Q's from a new member

[scottography]

G'day Gang,

Been kilted a month now and enjoying every minute. Can't describe how "right" it feels! I live in Sydney and at the moment am wearing my kilt casually every other day and feeling very comfortable doing so (have been all around the city, eastern suburbs, flown to Tasmania). Usually I just have a T-Shirt, maybe a jumper or casual leather jacket and casual shoes, semi dress sporran (though am ordering a daywear one) - just that now my kilt replaces my jeans. I have a casual, made-to-measure kilt in Scott Modern Green 13oz from kiltstore.net Fits superbly. Brilliant!!

So I'm just wondering about a couple of points. I've been looking at heaps of pics on the net trying to get ideas but I figure I can throw them out here and see if the boomerang comes back ;)

1) When going out formally I wear my Argyle jacket with a white shirt and normal business style black tie. How far should the tie come down? At the moment it falls to about the centre of my buckle (wonderful shiny buckle with celtic knotwork).

2) Regarding my kilt length - As this is my first I followed the instructions for measuring (at kiltstore.net and the downloadable e-book) and my kilt sits just below (about half an inch) below my belly button and falls exactly to mid-knee. As I'm now wanting to order my next kilt I thought I'd see what people think.

3) When wearing my Argyle outfit I wear classy black slip-on dress shoes as I haven't yet got brogues. Is that fair play?

Thanks for any suggestions you may have!

So happy to be part of the kilted tribe

Regards,

Scotty

[Mr. MacDougall]

G'day Gang,
1) When going out formally I wear my Argyle jacket with a white shirt and normal business style black tie. How far should the tie come down? At the moment it falls to about the centre of my buckle (wonderful shiny buckle with celtic knotwork).

Most of the time, we recommend the top of the belt buckle, but what looks good to you is the number one guide to this.

2) Regarding my kilt length - As this is my first I followed the instructions for measuring (at kiltstore.net and the downloadable e-book) and my kilt sits just below (about half an inch) below my belly button and falls exactly to mid-knee. As I'm now wanting to order my next kilt I thought I'd see what people think.

That sounds about right. I like to wear mine to the top of my navel, and the top of my knee, but top to mid-patella is about the right range, wherever you put the top.

3) When wearing my Argyle outfit I wear classy black slip-on dress shoes as I haven't yet got brogues. Is that fair play?

In past discussions about shoes, it turns out that few of us actually wear brogues. Regular slip-on dress shoes seem far more popular.

[The F-H.C.A.G.]

G'day Gang....

snip

Welcome to our little forum! My beloved husband whom I admire and obey, for he has captivated me with his amazing dressing ability, has some advice, which I shall pass on.

1) When going out formally I wear my Argyle jacket with a white shirt and normal business style black tie. How far should the tie come down? At the moment it falls to about the centre of my buckle (wonderful shiny buckle with celtic knotwork).

The tie should come just above the rise of the kilt (i.e. above your waistline and definitely above the buckle). Tie your tie so that the front (wide part) is at the correct level, and then double over the thin back part behind the wide front part and hold the whole thing in place with a tie tack.

2) Regarding my kilt length - As this is my first I followed the instructions for measuring (at kiltstore.net and the downloadable e-book) and my kilt sits just below (about half an inch) below my belly button and falls exactly to mid-knee. As I'm now wanting to order my next kilt I thought I'd see what people think.

A traditional kilt is worn with the waist at the "natural waist", which is normally about the belly button level, but then the rise is about 1-2" above the level of the waist, so a traditional kilt should generally be about 1-2" above your belly button, not ever below that level.

3) When wearing my Argyle outfit I wear classy black slip-on dress shoes as I haven't yet got brogues. Is that fair play?

Excellent shoe choice! You go Boy!

Be well,

[scottography]

Cheers for your advice! And SOOO quick too! WOW. I'd post a pic but I'm not too sure how to go about all that. My casual outfit can be seen on the customer reviews of kiltstore.net for casual made-to-measure 5 yard kilts. Mine is the only pic from Tasmania.

I'll re-tie my tie and bring it up. Thanks for the tip on how to do that!! Am certainly getting in some tie tying experience! Haha.

I just pulled my kilt up to exactly my belly button and it looks good at the knee (still below the top of my knee cap) so I've got a good length... but as my next kilt will be the full 8 yards I want to meet convention so will get it a little longer.

That's great to hear about the shoes. When I dressed up for the first time (in my own Argyle kit - I've hired Prince Charlie's before) with my dress shoes I was impressed with how good it looked to my critical eye. I have seen others wearing shoes similar to mine and that was my benchmark til now.

Thanks gang!

Scotty

[James MacMillan]

It appears you are headed in the right direction. Everyday kilt wear isn't all that hard; it just requires a little modification of your regular wardrob.

#1 - The tie should be tied so that it is just above or just touching the belt buckle. You will see some long-time kilters wearing their ties tucked in. To me this looks sort of dumb. One way to make the tie shorter is to use as much of the tie material in the knot as possible. Learn to tie a Windsor knot. Look at http://www.tie-a-tie.net/windsor.html for instructions. This will make a regular length tie, about the right length for kilt wear.

#2 - The Kilt length is most important at the bottom, not the top! In my mind, the bottom edge of the kilt should be adjusted so that it hits the top of the kneecap. Slightly adjust the top of the kilt to get it comfortable. Comfort is the most important part here. If you don't feel comfortable wearing your kilt, you won't wear it very often. When you can afford it, get a kilt made to your own specifications. Until then, get an inexpensive kilt, and play with the top and bottom edge, until you know what length you want. In no manner should the kilt bottom reach below the knee, that is uncomfortable to wear, both when sitting and standind and also when walking. One way to check for proper length is to feel the back of the kilt as you walk. If you feel the kilt's skirt on the back of your leg as you walk, it is probably too long.

#3 - Regular shoes work fine with the kilt. Very few people who wear kilts as their normal daily attire actually wear brogues. Standard saxon shoes, slip-ons, and many others work fine. Match the shoe color with your assessories. Black shoes, black belt and sporran. Brown shoes, brown belt, etc.

Keep experimenting, you will find a style that is all your own and is comfortable. Your comfort is the most important factor!!

[scottography]

Thank you Sir! Brilliant instructions for the Windsor knot. Gonna give it a crack now...

And thanks so much for the tips too. When I get my trad kilt I will certainly have it longer. But in the meantime my casual is defo classy enough for my formal outings (wish I could post a pic) and casually I'm super comfy. I do look forward to the trad kilt when $'s allow! Will certainly keep experimenting... I'm just so impressed at how versatile this kilt can be!

Regards,

Scotty

[David Dalglish]

This is a photo of me wearing a tie, I think it is the correct length, I am 5ft 6ins tall & The ideal length of kilt for me is 23". I wear both brogues & dress shoes, both are fine.

Hope this helps

[scottography]

That is great to see! Ta. I guess when I was tying my tie I was too busy thinking "I've never tied a tie this short." Just takes a bit of getting used to I guess.

Had a small victory here! Sucessfully tied a windsor knot... I reckon she was my first! Beauty!!

Scotty

[McMurdo]

Firstly
I would say that you should take a look at the style threads paying close attention to the formal, and dressy categories, here are the links

Formal

Dressy

I also wear a dress shoe with my Prince Charlie, or my Argyles.

[Cawdorian]

First of all,

Brogues or as we call them here in the US "wingtips" work very well with the kilt, personally I don't wear ghillies, but I do wear wingtips with the kilt when wearing a tie. They also work well with formal wear. Cap toe shoes will also work and look great with the kilt.