Kilt Do's and Don'ts

[Mike in Dayton]

Part of the problem with the long Utilikilt is I get the feeling that they intended for the top of the kilt to ride lower than a traditional kilt, i.e. the top of the kilt is where your pants waist would be rather then higher around the belly button. But then they offer standard lengths the same as a traditional kilt such as 24 inches. On me if the kilt is going to ride where my jeans go then my normal length of 23 inches will put the hem below the knee. I tried an experiment. Using one of my kilts as a guide I placed it were my jeans go then folded up the hem until it was just above the knee. I measured the resulting length as 19 to 20 inches. I was somewhat sloppy on pinning the hem so measurements were not very exact. You can order a Utilikit at a shorter length but anything less than 20 inches incurs a charge as I understand it.

At the Dayton Celtic fest I noticed a couple of younger guys in what appeared to be the Irish National Tartan. On both of them the hem was well below the knee. I wanted to take a pair of scissors and cut about a foot off the bottom. I hope that is not becoming a trend in the younger generation to put the kilt below the knee.

[katmills2005]

I honestly think it is a matter of them not knowing better rather than a trend.