[artificer]

Hi All,
I'm newly registered here but have been lurking for the last month or so.

Here's my situation, and if you could give me your opinion, I'd be most grateful.

I'm new to kilts and shopping for my first.

Physical 'Situation':
I'm in the midst of a (rather successful) diet and have dropped almost 20lbs in the last month due to a combination of calorie reduction and getting off my butt and working out again after a serious back injury 4 yrs ago. This also means that I've dropped about 4 actual inches off my waist (from a true 42" to <38"). I'm hoping that by the end of the coming month I will have lost the last ~15lbs I'd like to lose, which should put me back at my 'fighting weight' of around 200 even, and back down to a 34".
I'm 6'1" with a very large bone structure (even as soft as I'd gotten, I was still dense enough to sink in salt water).

I promised myself that if I finally lost the flab, I'd buy myself a kilt, I've always wanted one.

Selection:
Here's the big issue. I don't know what to pick.
I am a pretty casual guy away from the work environment, and live in a state with pretty minimal Scottish heritage (WI). I'm not Scots myself (all German, with the accompanying big, square head). My wife is German/Irish. Her family 'colour' is Vermilion Red - so that's out as a choice.

I don't participate in highland games, can't ever see myself wearing a PC jacket, and tend to be overly warm, even in the coldest of weather (I wore shorts year round in college, when I could get away with it). So the kilt would most likely be a festival, pub, 'round the town type item, that hopefully could be dressed up a bit when needed.

After browsing the web, and most helpful sites like this for the last month, I've come up with a short-ish list of contenders, but would like the feedback of far more experienced kilties to help steer me.

1) MUG - Alphakilt's Aberdeen, without pockets in OD green. Basic black buckle belt, day sporran, oatmeal socks with black boots. T-shirt or polo.
Big benefit here is that it's pretty bland in colour and close to what I'm used to wearing

2) SWK Standard in 'Nightstalker' tartan, with the above outfit, or the ability to go with shoes, flashes, and a tweed waistcoat and black necktie for casual/dressy evenings.

I know Jerry's service and quality (for that level of kilt) are most highly regarded. I do have worries about acrylic fibres, as I tend to be WAYYY too warm in most situations.

3)USA Kilts casual. Tartan undetermined, but German Heritage, Grey Granite, Holyrood, and St. Andrews have all caught my eye as possibilities.
I'm a bit worried about being too 'dressed' in it's very casual environment. I tend to be a solid colour guy (or at least very muted patterns).
The benefit is that this kilt would be a lot easier to dress up a bit than the MUG, and the PV is regarded as more breathable than the Acrylic.

I do have one question about the casual kilt though, Can the USAK patch be left off intentionally when ordering? Browsing through their gallery, some casuals have the patch, and some clearly don't. I think it's a bit of a distraction and would chose to have it left off. I don't think it's a deal-breaker, but would annoy me a bit.

Obviously, I won't be ordering until I've hit either my ideal weight, or as close as I'm realistically going to get (and stay).
I don't know if I'll get hooked and end up with a closet full of kilts (like I have shorts) so this may be the only one. Any thoughts?
thanks in advance.

[BEEDEE]

First off My choice would be the USAK. Rocky will leave the patch off if you ask him nicely and cross his palm with silver.

Brian

[GDub]

Welcome from the San Francisco Bay Area! And I concur with BEEDEE--go USAK casual and if you custom order ask Rocky to leave off the patch. (FTR, the USAK patches are very easy to remove. If for some reason you decide on with an "off the rack" casual, all you need is an inexpensive seem ripper to remove the patch. Great little tool to have around.)

[Mael Coluim]

from the Old Dominion State!

What Brian and GDub said. I would get the USAKilt in German heritage tartan. I had Rocky make a casual for me without the patch, at no addtional cost! Maybe you should consider a semi trad.

[auld argonian]

I'd definitely look at the German Heritage from USA...and I'd try to stretch it out to get the semi-trad if you can swing it. I have a casual and love it dearly but wish that I had just had it made as a semi in the first place. With the PV material, your overly warmness shouldn't be a problem.

Best

AA

[bricekolob]

I am assuming you are going to lose those last 15 pounds FIRST then get the kilt. If so, might I suggest Skye Highland Outfitters:
http://www.skyehighlandoutfitters.co...s_Welcome.html

They have both a casual and 8 yard kilt in the PV. Having owned a USAK casual, I am not sure you would be able to dress it up much. I think an 8 yard PV would be something you could dress up or down depending on the situation. Much more so than the casual. The only thing is that USAK is the only one with German heritage tartan. If you chose that, than you have to purchase from them. Hope that helps.

And Welcome! I have a brother going to medical school in Wawatosa (not sure how that is spelled)

Brice

[NewEnglander]

Before all else: Welcome!
I only have one of the kilts you mentioned (I couldn't even get the Alphakilts site to load), but I will but my full support behind a casual kilt from Rocky at USA Kilts. My 2nd kilt was from him and I can't wait to order another from him. He makes them to your personal measurements (but with some leeway thanks to the STURDY velcro he uses). Of course, since you're a sight bit taller than I am the cursed "standard" 24" length most merchants use might now be a problem for you. He also has a great selection of tartans, both clan and universal. And as someone else who is constantly warm, the PV material of a USA Kilt is dang comfortable to wear.
Take a look at the USA Kilt forum here at XMarks to not only see more reviews of his work, but also some pics of how it looks on an actual human being. I know that helped me make my decision after some serious lurking. Good luck and keep doing your homework and asking questions. Even if we don't know the answer, we'll make something up. (Or the actual kiltmaker might very well chime in to answer it themselves!)

[T.C.McRae V]

Welcome from Little Rock.

I think the nightstalker would be pretty sharp.

What you may find is that 1 kilt is not enough

[McFarkus]

from Chicago

One tartan you might consider is the Wisconsin tartan (found on Scottish Tartan Authorities Tartan Ferret). You might want to save this for when your weight has stabilized. The tartan is probably a special order, but most kilt makers could order it. You might want to consider a mid-weight wool. I find it much more comfortable than acrylic.

[Kiltman]

Welcome from Eastern Washington State. Any kilt you choose is the right one.