Hello, I’m a new poster to this site although I have been lurking for some time.

I live in Aberdeen, Scotland and am about to order my first kilt. Up until now I have just hired or borrowed kilts whenever I’ve needed, for weddings, hogmanay etc but recently I was very lucky to receive a gift voucher (as a birthday present) for my first kilt.

I am turning to the experts here for opinions and ideas. I figure that the huge amount of knowledge available here might help me clarify some things in my head........... or, indeed, add to them.

Regarding kilt weight - The voucher I have will cover the full cost of a handmade 8 yard 13oz kilt made with cloth from House of Edgar. I can pay a little extra for a 13oz cloth from the Lochcarron Braeriach range or a little more again for the Lochcarron 16oz Strome range. Will I notice a difference in quality between the mills? and will it be worth my while paying the extra for the 16oz, will it hang better etc? My instinct is to pay the extra for the heavier weight as I’m hoping this will last a lifetime........ or at least what’s left of it.

Next - Opinions: I want to pick a tartan that has significance but is also “wearable” enough so that I can get as much use out of my kilt as possible. I understand that it’s all about personal choice and that we all have hugely varying tastes. My name is Thomson and, even though I like it as a tartan, I feel that the blue Dress Thomson is a little bright for a kilt (if I could afford more than 1 then I would get it - so maybe for my next) I have seen it worn with a PC and full evening wear and it looks great but my worry is that it’s too loud for day/general/casual wear.

As such I am currently struggling to decide between the following choices (not all these tartans are available from each manufacturer/range) -

Modern Hunting Robertson (Robertson on both sides of the family): I see this as a fairly “safe” option. Predominantly dark green with white and red stripe I think this would go with pretty much anything. I wore it for my wedding and my brother already owns a kilt in this and I think it looks great.

Thomson Hunting Ancient: I love this tartan but wonder about it’s practicality, it’s predominantly brown with black and blue. Great for casual wear but how would it look “dressed up”? as in reality I will be mostly wearing it for formal functions.

Thomson Grey: Again, like the Thomson blue, I feel that this is maybe a little “in your face”.

Duncan Modern (Mother’s maiden name): Very similar to the Modern Hunting Robertson but the set seems smaller in the samples I’ve seen - my worry is that the white stripe would look overpowering against the dark green and blue on a kilt.

I’m not a fan of red tartans so the Red MacTavish is not an option.

Any thoughts and opinions are greatly appreciated.

Thank you