| X Marks Navigation | | | X Marks Community | | | Sites of Interest | | | Advertising | | | | |  » X Marks Article - Too many styles of Kilts - Page 1 | Too many styles of Kilts to choose from. By Steve Ashton aka. The Wizard of BC Owner and Kiltmaker Freedom Kilts
Kilts for Pipe Bands, kilts for carpenters, kilts in Tartans, kilts in solid colors and even Camouflage kilts. Kilts that cost thousands of dollars, and kilts sold for the cost of a pair of jeans. Why are there so many styles of Kilts and which one is right for me? Well first, let’s look at the kilt that everyone is familiar with and use that as a starting point. Then we’ll look at some of the other styles of kilt.
Traditional Style Kilts
If you’ve ever been to a Scottish Highland Games and seen a Pipe Band, or if you have been to a wedding where the men were in kilts you have seen what is called the Traditional Style Kilt. Made famous by the British Regiments of the Great Wars the Traditional Kilt has a long and illustrious history. As the national garment of Scotland it is worn today by anyone wishing to pay homage to their ancestry, anyone with a desire for a level of comfort not available with trousers, and by anyone who knows the secret that every woman thinks every man looks good in a kilt. Traditional Kilts are worn much higher than most men today are used to. It will be more strapped on, than worn, with two or three hefty straps and buckles. The top straps will be at your natural waist and the top of the waistband will cover the bottom of your ribs. The front will have two overlapping aprons and there will be dozens of wonderful, swishing pleats in the back. Made from approximately 8 yards of Worsted Wool that weighs 13, 16, or even 22 oz. per linear yard, a Traditional Kilt is an imposing garment. And a bit intimidating the first time you put one on. Most people seeing a kilt for the first time however won’t notice the aprons or pleats. The first thing they notice is the Tartan fabric the kilt is made from. Tartan, the multi-colored plaid fabric is so tied to the kilt that for some purists they are almost the same thing. The Tartan may represent a Family or “Scottish Clan”. They may also represent a geographical district such as the Irish Counties, U.S. States, Canadian Provinces etc. There are also Tartans made for Companies, Sports Teams, and Pipe Bands. At the time of this writing there are approx. 4000 registered Tartans. The design, study of, and mythology surrounding Tartans is a far larger topic than I can cover here so let’s get back to what makes a Traditional Style Kilt so distinctive. A “proper’ Traditional Kilt is completely hand-sewn. (with a needle and thread). The people who make them are skilled artisans and their hand stitches will outlast those made by machine. There are reinforcements and liners built into the kilt which help it hold its shape and if properly cared for a traditional kilt can last for generations. This is why a full, hand-sewn Traditional Kilt is nicknamed a “Tank”. The pleats are pressed into the fabric. Not ironed, pressed, with high heat, steam, and pressure. If properly pressed the creases forming the pleats will withstand washing and retain their crisp edge for a very long time. In the back of the kilt there will be an area below the waistband that is stitched down and tapered. This area is called The Fell, and is approximately 1/3 of the total length of the kilt. The bottom of the Fell should be at the widest part of the hips and butt with the pleats falling vertically down to the hem. The hem of a Traditional kilt is the Selvedge, or raw, edge of the fabric although some dancers and children’s kilts will have a turned up hem to allow for growth. There are two aprons on the kilt. They are wide enough to make up ½ of the waist measurement. The aprons are fastened with the top apron overlapping the under apron and opening on the right side. The edges of the apron will be tapered so that the bottom is wider than the top. This is to allow the edges of the aprons to gently roll around the legs and not curl outward. When wearing a Traditional Kilt you will also have to wear a Sporran. That is the bag or pouch which you see hanging in the front. There are almost as many styles of Sporran as there are manufacturers. Some will be plain leather with no ornamentation and some will have tassels, fur, horsehair, or be made from full-face hides. The reason for the sporran is to have some place to put your wallet and car keys. Traditional Kilts will not have pockets. The sporran is fastened with a chain or strap around the waist and allowed to hang just under the belt buckle. There may be two loops sewn to the back of the kilt and many men believe these are belt loops. They aren’t, they are sporran loops and are needed by thin hipped men so that the sporran will not slip down over the hips. If you combine the skilled kiltmakers labour, and the cost of the imported Tartan fabric, many of which can cost $100.00 per yard, a full Traditional Kilt can be a very expensive piece of clothing. It is not uncommon for a Traditional Style Kilt to cost a thousand dollars and it is this cost that pushes the Traditional Style Kilt out of the wardrobe of the average man today. Now lets look at some of the other styles of kilt that are becoming popular today.
Historical Style Kilts
At Renaissance Faires and meetings of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) you will probably see dozens of kilts that people hope will represent the style of kilt worn during the medieval ages. You will hear terms like The Belted Plaid, The Great Kilt, and Gaelic sounding phrases like feilidh-mohr and breacan-feile, These terms refer to a style of kilt that is essentially a large rectangular piece of fabric that is hand pleated each time it is put on. It is believed that this “Great Kilt” was an all-purpose garment that served to keep the wearer warm and dry in the highlands of Scotland and also served as his hunting camouflage during the day and his sleeping bag at night. But there is so much debate on the age of the kilt, the method of wearing it, and the details of how they were made that heated arguments commonly break out among those who wear them. The truth is no one knows for sure when the kilt was developed. Every human culture has some form of male clothing that does not have legs sewn in so it can be assumed that the Great Kilt was one of these early garments. There is evidence that the Scots used a length of fabric right off the looms, without cutting or tailoring, and wrapped it around themselves in a way that was useful to their needs and practical to their lifestyle. This evidence seems to show that the rectangle of cloth was gathered in loose folds or pleats then belted around the waist. In cold weather the folds may have been allowed to hang low, around the ankles, and in warm weather hiked up to the thighs. The ends of the cloth may have been rolled and tucked into the waist forming large pockets in the rear to hold game or supplies and the remainder may have been pinned at the shoulder to form a rudimentary cape. In the rain the pin at the shoulder could be unfastened and the cloth brought over the head to keep the wearer dry. At night, the length of cloth would be unfastened, unbelted, and shook out so that the wearer could roll up in it as a blanket. This type of garment makes sense for the lifestyle of the wild tribes of the highlands and given the lack of the ability to sew and tailor clothing as we know it today. Now take another step in history and the wild tribes are settling into villages and what were roaming hunters began to need a garment that was less cumbersome than 4 to 8 square yards of fabric wrapped around their bodies. At some time around the late 16th century or early 17th century some smart highlander may have cut his great kilt in half and only worn the bottom, pleated section. He may have also been able to add some stitching to the pleats so that they would stay in place and not need to be arranged each time. Another development may also have been a drawstring or straps to replace the waistbelt. By the middle of the 1700’s this Phillabeg or little wrap was in common use and we have numerous illustrations showing highlanders wearing it. There is a kilt in the Scottish Tartans Museum, Franklin NC dated 1792. This seems to be the oldest known true kilt. It has the pleats sewn down in the Fell and has just a few wide box pleats. The illustrations of this period show Box Pleats, Knife Pleats, pleats that go clockwise, counter clockwise and in both directions at once. They also show that when pleating the kilt the pattern of the Tartan was not paid much attention to. It must be remembered that the kilt in the 1700’s was a practical and comfortable garment for the highlanders. In the lowlands and in England the average person was wearing clothing with legs in them which better suited their lifestyle. Historically it has always been the practicality and comfort that have been the reasons for wearing the kilt. Whether worn in the fields or for dress in the cities it has always been up to the wearer how he wore his kilt. I am not surprised or worried that some illustrations of kilts show highly inventive and different ways to wear the kilt. The kilt is a very personal garment and men have always liked being peacocks in their methods of dress. Anything new, more colourful, and different have been worn by men throughout the ages and the kilt is no exception. There is no “correct” or “right” kilt. It doesn’t matter if you choose to wear a Historical Style Kilt, a Traditional Style, or one of the more recent developments, the important thing is that you wear it. In recent years some scholars, historians, and kiltmakers have honestly attempted to resurrect authentic Historical Style Kilts. Using museum artefacts, historical documents and solid research Matt Newsome who is Curator of The Scottish Tartans Museum has started to produce a 4 yard box pleated kilt that is probably the most documented Historical Style Kilt.
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