Montgomery Modern- Pleat to the stripe or sett?

[chilhowee12]

Ok folks,

I just got back from the Smoky Mountain Highland Games in Maryville, TN and being a proud, young Montgomery I want to order a kilt. Can someone please tell me which they think would look better for this tartan... stipe or sett?

Garde Bien,

Sam

[OC Richard]

I would have to see the tartan to form an opinion.

In general I prefer pleating to the line/stripe, or pleating to the block, over pleating to the tartan. This preference of mine is based partly on tradition, partly because it gives the kilt two different "looks", and partly on aesthetic philosophy (form follows function: why should the pleated portion of a kilt attempt to look like the unpleated portion).

But sometimes it's tricky choosing which segment of the sett will be replicated across the back of the kilt. Lovely tartans can end up in kilts with unlovely backsides if the wrong segment of the tartan is chosen.

For my Isle of Skye kilt, my kiltmaker emailed me photos of the pleating done using three different segments. Each would result in a very different-looking kilt rear. I'm very happy with the one I chose.

You can also do a mockup of the various pleating options using a computer graphics program. Some helpful XMarkers did this for me on my Isle of Skye.

But I think it's best to see the actual fabric pinned up in various ways to show the various pleating options, or even see finished kilts using the various ways.

[Chas]

I am a great believer in pleating to the sett.

Most tartans allow for a few different stripe pleatings. Some a dozen or more and they will vary from quite good, through reasonable, to the down-right awful. Once we move away from the sett, we lose the beauty of the tartan.

Would we be as in love with the kilt if there was no tartan and only stripes?

Regards

Chas

[Jock Scot]

I am a great believer in pleating to the sett.

Most tartans allow for a few different stripe pleatings. Some a dozen or more and they will vary from quite good, through reasonable, to the down-right awful. Once we move away from the sett, we lose the beauty of the tartan.

Would we be as in love with the kilt if there was no tartan and only stripes?

Regards

Chas

I can only but agree.