Let me just say first that I am happy that you think I have 6 pack abs. Most people wouldn't notice, as I have lately been keeping my 6-pack protected in a large styrofoam cooler -- just to keep 'em cool, you know. :-) I also think it's funny you named your 12-pack guy Sam, as that's my brother's name, and he's thinner than I am.

As to the issue at hand, I think you are overthinking this somewhat. One thing you are missing is that cloth is more flexible and drapes entirely different than cardboard or posterboard.

When making a kilt for someone whose waist is larger than their hips, there is no "negative taper." You essentially ignore the hip measurement in that case, and more or less carry the waist measurement down. So, for instance, if a person's waist is 47" and their hips only 44", then I use the 47" measurement on their hip, as well.

And actually, I still make the hips a bit larger. I still add the 2" increase to the apron, to maintain the proper apron shape, but then in the pleats, I just make them the same measurements at waist and hip. So there is no taper at all in the pleats.

This has always worked well for me, though I suppose I may have to adjust my method somewhat if I had a client who had a "bubble butt" (where your seat comes out quite a bit from the small of your back). Most men I find don't have that much junk in their trunk (if I may), and so it's not an issue.

In fact the issue I have to deal with most in men of substance is the exact opposite. All of the extra girth is in the front, in their stomach, and their rear ends are rather non-existent by comparison. I drew some lines on your graphic to illustrate what I mean.


You can see in 6-pack man that the median line down the center of his profile essentially bisects the kilt. You want the pleats to start and end at this line, meaning in this case about half the kilt will be pleats, and half apron. Now, in Mr. 12-pack, if we draw a bisecting line down the same place in his body, he has much more of his kilt in the front than in the back. This means if we want the pleats to begin at this mid-point, we actually should make the apron larger than the pleated portion of the kilt. And so often when making kilts for men of substance, I will make the aprons larger than the pleats to maintain this balanced look when the kilt is being worn.