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Mastering kiltic cool

Robert Pel, a former Stratford Festival stage manager, makes the age-old skirt covetable

By DIANE SEWELL
Special to The Globe and Mail
Saturday, September 11, 2004 - Page L5




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STRATFORD, ONT. -- Piers Fox is tired of jeans and label clothes. The 15-year-old Grade 10 student is intent on striking out with his own brand of back-to-school style. That's one reason he's wearing a kilt. "When people comment I'm wearing a skirt, I just laugh. I don't care. I'm tired of seeing people who are completely controlled by what TV tells them to be and say and wear."

The wraparound, pleated kilt dates back to the 1700s, but what Piers and a growing number of young people are being drawn to are the modern metal-studded, rivet-jewelled denim versions, made by Robert Pel, a former Stratford Festival stage manager turned contemporary kilt maker.

"My kilts are rather rugged-looking because of the hardware and the leather straps," Pel says. "They look really funky and strong and sturdy -- and they have attitude, which is appealing to the kids."

The fact that some punk bands and musicians such as Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIsaac wear them has also influenced teen tastes, he adds.

Pel's six-yard, 20-pleat denim kilts are custom-made and functional. Each one comes with cargo pockets, and pockets within pockets big enough to transport CD players, MP3 players, cellphones and other assorted toys kids tend to carry around. The most popular colour with teens is black, followed by olive green. All of them are machine-washable.

A basic kilt costs $250 and takes a few days to "build," as Pel puts it. There's also a leather version, which he says kids "are lusting after," but the $750 price tag is prohibitive for most teens.

Pel has been building kilts for two years, selling them through his website and at shows. They've been shipped to Tasmania, Finland, England, the United States and all across Canada. With the proper measurements, he never needs to see his customers in person to get a good fit. That's because of the nature of the garment.

"There's leeway and that's the beauty of the kilt. Since a kilt is a wraparound garment, I always have a leeway of an inch to two inches on each one."

Teenage girls tend to wear their kilts above the knee; boys at the knee. "Some of the guys like them longer," Pel says, "but they don't look that good. Just breaking the knee is best."

Georgia McEwen-Hall, a 15-year-old from Guelph, Ont., was thrilled when her mother ordered two kilts from Pel at the recent Celtic Roots Festival in Goderich, Ont.; one for her and one for her 16-year-old brother. "I think kilts are so cool," McEwen-Hall says. "My brother's friends are actually jealous. One of them wanted to buy his."

Abby Dunfield, an 18-year-old high-school graduate who works at her mother's downtown bar and restaurant in Stratford, has the popular black kilt -- and so does her mother. "I just like it because it's not traditional," Dunfield says. "They're sturdy and plain and I like black. It's my favourite colour. They're also really comfortable."

These rivet-studded versions tend to invite some creative accessorizing as well. For McEwen-Hall, her kilt-centred look is a carefully crafted head-to-toe ensemble. "I'll probably wear mine with my garter belt and my green fishnet tights and maybe a band shirt and skate shoes."