New Kilt

[Kiltsnquilts]

I hope I post this at the right place. I bought my first kilt a couple of months ago in a charity shop in Glasgow. And I love it. It fit so perfect. I only know it's wool and heavy. So, don't know if it is 6 yards or 8. And because I just started to wear kilts, don't really know so much about it. Last week I ordered my second one. An 8 yard 100% wool kilt in the Spirit of Scotland tartan. But there's something strange. It fits great. But the pleats are starting / ending on my legs. also my apron is falling inside between my legs. The seller said it's 100 % wool and I could only dry clean it. But at the label in the kilt is written that I can also wash it in the machine at 40 degrees. When I lay both kilts on top of each other then my new kilt is much, much longer then the old one. And it's the same size. I wrote an mail to the seller already. But I thought to ask some advise here first. Maybe one of you knows what I do wrong. Thanks in advance for your help / advice.

If your kilt is wool I wouldn't attempt to machine wash it to be honest. It could shrink from the agitation combined with the heat - even at a low temperature - and you will also lose the pressed pleats.


When you say the pleats are starting and ending on your legs do you mean the pleated area doesn't start and finish at your body's 'side seam'? (for want of a better description haha)

Did you measure the old one to ensure the new one would be the same length and measurements?

[Liam]

I have never washed or dry cleaned any of my kilts. ...not true, I did once wash one of my pv kilts, 8 or 9 years ago. After wearing simply hang up properly to air out. If pleats get wrinkled I use a hand steamer. If you have a spill, carefully sponge off gently, and repeat as necessary. Wear underwear.....

[MichiganKyle]

There isn't a thing as a standard length kilt.....no more than there is such a thing as a standard height kilt wearer

Very true. However, that's what it's called on the Sport Kilt site is "Standard Length", and for someone with no experience with kilts combined with kilt measuring instructions from various kiltmakers that assume you know where your anatomical waist is, and it can be very easy to assume that "Standard Length" is probably correct when it's actually far from it.

I have never washed or dry cleaned any of my kilts. ...not true, I did once wash one of my pv kilts, 8 or 9 years ago. After wearing simply hang up properly to air out. If pleats get wrinkled I use a hand steamer. If you have a spill, carefully sponge off gently, and repeat as necessary. Wear underwear.....

I wash my kilts quite regularly. The P/V USA Kilts hold their pleats very well, the Sport Kilts soften a bit and I generally re-crease the pleats to reinforce them while they're still wet, and my cotton DNKE Highlander utility kilt just gets wrinkled unless I re-pleat it, despite having the pleats sewn in. All of them get washed cold and hung on kilt hangers to dry. The P/V ones are the easiest to wash - the pleats just come out darn near perfect with almost no work. But, again, I can't speak for wool.

[Katia]

When you say the pleats are starting and ending on your legs do you mean the pleated area doesn't start and finish at your body's 'side seam'? (for want of a better description haha)

I read it as, the pleats are stitched down to the thighs? Which would suggest to me that OP is wearing the kilt too low.

[Kiltsnquilts]

I read it as, the pleats are stitched down to the thighs? Which would suggest to me that OP is wearing the kilt too low.

Hmm that might be what the OP means too - hard to tell. Although the OP does say the pleats are 'starting and ending' on his legs which made me think he was talking circumference and not depth.