Kilt length

[Hauge]

Most of the budget tartan kilts (i.e. made in Pakistan) and those purporting to be ex-hire are advertised as coming at a “Standard 24” Length”. Who know how they came up with this as a “standard” but there you go. Just search for new kilts on eBay and Etsy, and you’ll see.

Exactly. And some Scottish shops, selling off the shelve, has that same solution to length.
The first kilt i bought, was from "Heritage of Scotland". Where they sold (what i now know is) pakistani kilts. Bought a 8Yard 16 OZ PV, and liked what i got on. Not ideal at all. But as i wrote, on a budget, and as a first kilt... Back then, HoS also sold to the measure. And today i wish, i'd taken such instead.
Living behind the iron curtain, of EU, choices as to be on a budget, just went bad as GB left.
Here in Denmark, a £300 kilt would end up in like £450, due to import taxes and freight. 25% VAT, plus another 6.5-8% on clothings, of the total order sum with freight. Atop of that, You'll also have to pay a fixed handling fee at around £18...

But, a long short, these budget kilts from House of Scotland, eBay, Etzy ect. are "standard" 24". This giving a plausible explanation, for the under knee tendency.
Found a little "rool of thumbs" stating the kilt should be Kiltlenght in inches = your height in cm / 7,62. If that was to be followed, my Kilts should have been 22,57" long. A difference of some 1,4", to the "standard". Turning that calculus around, A "standard" Kilt wearer, should have a height of some 182,88 cm's or 6 Feet.

[Jock Scot]

24" should be good for the average man IF the kilt is worn at the intended place around the natural waist.

If the kilt is worn lower than it was designed to be worn, down round the hips like blue-jeans, then the bottom will be too low.

Like this

I will have night mares over this picture!

OCR is right though, it all depends where you as an individual want to wear the kilt AT THE TOP. The bottom will fall higher if you wear the top higher, for a non bespoke kilt. I have absolutely no idea about this 24inch business, but if the kilt is worn like those in the above picture then the scissors need to come out to crop the bottom of the kilt.

[Troglodyte]

A standard length for the kilt would only work if all kilt-wearers were a standard height.

Leg-length and body proportions are first on the field of play when a bespoke kilt-maker is in action, but for off-the-peg or ready-to-wear kilts, the makers have to work to some kind of standard measurement, so they use an average. As with trousers, inside-leg measurement plays a part.

Myself, being of average height and weight at 5'10", I have an unusually long inside-leg measurement at 33" - that is something normal in men several inches taller than me. Consequently, a kilt that sits as like to wear it at the waist, and coming to the top of my kneecap, needs to be much longer than 24". All my kilts measure between 25 1/2" and 27", the longer having more rise, and the shortest being only just long enough, I feel.

I recently passed a kilt on to my 6'4" nephew, and the length is near perfect for him.

I'm sure I could wear a 'standard 24' but it would be far too short for my preference.

[Ninehostages]

When I measure people for kilts, I always measure so it comes to the top of the knee. That's where I make my kilts to go to as well.

... measured to just above the navel. I'm 6'-4" but I'm also all torso with relatively shortish legs that give me the "off the chart" measurement kilt length of someone about 5'-8.

They say that big body trunks and smaller limbs comes from being Arctic dwellers in our past, the thermodynamic advantage of having less cooling surface exposed and that is consistent with my ancient Caledonian genetic origins. I'd expect that my body shape may come up elsewhere within the Scottish people..

[OC Richard]

I've I never heard of a 'standard length kilt?

It's the hire shops, I don't know about recently but a decade ago when I was keeping an eye on them most were stocking 24" kilts as their standard hire length.

Too short for me! I need 25" to feel right, and some of my kilts have been 25.5 and a couple have been 26.

[KennethSime]

It's the hire shops, I don't know about recently but a decade ago when I was keeping an eye on them most were stocking 24" kilts as their standard hire length.

Too short for me! I need 25" to feel right, and some of my kilts have been 25.5 and a couple have been 26.

I've heard that while men vary quite a bit in height, a hell of a lot of men are just about the same size between the femur and the navel or so.

25" is a great length for me if I'm wearing with a t-shirt, sweater, or even an Argyll. 26" is better if I intend to wear a P.C.

[Ninehostages]

I'm 6'-4" with a 22-1/2" kilt measurement top-of-belly-button to the floor while kneeling "straight".

Not quite standard ...

[Steve Ashton]

The thing to remember above all else -

The total length of the kilt is the absolute worse way to describe the length of a kilt.

There may be anywhere from 1/2 inch up to 4 inches of Rise above the center of the top strap. The Drop of the kilt is the length from the bottom selvedge up to the center of the top strap. While the Rise effects how the kilt will fit and look, the amount of Rise is different from the Drop length. In a kilt made using TAoK, the Total Length is - Drop + Rise.
And by TAoK the Length of the Fell Area is 1/3 of the Drop. (Not the total length)

For example - If you have two kilts with the same over all length, of say 24" - one is made in Pakistan with an 'Standard" 8 inch Fell Area length, a 1 inch Rise but no taper - and the other is made with the TAoK 1/3 Drop rule Fell Area, with a 2 inch rise and has taper - the two kilts will fit, feel, and look totally differently on the wearer.

There is a bone in the thigh from the hip to the knee. This length if the thigh on a guy does not change. But he can change how high on his body he wishes to wear his kilt.
So the length down from the bottom of the Fell Area will not change for him. But the length up from the bottom of the Fell Area will change.

So, the very best way to describe the length measurements of a kilt is to start with the bottom of the Fell Area.
Measure the length down from the bottom of the Fell Area to where the wearer wishes the bottom of the kilt to hit his knee.
Measure the length up from the bottom of the Fell Area to where the wearer wishes the top straps to fit on his body.
And finally measure how much Rise the wearer wishes there to be above the top straps.

In my experience, I made a lot of kilts that the total length was 24 inches. But it was rare to make the same kilt twice using the above method.
Every person's personal preference is different and every person's body is different and unique. A kilt is one of the perfect examples where "1 size does not fit everyone".

[Jock Scot]

Steve has clearly and concisely said it all in one phrase;”one size does not fit every one”.

It is perfectly clear to me that when that is added to the assorted heights of top of kilt and bottom of kilt, then that is entirely a personal choice then I would add to Steve’s comment; “ one length does not suit all” either and for a myriad of reasons.

But.................there are most definitely limits of what can be done, before the whole essence of the kilt and its image is lost.

[OC Richard]

I'm 6'-4" with a 22-1/2" kilt measurement top-of-belly-button to the floor while kneeling "straight".

That's an excellent illustration of how overall height doesn't mean much when it comes to proportioning the kilt.

I'm also 6'4" and a 22" kilt would look far too short on me. For the bottom of the kilt to come to my knees the top would have to be down around my hips (where many gents wear them nowadays anyhow).

BTW it's a peeve of mine how many US Pipe Band guys wear their kilts too low, around their hips, so that the bottom covers their knees.

Sadly their chain of logic goes:

1) I wear the top of my kilt low on my hips like bluejeans, thus

2) my kilt looks too long, covering my knees, thus

3) I have my kilt shortened, thus

4) there's white shirt showing between the top of my kilt and the bottom of my waistcoat, thus

5) I order an extra-long waistcoat.

Higgins, whose waistcoats are very popular with Pipe Bands around here, makes their Pipe Band waistcoats in:

Regular (a bit longer, actually, than Scottish-made kilt jacket waistcoats are made)

Extra Long (longer than would ever be seen traditionally with kilts)

Extra Extra Long (absurdly long, covering half the kilt).