First Kilt, Am i wearing everything properly?

[mookien]

TartanCladPB: I'm not sure I understand the problem you are having making the adjustment (ie shortening the chains to raise the sporran), but try the following:

Assuming the hooks are attached to the D rings behind the sporran, remove each hook from its D ring. Now, on each side of the sporran run the entire hook through its D ring and attach it to a link higher up the chain. That will effectively shorten the chain on each side. Just find the link that acheives the right height and you're done!

Sorry if I missed the forest for the trees.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Just got my first kilt in the post today. I'm concerned about how high the sporran is, for when i try to run it does its *flopp flopp* thing.




I'm happy that I'm learning about bits of my history

Ya look grand. here are the rules-- learn them, follow them, and then when you are 100% comfortable that you know what you are doing you can experiment.

1) hem of kilt should just touch the top of your knees;

2) sporran should be high enough to reach into without hunching over;

3) socks should be about 3 finger-widths below the bottom of the knee;

4) no white socks, pale ecru socks, vanilla socks, or socks that have been worn more than once without going thru the laundry.

5) underwear is optional, but probably a good idea until you get used to wearing your kilt in all manner of situations, especially sitting on steps or metal benches on hot, sunny days.

The rest is easy, and as you add to your wardrobe it all makes sense... sort of, or so I'm told.

So, I'd suggest you hike up your kilt just a tad, follow Whidbey's advice and get a leather strap for your sporran, and revel in your heritage.

Oh yes. Welcome to X Marks!

[Burly Brute]

Take the advice of these wisemen, and looks great man! Really diggin' the "extra stout" shirt...nice touch.

And also.... brother!

[AKScott]

The photo is a tough angle from which to judge but I think you want to pull the whole kilt up, hmm, at least an inch, maybe two.

Stand about two feet further back from a mirror than the camera was in that picture to judge, you want the bottom edge somewhere between teh middle of your knee cap and the top of your knee cap. Maybe even a bit ( half an inch tops) abvoe the top of your
kneecap.

After you pull tje likt up, shorten the sporran strap so that it is slightly above the horizontal white stripe, but probably not halfway to the horizontal red stripe.

It seems like you want enough "knee" showing that the top of the handle of your sgain is plainly visible. Lower your hose, raise your kilt, whatever. I haven't acutally seen that posted here, but it does seem to correlate well as an indicator of having enough knee showing.

Once you got the sporran height where you want it, take the chain off, measure for length, put the chain away for dressier oocasions and go find a belt the length you measured. The ladies wear section of department stores seems to be a popular destination for thinnish belts of suitable length.

I have never owned a chained sporran strap, but I have read enough stories from folks here with both kinds.

Otherwise looks like good solid (casual) "keeper" look among your other wardrobe choices.

[MacMillans son]

First, welcome aboard from lovely Roseville, California!

I too want to commend you on honoring your heritage. Well done!

You've received some good feedback thus far. I would only add a bit regarding your sporran; if it's going "flopp flopp" against your twig and berries, or swinging between your legs when you walk, it's probably too low. A guideline I've heard, and use, is the top of the sporran about 3-4 fingers below your belt. If you're not wearing a belt that would be about 5-6 inches from the top of the kilt. If that location results in it still forcefully smacking your junk you're likely wearing you kilt too low.

Follow MacMillan of Rathdown's ru....strong suggestions (born of decades of experience) and you'll do fine.

PS. In looking at your photo, see that horizontal wrinkle just above the uppermost white line in you kilt? Try the top of the sporran about there.

[auld argonian]

Switch over to a leather strap...in my experience, it tends to help minimize the sporran flapping and it has the added virtue of being less wear on the material of the kilt.

Best

AA

[Dale Seago]

I agree regarding a sporran strap/belt versus a chain, at least for informal wear. Check out mojoleather.com

2) sporran should be high enough to reach into without hunching over

Yes. Last weekend when I was down the Peninsula at my girlfriend's place, at one point I -- while totally erect -- "cupped" my sporran in my left hand while digging into it with my right to retrieve something I wanted to show her.

She commented, "It's nice to see that someone's taking care of you during the week -- even if it's just you!"

[Alan H]

Switch over to a leather strap...in my experience, it tends to help minimize the sporran flapping and it has the added virtue of being less wear on the material of the kilt.

Best

AA

This.

[Tobus]

I don't have anything new to add, but wanted to re-emphasize the points about kilt length and the height of the hose. You should be able to see your knees from virtually any angle, even if the camera is close to you.

Americans in particular (but also some Scots that I've seen) tend to wear their kilts too low and their hose too high so that you can only see a sliver of flesh between them. I'm not sure why they think this is proper or attractive. There should probably be a good 6" gap between them, at the very least. Perhaps people are used to wearing modern long baggy shorts that go below the knees, and aren't comfortable showing their knees? I dunno. Maybe they're not used to the idea of wearing the kilt up on their proper waist, and tend to wear it lower than it's supposed to go. But the kilt selvedge should definitely be at the top of the kneecap, and the top of the hose turndown should be just past the widest point of your calf, leaving a nice gap between them.

This gives the entire ensemble the right proportions and comfort.

And when taking pictures, I find it works best to have the camera person kneel so that the camera is at waist level, to get the best angle. Or if you use your camera on a timer, set it on a chair or something. The right perspective can really make a ho-hum kilted photo look great!

[Jock Scot]

I am not saying that you should or must, but if you wear the sporran thus, you will solve your problem.