Ladies- do you wear "male" kilts or kilts made specially for women?

[Katia]

When we say "women's kilts," are we taking about a full-yardage kilt with a cut to better fit a woman's shape (usually more of a tapered waist rather than straight-up-and-down), or what I've seen called a "kilted skirt"-- pleats not very deep, not with the yardage (and not always with the sett replicated across the back)?

[frank_a]

My wife has one of each. She has a men's Ancient Campbell and a lady's. She also has a men's Foster. She likes what she likes!

Frank

[Katia]

Speaking of kilted skirts, was in a discussion with someone-- what is the definition of a kilted skirt? I had understood that it fit my description above, but she said she thought a "kilted skirt" was any kilt-like garment worn by a woman-- even if it was a full kilt. So, my 6-7 yard dance kilt, opening on the proper side, etc. = a kilted skirt. (I'm not sure if that means it has to have been made for a woman specifically, or if it is a "kilted skirt" vs "kilt" based solely on who it happens to be worn by at any given moment.)

Any input?

[neloon]

Speaking of kilted skirts, was in a discussion with someone-- what is the definition of a kilted skirt? I had understood that it fit my description above, but she said she thought a "kilted skirt" was any kilt-like garment worn by a woman-- even if it was a full kilt. So, my 6-7 yard dance kilt, opening on the proper side, etc. = a kilted skirt. (I'm not sure if that means it has to have been made for a woman specifically, or if it is a "kilted skirt" vs "kilt" based solely on who it happens to be worn by at any given moment.)

Any input?

I agree 100% with your definition, Katia. In the first of these country dance demonstrations, the ladies are wearing "kilted skirts".
http://www.scottish-country-dancing-...n-bobbins.html
Alan

[Mike_Oettle]

When you consider that men’s clothing buttons up the way it does because gentlemen used to dress themselves, and were mostly right-handed, and that women’s buttoning is the other way round because ladies were dressed by their maids, who also were mostly right-handed (but working from the other side), it seems to me that the traditional notions of how men’s and women’s clothing should button or how kilts/skirts should buckle up are entirely arbitrary.
What works for you is what works best.
Ladies of X Marks, make your own choices and forget about the silly side of tradition.
Regards,
Mike

[The Wizard of BC]

Speaking of kilted skirts, was in a discussion with someone-- what is the definition of a kilted skirt? I had understood that it fit my description above, but she said she thought a "kilted skirt" was any kilt-like garment worn by a woman-- even if it was a full kilt. So, my 6-7 yard dance kilt, opening on the proper side, etc. = a kilted skirt. (I'm not sure if that means it has to have been made for a woman specifically, or if it is a "kilted skirt" vs "kilt" based solely on who it happens to be worn by at any given moment.)

Any input?

Basically Katia, there are two ways to look at this.

One school of thought is to call any garment worn by a female as "Ladies Pleated Skirt" or "Ladies Tartan Skirt".

But if a lady is in the military or a pipe band she will wear the exact same garment as everyone else. So it would probably still be called a kilt.

Another school of thought is to separate things by how the garment is made. In general a Kilt would be a garment made like a kilt with stabilizer and interfacings.
A ladies skirt may be made of a light weight fabric. It may be made with shallower pleats resulting in less yardage required. And the hem of a ladies skirt may be any height she likes from ultra mini to floor length.

In my shop I use the second method. To me a ladies skirt will be made differently than a man's kilt.

Of course either a kilt or a skirt may be fastened on the right or left and it really does not change the garment much. (Even a man's kilt could have the aprons reversed and still be worn.)

If you like your garments to be called skirts, then call them skirts. If you want to call what you wear a kilt you are more than welcome to do so.

This would usually be called a Hostess skirt.

[Katia]

Basically Katia, there are two ways to look at this.

Everything you posted was sort of my inclination, as well, but I wasn't 100% certain I was correct here, so I didn't insist the point beyond "this is what I've seen it defined as." But I certainly want to be correct in future before I start spouting off facts and definitions, hence why I asked. As you say, though, I would indeed find it rather strange that my band kilt, which likely may have only been worn by men before me, was a kilt until I strapped it on, at which point it would become a kilted skirt, until the day it is passed on to another man and gets to be a kilt again.

(My dance kilt, at least you could say was made for a woman and could maybe argue something there if you really wanted to, but I'd still insist that it walks and quacks like a duck {looks/feels/moves/is made like any other full kilt}, and it shouldn't matter the wearer or the possibility of a slightly different cut at the waist {I'm not sure if the difference in fit for me between the two is because the dance kilt is indeed cut differently for a woman, or if it's just that the dance kilt fits and the band kilt is much too big and that's where its awkward fit comes in}.)

[The Wizard of BC]

Katia,

While your dance kilt may have been made for you that is how all kilts are made. The only difference in one kilt from another is the taper to the pleats in the Fell area. A woman's kilt may or may not have a different amount of taper but it's still just taper. I have made some men's kilts with more taper than I have some women's kilts. It all depends on the shape of the wearer.

In fact a dance kilt for a man would be made exactly the same way as one for a woman. Just different measurements just as their would be between two men or two women.

All aprons are about 1/2 of the waist plus a small amount. All aprons taper from the waist to the hips along their outer edges. All kilts have the pleats hanging straight down from the hips to the hem and parallel.
The only difference, and the only place we shape a kilt, is in the Fell area.

If both kilts are made by the same person the internal construction will be exactly the same.

And it is this internal construction that would make it a kilt v.s. a skirt. A kilt will have stabilizer and interfacing. A skirt usually does not. It does not matter what the outer fabric is. The lining does not really matter as it's only purpose is to cover the internal construction. The straps and buckles may be smaller for a smaller person.

The only thing I can think,f is that some makers do put darts into the aprons but they should really not be needed if the kilt aprons are properly tapered at their outer edges. In fact "The Art of Kiltmaking" specifically states that there should never be darts.

[Mike_Oettle]

Hi, Katia – since you play in a band you know all about band kilts made for men.
If she can afford it, a woman should ideally wear a kilt made to her measurements, which in a slim woman would usually mean a much narrower waist than for a man.
Most women pipers and drummers simply wear whatever they can find in the band store.
However, I gather that a few pipe bands nowadays have their female members not in man-style kilts but in pleated skirts that hang to mid-calf. Quite a few solo women pipers have also adopted this trend, which many would view as being more feminine.
It basically boils down to what you need, what you are issued with, and what you can afford.
Regards,
Mike

[Katia]

Katia,

While your dance kilt may have been made for you

It actually wasn't (it's secondhand), but it was made for someone of a woman's shape and about my measurements, so, that's close enough. IOW, it fits as it was meant to, including fitting at the waist and "booty" (yes, I'm not exactly small back there, though I'm not too curvy otherwise).

I've heard of a lot of women (often band members) who say that they have trouble fitting kilts well unless it was constructed with smaller waist/wider hips in mind (rather than the more straight-up-and-down body type men tend to exhibit). It was this that I was referring to-- sorry if that wasn't clear.