Just a follow-up - having worn this kilt a few times and *all day* at a folk festival this past Saturday, it was time to run it through the wash. Despite everything I had read here, I did this with some trepidation because hey, it is a precision garment that is pretty dependent on all those pleats looking crisp. It came out of the spin cycle mostly dry already, and I laid it out flat on a couple of towels overnight. Other than a few minutes spent arranging and distributing the pleats, that is really all there was to it; there were a couple of rumples in the fell, but since that part gets drawn tight around your back anyway I left them alone. I don't know how the 'Perma pleat' system works (I can't see any visible stitching along those pleat edges below the fell) but it's impressive.

Also worth noting: While I wouldn't try to substitute it for a traditional wool 8-yard kilt in a more formal context, the Casual does dress up quite adequately; Last night I wore it with a shirt, tie and converted sports jacket and it looked just fine for that occasion.