For what it’s worth, Sadkingbilly, I have been attacked both by my own wife and by a Scottish (but non-kilted) colleague about my kilts being worn “too high”.
I wear the kilt the way I was taught in my regiment, and I doubt you will find a more authoritative source than that – it should not come down over the knee, and it is perfectly all right for it to be above the navel.
It was a relief for me to see pictures posted recently of 19th-century Highlander sergeants wearing their kilts considerably above the navel, the explanation being that this protected the kidneys.
There seems to be a major mismatch between fashion-inspired notions about how the kilt should be worn and how it is actually worn, and the problem seems to be that these notions are derived from the way women wear skirts – which are not the same animal at all.
I have no problem with trendy guys who want to wear kilts that fit them around the hips, not the waist, but they must not pretend that this is the traditional manner. Nor should they be surprised if the kilt slips down during a day’s wearing, because it has nothing to anchor itself on.
Go ahead: make your kilt to fit around the hips. You will quickly discover that you need a new kilt that fits higher, because it works better.
Regards,
Mike

PS: The city I live in, Port Elizabeth, lies on Algoa Bay. In Afrikaans, that is Algoabaai, usually abbreviated to die Baai. So our greeting is: Groete uit die Baai.