerned, they are in no way, "kilts"

Doesn't matter, they almost always get called kilts. The more "kilt like" they are, the more often people will mention them. When I've worn more feminine looking skirts, very obvious skirts, people might look more, but they almost never say anything.

I can understand you being hesitant to go out and about skirted, but maybe you can go somewhere away from your usual haunts and just try it. Everywhere is different, so YMMV, but I would bet you find it causes very few problems. Early on, I had a couple of interactions, which had me worried initially, but in the end, were non events. I haven't had any such incidents in 3 years or so, which I can only put down to a combination of better outfit coordination, and greater visible confidence.

Re: Little advise please

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 7:41 pm
by Big and Bashful
I have to admit, once when I went into one of the local shops, I was asked why I was wearing a kilt, which surprised me because I was wearing a blue denim Midas knee length cargo skirt at the time!

Re: Little advise please

Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2020 10:27 pm
by Epiceneguy
Ye Gods £450!!!!!!!!
That's more than my first car cost :lol:
I was looking at ones on ebay for bout £15

Image

I know it's not one that would pass muster at a kilt convention but I'm thinking it may be okay and passable for me to walk around in public in (once I get my courage up).

I know they always look better in the picture when they're this cheap and there was no picture of a model in one which sets alarm bells ringing, lol, I'm guessing it would be like buying a 'toy' kilt!

Any thoughts or would I just be wasting my money on something so cheap?

Re: Little advise please

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2020 1:52 am
by new2skirts
Epiceneguy wrote: Sat Mar 21, 2020 10:27 pm Ye Gods £450!!!!!!!!
That's more than my first car cost :lol:
I was looking at ones on ebay for bout £15

Image

I know it's not one that would pass muster at a kilt convention but I'm thinking it may be okay and passable for me to walk around in public in (once I get my courage up).

I know they always look better in the picture when they're this cheap and there was no picture of a model in one which sets alarm bells ringing, lol, I'm guessing it would be like buying a 'toy' kilt!

Any thoughts or would I just be wasting my money on something so cheap?
I wouldn't buy any kilt for £15, as it will look like - and feel like a £15 kilt :oops: Material will feel like a tablecloth, it will be poorly made, and look even worse than the photo :lol: on ebay, there's good enough ones from £45 (Polyviscose) and ex hire ones from £99. As kilts are socially acceptable, they are a great choice of garment 8)

Re: Little advise please

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2020 7:22 am
by MrSoapsud
You can still pick up a bargain in the Union Kilts clearance sale at https://unionkilts.com/. Some sizes are out of stock. I found I needed to go up a size from my belly measurement to get one that fitted my hips but that gave me a better choice.

Re: Little advise please

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2020 9:01 am
by MrSoapsud
Cancel that - he's in the process of selling the business and has suspended the sale.

Re: Little advise please

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2020 10:29 am
by trainspotter48
EpG
As you appear to live in the UK, my suggestion is that you look at https://www.heritageofscotland.com/ and https://kiltsociety.com - both offer 'casual' kilts in 5 and 8 yard versions - yes, of course they are imports - at reasonable prices, to 'get the feel' of a kilt. The 5 yard version obviously doesn't have the 'swing' of an 8 yarder, and may prove more difficult to 'hide what needs hiding', but as I am of 'substantial' proportions, that may just be my experience.

Re: Little advise please

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2020 11:52 am
by Ray
1. Rent a kilt for a weekend. Get a sense for the feel of the garment.

If you find it too heavy:

2a. Rent a breacan (lightweight 5 yard kilt).

If you find that too heavy:

2b. Abandon the notion of buying a proper kilt. They are not for you. Look to kilt-esque garments BUT spend no less than £100 or else you’ll be buying junk.

If you do not find kilts or breacans too heavy:

3. Select your tartan and invest (I use that word wisely) in a proper kilt. They are expensive, yes, but they are authentic, made by craftsmen/women and will last you your whole life. In so doing, they have minimal impact on the environment (our disposable throw away culture is wrecking the planet).

My tartan kilt is 25 years old. It’s in great condition. I’ve worn it over 50 times. It has been with me to Canada, Australia, New Zealand. It was £300.

My grey tweed Kilt (6.5 yards) is 21 years old. It’s my party kilt. It has been worn over 50 times. It cost £275.

My kilt suit is nine years old. I’ve work it about ten times. It’s magnificent. I’m not saying how much it cost - but I’m looking to buy another.

My Utilikilt is about two years old. It cost about £300. It has been worn about eight times. It’s not as well preserved as a proper kilt, but it’s fun.

Key point is this. The cost per wearing isn’t much - and all garments are authentic. I love my skirts - but a well made kilt is a thing of joy to own and wear - and experience.

Re: Little advise please

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2020 5:52 pm
by partlyscot
Thrift stores, that's where I've found most of my "kilt like " garments.