Used kilts

**The Wizard of BC** · 16th October 17, 08:06 PM

I guess Knoxy, it is when you say

For me I want it as traditional as possible

that has me confused.

Can you tell us what you mean by this please? What is your definition of traditional?

**bodhran4me** · 16th October 17, 09:18 PM

Originally Posted by WalesLax

Was that Kilts4Less?

Others on here have mentioned that sometimes you get good Kilts from them and others you get shoddy workmanship.

Yes. I had read they were very forthcoming about where there kilts were made, which mills etc. and that there was quite a range in the quality. I believe these particular ones were one of the lesser quality. I may yet make a phone call as I find email/texting a very frustrating means of communication. As a company they seem to receive good reviews on their service.

**Knoxy10** · 17th October 17, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by The Wizard of BC

I guess Knoxy, it is when you say that has me confused.

Can you tell us what you mean by this please? What is your definition of traditional?

I mean on eBay, and other 3rd party selling sites, sellers say it’s all hand made in Scotland, but the sellers profile says they’re from a different country and reviews say it’s not made there or it’s not great quality. So I want to make sure it’s legitimate. That’s what I mean like ceremonial quality and kilts that Scottish pipers would wear or scottsmen that would wear them to work or weddings and would last years. Sorry for the confusion

**Knoxy10** · 17th October 17, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by bodhran4me

Yes. I had read they were very forthcoming about where there kilts were made, which mills etc. and that there was quite a range in the quality. I believe these particular ones were one of the lesser quality. I may yet make a phone call as I find email/texting a very frustrating means of communication. As a company they seem to receive good reviews on their service.

I will call them tomorrow or this weekend sometime when I’m able to

email is easy because at work I can’t make phone calls :/

**Moses** · 17th October 17, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by Profane James

I'll throw out etsy.com.
I found my wonderful Gordon Family, pleated to the sett (!!!) from an etsy shop!

I didn't even know etsy.com existed - thanks Profane James - I too am in search of Gordon tartans as well as all the other associated items

**The Q** · 17th October 17, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by Knoxy10

I mean on eBay, and other 3rd party selling sites, sellers say it’s all hand made in Scotland, but the sellers profile says they’re from a different country and reviews say it’s not made there or it’s not great quality. So I want to make sure it’s legitimate. That’s what I mean like ceremonial quality and kilts that Scottish pipers would wear or scottsmen that would wear them to work or weddings and would last years. Sorry for the confusion

Sadly most Scots would not know the difference between a real handmade kilt and a a Pakistani one if it hit them in the face....
Most Scots and come to that most Highlanders, if going to a wedding go to the nearest hire shop and get what's pushed at them. All they know is they want a kilt in their clan tartan. ( And not to cost them too much money for a days use)
Few can afford or wish to pay for £600 worth of kilt hanging in a cupboard for the occasional wedding. The real hand made kilt is for the enthusiast or the traditionalist.

I doubt any hire shop, even in Scotland, uses fully hand made kilts these days, as mentioned above, they will be machine made to last a couple of year in the fleet to then be sold off. Margin is everything, missing out stabilisers, on one bulk purchase of say a single clan sizes 24 to 50 inch would be a considerable saving, multiply that over several clans and that could be your years profit.

The only way of knowing what you're buying is to go into a shop selling second hand kilts and inspecting them yourself, and there are few places you can do that even in Scotland.

I've gone from two Pakistani kilts to buying a machine made ex-hire, early next year I hope to commission a hand made kilt. It will be the only way to get top quality for definite.

**Profane James** · 20th October 17, 03:44 PM

Originally Posted by Moses

I didn't even know etsy.com existed - thanks Profane James - I too am in search of Gordon tartans as well as all the other associated items

And while you're there, if you find yourself wanting garter ties instead of flashes...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1953858...itionally-hand

She has made all that I own, and if you start a 'conversation' , as etsy calls it, she can make any length, in whatever wool colors she has available.

**Moses** · 20th October 17, 04:05 PM

I did see on eBay a kilt being sold where the tag showed Ann Higgins Hand Made in Scotland 100% wool but also interestingly, Kilt Makers Association of Scotland " the assured Mark of quality".

I did a small bit of research and found the Kilt Makers Association of Scotland was supposedly tries to standardize a higher level of quality in Kilt making whether or not this was legitimately adhered to on this Kilt I don't know but at least it speaks to someone making an attempt at a more traditionally made/fitting Kilt.

This was from an eBay seller based in the UK that had picked up the items from an estate sale. I think those are the types where you might have luck at finding some type of legitimate quality at a cheap price.

Of course the Kilt may not fit all your specifications but in this case it was very cheap so if the quality is equivalent to an acrylic Kilt no harm no foul for getting something that even if it turned out to be lightweight wool would be somewhat valuable

**Profane James** · 21st October 17, 06:16 AM

also, FWIW,
With my two kilt purchases - one Gordon modern from eBay, and the other from etsy - I was sure to ask for pictures of the inside laid open, the belt straps, the BACK (to see how the pleats line up, specifically at the top, where sewn together) to check pleating craftsmanship. Fortunately, they had no problem snapping those pics for me. Now, the 'burn test' as it is called, will tell if the material is PV or wool. I do remember asking both sellers, but none knew what that was, and I didn't press it as the price was right, one way or the other. I compare that 'test' to a title check at the DMV. Probably a good question to ask when dealing with estate sales, where the seller may or may not have any real knowledge of the item, other than the estate that it came from...

**Wareyin** · 27th October 17, 04:55 AM

Based on the recommendation here, I just tried etsy. I must say, I've never seen so many skirts labeled as kilts before. And I do mean garments that are clearly skirts, not tartan, not even utility kilts, and displayed on female mannequins! I did get my hopes up with sohoskirts (there's that word again!), but I suspect their "PV" is plain old acrylic based on the few pictures I can find elsewhere.

I've also just given Kilts4Less a look. Boy are the salespeople pushy in emails. First they claimed to have Buchanan tartan kilts in new, unworn condition as "ex-hires". When I inquired, however, they don't have my size. They were happy to alter one for me, but I am leary about them doing so. When I expressed that I don't want an altered to fit kilt, I was informed that all kilt rental companies alter all their kilts anyway. But, if these are new, then they should not have been altered! Now they tell me that they will make me a new one for the same price as their ex-hires, but I doubt that a brand new 99 pound kilt will be worth any more than the 13oz wool kilts I can find all over here for about $40 less after shipping.