Kilt lengths

[Thirteenthcor]

Recently placed an order with SWK for a few thrifty-kilts only to find that the stock length is much too short for me (I'm 6'8"). After further research it seems that the stock length of pretty much all pre-made kilts are 24 inches. Anyone else wonder why kilts aren't offered in both length AND waist size?

Looks like now if I want anything to fit the way I prefer to wear kilts I'm looking at custom work.

[Dughlas mor]

As a tall guy, I learned a long time ago that businesses don`t stock what they rarely sell, whether it be shoes, shirts, jackets, or whatever. I`m just under 6' 7" and my traditional kilt length is 26.5 or 27 inches. I wouldn`t feel bad that you can`t buy an off the rack kilt, I think you will be much happier with one made to measure. I would recommend USAKilts as a good place to start looking.

[Thirteenthcor]

As a tall guy, I learned a long time ago that businesses don`t stock what they rarely sell, whether it be shoes, shirts, jackets, or whatever. I`m just under 6' 7" and my traditional kilt length is 26.5 or 27 inches. I wouldn`t feel bad that you can`t buy an off the rack kilt, I think you will be much happier with one made to measure. I would recommend USAKilts as a good place to start looking.

Thanks for the recommendation!

I've been in contact with UT Kilts, specifically their Utility Kilts, and they're more than willing to make extended lengths for me at marginal extra cost!

[Steve Ashton]

Can you imagine how many kilts a re-seller would have to have in stock?

Let's say, just for argument, that the re-seller offers 4 Tartans. If they then offer kilts in 2" increments of waist size from 28" up to 54" that would be 56 different kilts.

Now, for the sake of the same argument lets say that they also stock kilts in 1" length increments. Let's say from 20" to 26". They would now be up to 224 different kilts, in different sizes, and different Tartans.

And 90% of these would just sit on a shelf in the hope of someone ordering one in that exact size and that exact Tartan.

In fact it would take quite a few more than 224 kilts in stock to be able to maintain a business. The common sizes would need 10 or 20 each. And some re-sellers carry quite a few more than 10 or 20 simply because they do not make the kilts. They order them from a maker and the average time for product to arrive could be as much as a month or more.

Add to that that most of the kilts like the one you are interested in are made in Pakistan. The re-seller must order the kilts, pay for them in full, up front, pay the shipping charges, duty and everything else.
They must have storage space for all of these.

It is just not cost effective. Even at the wholesale cost of between $6.00 and $12.00 each, the re-seller would have many thousands of dollars of stock sitting there on a self.

[RockyR]

Add to that that most of the kilts like the one you are interested in are made in Pakistan. The re-seller must order the kilts, pay for them in full, up front, pay the shipping charges, duty and everything else.
They must have storage space for all of these.

It is just not cost effective. Even at the wholesale cost of between $6.00 and $12.00 each, the re-seller would have many thousands of dollars of stock sitting there on a self.

I got a price sheet in from a Pakistani company yesterday and thumbed through it to see what the competition was up to. After seeing sporrans wholesale at $5 - $16, cap badges at $.80 - $2 and kilts at $10 - $18, no WONDER there's so much Pakistani stuff on Ebay. I was actually pretty deflated to know that companies who re sell Pakistani kilts can triple or quadruple their money EASILY and still be lower priced than anything out of Scotland or the US or Canada and they only resell kilts (don't make them in house).

Confusion can happen because some kilt-sellers use the term "drop" to refer to the total length (I see it on Ebay all the time).

I wish more people understood that, OCR. Drop + Rise = Length. Drop DOES NOT equal length.

I wonder why people use the term drop incorrectly (especially re-sellers) instead of saying "length" which is what they mean. Perhaps b/c "drop" sounds like an industry term so they're trying to sound like they're "in the know"? BTW, this is NOT meant as an insult to anyone who uses the term drop correctly or incorrectly... it's truly an academic query that I'm posing.

[Thirteenthcor]

I got a price sheet in from a Pakistani company yesterday and thumbed through it to see what the competition was up to. After seeing sporrans wholesale at $5 - $16, cap badges at $.80 - $2 and kilts at $10 - $18, no WONDER there's so much Pakistani stuff on Ebay. I was actually pretty deflated to know that companies who re sell Pakistani kilts can triple or quadruple their money EASILY and still be lower priced than anything out of Scotland or the US or Canada and they only resell kilts (don't make them in house).




I wish more people understood that, OCR. Drop + Rise = Length. Drop DOES NOT equal length.

I wonder why people use the term drop incorrectly (especially re-sellers) instead of saying "length" which is what they mean. Perhaps b/c "drop" sounds like an industry term so they're trying to sound like they're "in the know"? BTW, this is NOT meant as an insult to anyone who uses the term drop correctly or incorrectly... it's truly an academic query that I'm posing.

Well from my point of view there's just no way I can justify paying over 200 dollars for a clothing item of ANYTHING I'd wear out in public. I do too many physical things throughout my day to be able to justify wearing something that expensive.

I went into a local Celtic shop to have a look, and was in the market for a day-Sporran. The cheapest one they had was $95! I just don't think it justifiable OR "manly" for me to wear that out of the house and be so overprotective of my investment I'm going to worry about scuffs, scrapes, or stains. It's like the Male version of throwing a fit over scuffing my brand new MK purse.

I do completely understand the cost for "dress wear" and "dress kilts" but, being someone who is totally open to wearing kilts in public on a daily basis this cost is just too high for me to justify attempting to build any sort of respectable wardrobe; which may be a reason why those Pakistani-made kilts are so popular, not to mention that Wool in Texas is not something I find comfortable.

I noticed on USAKilts that you don't sell any version of "day" or Utility kilt? I apologize if I didn't look in the right place. Those are what a person like me is in the market for. However I fully accept that I may not be your desired market.

For me, wearing a Tartan kilt out in public 4-5 days a week gets looks, compliments, comments etc. But Utility kilts get that "oh, that guy has a purpose for wearing that; he really uses those things/I didn't know kilts could do that!"

[ratspike]

Thanks for the recommendation!

I've been in contact with UT Kilts, specifically their Utility Kilts, and they're more than willing to make extended lengths for me at marginal extra cost!

In that case you might look at AmeriKilt too. Since they have several options for length already, they might be able to do a custom length for you. Their kilts are also made here in the US, if that matters at all.

[OC Richard]

I'm in talks (literally, expensive calls early in the morning...eight hour time difference) with a kilt hire shop in Scotland and I was surprised and pleased to discover that they have hire kilts to hand in 25" and even 26" lengths.

Ordinarily hire kilts and off-the-peg kilts are 24".

You wouldn't think one inch would make that much difference, but it does. I really don't like having the kilt down around my hips blue-jeans style.

In the army, in the old days, they issued the full 27" length to all soldiers regardless, which looks like this on a short man; hopefully this would work for the 6'8" OP; there ain't no more!

[Riverkilt]

If you enjoy wearing kilts its time to have some sewn up in your size to fit you. Do deal direct with a kiltmaker though rather than trusting the outcome to middlemen with nameless kiltmakers.

[Kiltedjohn]

Ordinarily hire kilts and off-the-peg kilts are 24".

You wouldn't think one inch would make that much difference, but it does. I really don't like having the kilt down around my hips blue-jeans style.

I have the opposite problem to OC Richard. I'm too short for the "standard" 24" length. After wearing it very high on the waist, I finally had it shortened by an inch and a half. What a difference! It's really comfortable - I wish I had had the alteration done sooner.