Going Kilted for my Missouri Wedding

[bodhran4me]

K, Deep breath.... here we go....

Keep growing the beard and nobody will even notice you aren't wearing a tie!




Before anything is said, yes it is a formal sporran paired with a non-formal jacket etc. It was taken at the time to show the newly acquired sporran but is being used here to show jacket fit as detailed below. It also may show that nobody should listen to a thing I say

The jacket is a House of Edgar 'Crail' (their term) jacket . I measure at a 40 chest and have long arms. I like a little looser, more comfortable fit in my OTR jackets. Having said that, I may have gotten away with a 42L. I like the longer sleeves as my shirt sleeves are never long enough to allow them to stick out in the 'proper' manner. I do think I would have preferred the vest a wee bit shorter as it interferes at times with my sporrans, so maybe a 42/44R would have been better in the waistcoat?
I understand K4L has excellent after sales service despite some (in my opinion ) questionable sales and advertising. It is my understanding that one shop in the UK is responsible for manufacturing and rebranding most of the "Made in Scotland" kilt jackets and vest for sale. I wonder if the K4L jackets are an exception, thus the boxy look you mentioned. It may be the way the cut of the jacket as opposed to size. I am a small framed guy(see ma chicken legs) with a bit o' belly and I don't notice this with my jacket shoulders and sleeves. I may be tempted to order another in a smaller size , keep the better fitting set and sell the other. You may lose a little bit of cash , but I shouldn't think you would lose too much . This is after all your wedding and you want to feel good about what you are wearing both in the moment and when you look back at photos and video in years to come.

You have received advice about altering the kilt yourself and dealing with USA Kilts. USAK is generally highly regarded and should be able to advise what is your best way forward. Let us know which way you go and how it works for you. If you have somebody move the straps and buckles, be sure they move both strap and buckle. The fellow who did mine moved only the buckle. It is still okay, but there are more pleats under the apron then necessary and LOTS better than continually hiking up your kilt. One thing I didn't see mentioned was suspenders or braces . This might be an option, especially if you are wearing a waistcoat for this and other events. I kind of did a trial run with a pair of clip style prior to moving the buckles but I think I preferred the buckles being moved due to the weight of the kilt being on my shoulders and the elasticity of the braces themselves coming into play. If I were to go with braces I would likely go with button style to avoid damage from the kilt. Perhaps others would care to comment on the pros/cons of braces.

As to sporran belt vs chain , since you have a daywear sporran you could go either way but I think the extra width of the belt helps keep it from undercutting , and thus highlighting, my belly. Some guys like sporran hangers but then you get into the whole belt with waistcoat thing....

Others who are better informed can feel free to correct me, on this amongst other things, but the flashes should be at more of a 10 and 2 o'clock position. Flashes , like kilt pins, aren't strictly necessary but do add some bling.

You also mentioned you were replacing the shoes. Get them early, make sure they fit and are broken in before the big day so ya can dance the night away with your new bride. Along the same lines, if you are getting ghillie brogues (love 'em or hate 'em) make sure you know how to properly tie them so they are constantly coming loose

For what it is worth, you look very comfortable and natural especially for a new kilter. Best wishes to you and your bride in your life together .

Cheers!

[Brian Rose]

K, Deep breath.... here we go....

I like the longer sleeves as my shirt sleeves are never long enough to allow them to stick out in the 'proper' manner.

I think I may have made this comment in another thread. The "proper" length is a relatively recent fashion.
The story I heard was it's Johnny Carson's fault or rather his producer's. For those outside the US, he was a TV presenter who had a popular late night show for 20+ years. The early TV cameras did not adjust well to contrast changes. The fashion in the early 60's was that the shirt sleeves were not longer than the coat sleeves. When Johnny was on camera, and moved his arms, the white shirt sleeves were suddenly exposed. The cameras couldn't adjust to the quick change and the picture flared. The producer had Johnny's coat sleeves shortened so that some white sleeve was exposed all the time. The camera did not have to do a quick contrast adjustment and problem was solved. It's a fun story and I'm sticking to it.
Our proof ( or lack thereof) will be in reviewing the vintage photos that OC Richard had posted.

[Highland Logan]

I think I may have made this comment in another thread. The "proper" length is a relatively recent fashion.
The story I heard was it's Johnny Carson's fault or rather his producer's. For those outside the US, he was a TV presenter who had a popular late night show for 20+ years. The early TV cameras did not adjust well to contrast changes. The fashion in the early 60's was that the shirt sleeves were not longer than the coat sleeves. When Johnny was on camera, and moved his arms, the white shirt sleeves were suddenly exposed. The cameras couldn't adjust to the quick change and the picture flared. The producer had Johnny's coat sleeves shortened so that some white sleeve was exposed all the time. The camera did not have to do a quick contrast adjustment and problem was solved. It's a fun story and I'm sticking to it.
Our proof ( or lack thereof) will be in reviewing the vintage photos that OC Richard had posted.

The old rule has always been, at least “A half-inch of linen”. And as much as I love OCR' photo archive, Google is up and working.

https://www.ties.com/blog/100-years-of-mens-fashion

No shirt sleeve showing has in my experience based on the following. The sign of a military uniform; a former military member whom gets stuck into the "uniform" style; an ill-fitted non-adjusted off the rack jacket; a shirt with sleeves, just too short; and lastly someone who was not brought up wearing suit jackets.

Always happy to hear other thoughts.

Frank

[ktk1961]

Shortening sleeves is a standard alteration at any tailor. The circumference of the sleeve won't be an issue if you wear cufflinks, as others have suggested.

Certainly true, although the style of sleeve on kilt jackets can be problematic when seeking to shorten a sleeve. I recently received a beautiful Lovat blue jacket and waistcoat I had ordered from USA Kilts. I had sized "up" as advised by virtually everyone and by USA Kilts on their site, but I still expected to do some alteration to fit me well. Indeed, I am having the sides taken in a bit, but the sleeves were the real problem. Way too long for my taste even though I ordered a Regular (my usual suit is 40R, but I ordered 42R).

Since the jacket features a gauntlet cuff, shortening the sleeves is not as easy as it is with an ordinary sleeve. The only way to shorten the sleeves the necessary amount while retaining the proportions on the gauntlet cuff is to remove the sleeve entirely and "shorten" it by taking it up where the sleeve meets the body of the jacket. I've had to do that same procedure on suit jackets with functioning button holes at the cuff. This is a much more expensive proposition than simply tacking up the cuff.

I notice the OP's jacket has a Braemar-Style sleeve. While probably not as big a challenge as shortening a gauntlet cuff, I suspect there might be a problem if the OP wanted to shorten the jacket by more than 1/2", which could throw off the proportion of the "patch" and buttons on the sleeve.

[Bakuda]

Thanks for all of your advice! I kept the vest but returned the jacket to exchange it for a smaller size. I’m hoping the smaller size will also help with the long sleeves. I hated to spend that much on international shipping but it had to be done. I’m just glad that I got it early enough that I could make this change.

I’m moving in two weeks so things are crazy right now, but after the move I plan on getting those straps and buckles moved on the kilt. I believe this will fix the issue of the kilt sitting too low. Should I do this by hand or can I machine this?

Once I get everything done I’ll post a new update. Things are coming together and I’m so excited! I could not have done this without all of your help. Thank you so much!

[KennethSime]

I’m moving in two weeks so things are crazy right now, but after the move I plan on getting those straps and buckles moved on the kilt. I believe this will fix the issue of the kilt sitting too low. Should I do this by hand or can I machine this?

I did mine by hand, but as long as you know your way around the machine I don't see why you couldn't use one.

[Father Bill]

Should I do this by hand or can I machine this?

I have to caution that unless you are accustomed to using a machine through leather and several layers of thick stiff material, and equipped with the proper machine to do so, you are far better off to do it by hand for the simple reason that the stitches MUST go all the way through the stiffeners and internal parts of the kilt lest it attach only superficially in which case the kilt will pull apart and you'll be left with distorted pattern in the sett. I've done this by hand with my own kilts and those of others on several occasions with no problems and with relative ease, and I'm no tailor whatever!

There are several threads (pardon the pun!) on this forum on re-sizing kilts which should easily be found with a simple search and perhaps a wee bit of digging to go with it. I use an extra strong button thread.

[Bakuda]

It’s been a while so here’s a little update on my little predicament. Craig at Kilts4less said he could exchange my jacket for a smaller size if I shipped the original back. I shipped it back to him on April 19th and the last tracking update I had was on April 27th. I checked in with Craig and he has not received it. I fear at this point the package is lost and because I shipped it first class I cannot open an inquiry on the package. With 3 weeks to go I may be without a jacket.

[MichiganKyle]

How's everything else going?

[KennethSime]

It’s been a while so here’s a little update on my little predicament. Craig at Kilts4less said he could exchange my jacket for a smaller size if I shipped the original back. I shipped it back to him on April 19th and the last tracking update I had was on April 27th. I checked in with Craig and he has not received it. I fear at this point the package is lost and because I shipped it first class I cannot open an inquiry on the package. With 3 weeks to go I may be without a jacket.

I believe that USA Kilts does have jackets in stock, ready to ship, although they may not have the perfect color for you, and they will be a bit more expensive. Excellent shipping though!