To the stripe or set?

**jhockin** · 7th December 20, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by figheadair

Bob Martin always recokoned that pleating to sett came in at the end of the 19th or early 20th century. I've certainly never seen an older kilt pleated to sett. Bob also said that pleating to sett often needs more material and resulted in the standard 8 yard kilt.

Those wily weavers found a way to sell more of their products 😉

**figheadair** · 7th December 20, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by jhockin

Those wily weavers found a way to sell more of their products 😉

Or more likely, those wily kilt makers.

**OC Richard** · 8th December 20, 11:52 AM

With kilt yardage, when I got into kiltwearing (1975) people seemed to regard the 8-yard kilt as standard.

There were two local kiltmakers here, and places in Scotland one could order kilts from, and it all seemed to be about 8 yard kilts.

In 2006 I joined a new Pipe Band and the kilt they issued me was exceptionally comfortable. I could tell it was heavyweight cloth yet the kilt was lighter, so I measured the yardage and it was between 6 and 7 yards.

So when I ordered my next two kilts I had them made that way.

A few years ago I started collecting vintage Highland Dress catalogues, mostly from the 1930s, and to my surprise I discovered that kilts in various yardages were offered by the firms that mentioned yardage. (Around half the catalogues make no mention.)

So perhaps the largest Highland Dress maker of the period, RG Lawrie Glasgow, offers gentlemen's kilts in 6, 7, and 8 yards in 1936.

Interestingly the c1955 Anderson's catalogue offers kilts in "7, 8, or more yards".