Pleated to the stripe

**philibeg** · 8th May 05, 09:45 AM

Hey guys, just came across a web site that states that only military tartans are to be pleated to the stripe...is this true?

sigh...so many rules......

**chasem** · 8th May 05, 10:04 AM

I've not heard that only military tartans should be pleated to the stripe, but tartans in the military were pleated to the stripe.

I've seen many other tartans pleated to the stripe, and I've never read anything against that.

**beerbecue** · 8th May 05, 11:06 AM

I have three kilts (one in process) that are pleated to the stripe. In two cases, it was in part to honor units that wear the tartans...

In the last case, the sett is very large, and I don't have enough material to pleat to the sett properly, so, I am doing it to stripe, and have plenty of material for a proper 8-yarder....

I don't think that there is any actual rule prohibiting anyone from pleating to the stripe any tartan...

IIRC, I read that military kilts are pleated to the stripe to reduce the amount of material needed (and it is easier to do)

**Thistle Stop** · 8th May 05, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by philibeg

Hey guys, just came across a web site that states that only military tartans are to be pleated to the stripe...is this true?

sigh...so many rules......

No.

**philibeg** · 8th May 05, 11:20 AM

thanks guys! This is great news and I love this forum...its great to get such quick feedback!!

**tomcherv** · 9th May 05, 04:51 AM

I've also heard Pleating to the stripe called the Military pleating.

Personally, I like it a whole lot better than pleating to the set. When you think about it, great kilts were probably pleated (or gathered) to the stripe - it was quick and easy.

The kilt I'm making for myself (8 yrd handsewn) is pleated to the stripe. The pleated section is one solid color (black with a thin yellow and thin red stripe) but when you walk, the other colors jump out at you. It's a really neat effect.

**Thistle Stop** · 9th May 05, 09:58 AM

Yes, pleating to the stripe is also called military or regimental pleating, because military kilts are done that way, but there's no restriction on it -- anyone is perfectly free to pleat his kilt to the stripe or to the sett -- or neither, if it pleases him!

**Doc Hudson** · 9th May 05, 10:10 AM

Originally Posted by tomcherv

When you think about it, great kilts were probably pleated (or gathered) to the stripe - it was quick and easy.

Tom,

I doubt it Great Kilts were pleated to anything other than to length.

I think the pleasts probably originated as nothing more than a way of folding the cloth so that it didn't go around the wearer several times.

Matt can probably clarify matters if I'm incorrect.

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 9th May 05, 11:05 AM

Great kilts were not pleated to anything -- neither was the feilidh-beag.

When kilts first began to be tailored in the 1790s, they were four-yard box pleated kilts, as I have said before on this forum. The earliest one we have is a Gordon Highlanders kilt from 1794, and it is pleated to stripe. All the military kilts up until 1854 were box pleated to stripe (at that date, the Gordond began to knife pleat their kilts, still to stripe).

The earliest tailored civilian kilts were pleated to nothing, but very soon (by about 1820, if I remember correctly) pleating to the stripe also became the norm for civilian kilts. And so it remained until the very end of the century. In 1901 when the book "The Kilt and How to Wear It" was published (see my article on May's Scottish Banner), the author was referring to pleating to the sett as a new style.

All this is to say that for regular civilian kilts you can have them pleated to the sett or stripe, and if you choose to pleat to the stripe, you can specify whatever stripe you want (in most cases).

Aye,
Matt

**Riverkilt** · 9th May 05, 12:14 PM

The evil lurking deep in my soul wants to publish a book about how to wear the kilt. Would have a very sincere title, one that would inspire confidence...then inside the book would be a whole lot of phoney baloney BS rules that I made up just to confuse the kilt wearing public and start arguments on kilt boards...

Oh...what...?....you say that's already been done??...a number of times???...okay....anything recent?.. maybe I can do a current version...??...maybe for contemporary kilts...

How about...yes, you may wear kilt hose with a Utilakilt, but only with a mocker. Never wear kilt hose with a Utilikilt that has outside pockets and never wear flashes with your kilt hose even if you're wearing a mocker....

Or, never wear a Balmoral with an American made contemporary kilt. Wear American headgear only with American made kilts. Baseball caps are the appropriate headgear...boonie hats are okay too.

Or, with Canadian made contemporary kilts always wear those trooper hats with the fold down ear flaps if you're going to wear headgear.

Or, always make sure the color of your sandals matches the color of your kilt belt and/or your sporran strap when wearing a contemporary kilt.

This could be fun....

Ron