Kilts and low waisted men

**KiltedBishop** · 17th March 05, 01:42 PM

ok so I need some advice. I am a rather oddly shaped fellow, long arms and torso, and short legs. I am 6'3" and only have a 30" inseam. anyway my waist is low as well, I don't wear my pants low, just at my waist. I am also a bigger fella with a belly, my question is how bad is it to wear a traditional kilt at the waist, rather than the navel. and how do bigger guys wear them at the navel I would think the kilt would try to slide up to their armpits when they sit. Anyone?

**Barb T.** · 17th March 05, 02:09 PM

Hi KB

Don't know if you're talking about a traditional kilt or not. If someone were to measure you for a traditional kilt, they would measure you at what they would consider your waist, which is more or less at your navel. I went to your gallery to see if you had a picture of you, which you did, and I'm not entirely sure what you mean by your waist being below your navel. Lots of guys wear their pants low, but they're not really wearing their pants at their waistlines. Even if your torso is long and you have short legs, your true waistline won't be all that much different from the position of your navel. If anything, most people's true waistlines lie a tad _above_ their navels.

One way to find your waistline is to bend sideways and see where the bend is - that's your waist. It can be a little tough to feel from the outside if you're well-padded, but you should be able to kind of feel from inside where that natural bend is.

So, anyway, back to my first point. If you had someone measure you for a traditional kilt, they would make your kilt assuming that you were going to wear it at your natural waist (which I think is higher on you than you think it is). If you wear the kilt too low, it will be too small around, and it will be too long. As far as riding up goes, a kilt is actually supposed to be worn tight. If you've got it buckled tight enough, you shouldn't be able to move it around on your body. So, it shouldn't creep up under your armpits when you sit down.

The guys in our band who have a bit of a corporation are pretty good about wearing their kilts around the middle, rather than under the bulge, and they look good. It's just a matter of getting used to wearing a garment that fits a whole lot differently than a pair of trousers.

Well, those are my 2 cents anyway!

Barb

**KiltedBishop** · 17th March 05, 02:20 PM

ok thanks for the two cents!

that gives me a better idea.

**bear** · 17th March 05, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by Barb T.

The guys in our band who have a bit of a corporation ...

Hah! You can't get much more diplomatic than that!

**Riverkilt** · 17th March 05, 09:36 PM

Hey Bishop,

I'm 6'0" with a 30" inseam and a buddha belly. I wear a 41 waist, short length Utilikilt size and wear it under my belly, no beer belly cut.

you're welcome to check my gallery if that helps any. I like my kilts short, at the top of the knee.

I know what Barb's talking about getting used to the high waist. Kinda like wearing replia old west pants...but they have suspenders/braces. I still feel weird when I wear my traditional wool tartan kilt in the high waist position...don't know if I'll ever get used to it...working on it though.

Ron

**Alan H** · 18th March 05, 01:43 PM

I'm long-torso'ed and short-legged, too. I guess I have a "limited liablity partnership" around my waist rather than corporation, but I find that I LIKE the "high ride" of a traditional kilt. It's nice to look in the mirror and see me with an 'apparent" waist where it ought to be ins tead of six inches lower. Kind of refreshing, that is....

**philibeg** · 18th March 05, 11:22 PM

Hey Barb,

Just to let you know I always enjoy and learn alot from you posts!

**Barb T.** · 19th March 05, 04:47 AM

Thanks!!

Barb

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 26th March 05, 03:43 AM

Another easy way of finding your natural waist. Put your hands on your hips and feel for that "soft spot" between the top of your hip bone and the bottom of your rib cage. That's your waist. When worn at the right level, your kilt should "rest" on the top of your hip bone.

Aye,
Matt

**Barb T.** · 26th March 05, 05:29 AM

Hi guys

Matt's observation that the waist is the "soft spot" between the top of your hip bone and your rib cage is right on the money. I'm just worried that his suggestion that a kilt "rest on the top of your hip bone" could be interpreted lots of ways, I think.

A traditional kilt is meant to rise 2" above your waist, and people's hip bones are definitely below the waist (as Matt says). What you _don't_ want is to buckle the kilt so loosely that the top band of the kilt sags down and rests at the top of your hip bone. A properly-worn kilt does kind of "rest on your hip bones" (i.e., you can feel it there), but the _top_ is a good deal (maybe 3" or so) above the top of the hip bone if it's worn in the way the kilt was measured to be worn.

Cheers,

Barb