Top of the Kilt (USAK Semi-Traditional, SWK Standard)

[James MacMillan]

As a kiltmaker, I have people measure circumference at the waist (which for some people is at the navel and some not) and a length from there to the top of the knee cap. I then add a rise. So both the length measurement and the waist circumference would tell you nothing about where the top of the kilt should ride.

Barb

This never ceases to trouble me. With some kilt makers, you have to go to extreme lengths to get to understand what the length of the finished product is going to be.

Barb’s comment – and we all agree that she is a very accomplished kilt maker, seems to say, on one level, that she takes the customers submitted length and then adds another two inches.

I know that I want my finished length of my personal kilts to be 23 1/2 inches long. From the very top edge to the very bottom edge. I arrived at this measurement by measureing the overall length of my kilts that fit me best. That doesn’t mean that I can’t wear a kilt that is a little bit longer or a little bit shorter. But when wearing these longer or shorter kilts, they must be adjusted to ensure that the bottom hem is at the right place. That is one very important location.

Advise to all new kilt buyers who are going to have to order a kilt via mail or e-mail or telephone; Make sure that both you and your kilt maker understand the terms that are being used. Go to great lengths to ensure that both of you understand.

Mis-understandings at the start could lead to a kilt that is two inches too long or two inches too short.

It should also be noted that the length of the fell is very different with different people. A kilt maker who sews all the fells to one measurement, will not have good fit for all people.

[RockyR]

This never ceases to trouble me. With some kilt makers, you have to go to extreme lengths to get to understand what the length of the finished product is going to be.

Barb’s comment – and we all agree that she is a very accomplished kilt maker, seems to say, on one level, that she takes the customers submitted length and then adds another two inches.

I know that I want my finished length of my personal kilts to be 23 1/2 inches long. From the very top edge to the very bottom edge. I arrived at this measurement by measureing the overall length of my kilts that fit me best. That doesn’t mean that I can’t wear a kilt that is a little bit longer or a little bit shorter. But when wearing these longer or shorter kilts, they must be adjusted to ensure that the bottom hem is at the right place. That is one very important location.

Advise to all new kilt buyers who are going to have to order a kilt via mail or e-mail or telephone; Make sure that both you and your kilt maker understand the terms that are being used. Go to great lengths to ensure that both of you understand.

Mis-understandings at the start could lead to a kilt that is two inches too long or two inches too short.

It should also be noted that the length of the fell is very different with different people. A kilt maker who sews all the fells to one measurement, will not have good fit for all people.

That's why we always tell people to use the measuring instructions on EACH KILTMAKER'S site... different makers do things differently and may need different measurements. Heck, look at Steve Ashton's (FK's) measureing instructions... he gives you a video!

[James MacMillan]

That's why we always tell people to use the measuring instructions on EACH KILTMAKER'S site... different makers do things differently and may need different measurements. Heck, look at Steve Ashton's (FK's) measuring instructions... he gives you a video!

Of course! And the best of all possible situations is to be able to have a face-to-face fitting. That way any problems can be caught early on.

I'm going through a return right now, that I don't know how else the problem could have been handled. I gave my measurements, the absolute best that I could, and still ended up having to send the kilt back to be tweaked. I don't think this was a problem with the kilt maker, maybe just a peculiarity of my body. Well, now that I think about it, I do have a non-standard body….

Maybe someday, we will be able to scan our body into a measuring machine like the movies, and have a perfect product come out.

When I was growing up, we once lived close to a seamstress that made custom women's dresses. She had an adjustable wooden mannequin (womanequin? ) that she could dial-in or adjust the sizes somehow, and she sewed parts of the stuff right on the dummy. The expensive tailors also demand personal measurements. I have a shirt maker in Mexico City that has my measurements on file, and he can make a perfect shirt for me everytime, but I went to his shop and he measured me.

Being able to visit our kiltmaker is a luxury that most of us don’t have, so we must be extra careful.

[The Wizard of BC]

If I can expand on Barb's post. Her kilts are designed for a Traditional fit. This means that the top straps are cinched into the natural waist of the wearer. There is then the rise above the top strap. This rise is shaped to be wider than the waist. I know of no casual, contemporary, or MUG maker who incorporates true tapered rise into their kilts. This is one of the reasons that Barb and Kathy's kilts fit so perfectly. The place where the top strap is, is the narrowest part of the kilt. It tapers outward above and below from the straps.

A note on finding your Natural or True waist. Do not use your naval as a guide. Depending on your shape and weight your naval may not be in the same relative position as it is on someone else.
How you find your natural waist is around the back side, somewhere around your kidneys. Place your hands flat against your back with the fingers just touching at the spine. Then bend from side to side slightly. You will feel the place where your spine is bending. That is your true waist. If you have "Love Handles" Those pillows that sit just on top of your hip bones. Your waist is just above those. It is also just below the ribs at the sides and covering the short ribs.

Another way to find your true waist is to put on a t-shirt and then find a wide belt. fasten the belt around yourself just under the ribs. Then walk around for a while. Bend over and side to side a few times. Don't try to move the belt to where you think it should be, just let it find it's own natural place. If you have to, tighten the belt if it becomes loose. The place the belt settles into is your natural waist. And that is where the top strap of a Traditional kilt needs to fit. The flared Rise of the kilt will be above that.

[O'Neille]

Visit you kilt maker for a fitting whenever possible. They also get to see your body posture and shape and the finished product will fit even better than just the correct measurement.

[Barb T]

I know that I want my finished length of my personal kilts to be 23 1/2 inches long. From the very top edge to the very bottom edge.

But whether a 23 1/2" overall length actually _fits_ properly or not depends on how much of a rise the kiltmaker added when he/she made the kilt. You cannot assume that each kiltmaker will add the same amount of rise. A properly made kilt with a 2.5" rise will touch the knee at _exactly_ the same point that a properly made kilt with a 2" or even a 1" rise does. That's because a properly made kilt should be smallest in circumference at the _waist_, not at the top. Once a kilt is buckled on, it will ride at your waist, with the rise above and the rest of the kilt below.

I've made two kilts for Turpin, one with a 2" rise and one with a 2.5" rise (at his request). One has an overall length 1/2" longer than the other, but they both touch his knee at exactly the same point.

So, I concur with Rocky. You absolutely _must_ know how your kiltmaker uses measurements. When I make a kilt, I don't want to know how long your favorite kilt is overall. I want to know what the distance is between the center of the waist buckle and the bottom of your favorite kilt. That way, I know that I can make a kilt that will fit the way your favorite one does in terms of length, even if it's not the same overall in length.

Barb