[Mr.Charles Anthony]

To any kilt-maker, kilt-o-phille out there,Greetings; As I wear and prefer a Traditional(unstructured) kilt, I thought to ask the following; why are modern kilts made with all the extra sewing fuss to the rear pleats; the final product gives the wearer a fan over his a** , and it does not look very sensible. I can see the point of sewing the pleats at the waist, and even the waist band and buckles, all of which come from the Victorian Era(?), but the back treatment to the ploid makes no sense, save, I 'd hazard, to Fashion. Are there any knowledgeable folks who have a view on this?
Thank You
Squire Anthony
74th Regt. Argyle Highlanders(Re-created)

[ChattanCat]

Hi Mr. CA,
I am not sure I understand your question. Can you supply pictures so that I can understand better?

[Kiltman]

Are you talking about what is called the steeking in the traditional kilt?

[Canuck]

You may be referring to the top stitching of the pleat. With some materials they don't hold the pleat as well as wool does. As a result the solution is to top stitch the pleat to maintain the crisp edge of a pleat, Some manufacturers go as far as top stitching the inside as well though the jury is out on that one.

[Barb T.]

What he's talking about is the fact that what we call a trad kilt has a stitched fell, and he's objecting to the fact that the pleats are stitched from the waist to the bottom of the fell. The "traditional" kilt that he refers to is what we typically call a great kilt.

[ChattanCat]

Originally Posted by Barb T.

What he's talking about is the fact that what we call a trad kilt has a stitched fell, and he's objecting to the fact that the pleats are stitched from the waist to the bottom of the fell. The "traditional" kilt that he refers to is what we typically call a great kilt.

If that is the case, then IMHO, the sewing of the pleats down to the fell allows a better fit, less bulk, and looks better. I remove excess material of the pleats between the fell and top of the kilt by cutting the inside of the pleats.

[Carolina Kiltman]

Then there are those of us who could use a bit of extra padding back there I'm still trying to figure how to move excess waist to that part of my anatomy.

[Pleater]

I suspect it is to make a neat outline, removing the bulk of the material and holding it close to the body rather than the sack tied in the middle look of a casually donned great kilt.

It is similar to the alteration in the countryman's smock to make it into the modern shirt.

These days we see lots of people wearing baggy clothing, saggy trousers, so we think little of it, but after Beau Brummel the manly outline was decidedly a smoothly tailored one. Victorian Englishmen even wore corsets to narrow their waists.

The unstructured great kilt simply would not do.

Anne the Pleater