Your Experience with Sandy St. James?

[Clayton]

Hi all! I'm new to the forums... haven't gotten around to making my introduction yet, but in the meantime, I'm wondering if any of you have ordered a kilt from Sandy St. James. I have to forfeit my band kilt (currently in university, so it has been difficult to keep up with the piping—I totally understand where the band manager is coming from), and, unfortunately, that is my only kilt. I'm looking for a high quality eight yard 16 oz kilt at an affordable price. Sandy seems to fit the bill.

Is he still around? Do any of you have photos of his kilts that I could take a look at before placing an order? I hear he's a bit tough to get in contact with and his kilts take a while to arrive, but at $360, you can't really beat the price. From what I've seen, the kilts are decent.

I'm looking at making a special request to get the Armstrong tartan. I don't have much Scottish heritage, so I just picked one I really liked. On that note, what do you folks think it would look like to have the Armstrong kilt pleated to the red stripe? I'm a bit torn. The kilt I'm giving up is Gordon pleated to the yellow (and I think it looks sharp), but I know Gordon is one of the more amenable tartans for "pleating to the stripe." Just looking for some other opinions.

Thanks!

[Father Bill]

Welcome to the "Great Rabble!"

Don't forget to say "Hi" again, in the Newbie forum. You'll be pleased at the response you'll get.

[Clayton]

Thanks! I'll head over there soon. This seems like a great group of people.

[creagdhubh]

Welcome aboard, Clayton!

I think pleating a kilt in the Armstrong tartan to the red line/stripe would look very smart; something a wee bit different too, since you tend to see a lot of Gordon tartan, pleated to the yellow line/stripe, out and about (not that there is anything wrong with that!), especially with some solo-pipers and pipe bands. I particularly like the Armstrong tartan in the lighter hue of the 'ancient' colour scheme, but the darker variant is rather smart too. The Armstrong tartan in either 'weathered' or reproduction colours (the latter from D.C. Dalgliesh) would look quite lovely too. Perhaps some of our resident kilt-makers will chime in to talk further of your preferred choice of pleating with the Armstrong sett.

Armstrong tartan in the ancient colour scheme from Lochcarron Strome (heavyweight range).


Armstrong tartan in the modern colour scheme from Lochcarron Strome (heavyweight range).


Best wishes,

[jhockin]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Sandy+St.+James+%2B+kiltmaker

[Clayton]

Appreciate the cheek, jhockin, but Google doesn't yield too much. So far, I've only seen one photo of a kilt from Sandy. I just want to learn as much as I can before I shell out 400 bucks.

[sydnie7]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Sandy+St.+James+%2B+kiltmaker

One result is this thread. . . personally I'd look elsewhere but at least you are looking/able to make an informed decision.

[artificer]

One result is this thread. . . personally I'd look elsewhere but at least you are looking/able to make an informed decision.

Yikes! That is a situation I'd certainly think twice (or thrice) about before wading into.

After a certain point any savings is outweighed by the massive frustration and killer jones.

ith:

[Ozark Ridge Rider]

If you're taken with Armstrong, you might also look at Murray of Atholl and Gunn or even Shaw. They are pretty similar except for the arrangement of the red stripe. One of those might be easier to find.

[MacMillans son]

I would completely agree with Artificer. The link above indicates that the person in question is not a kilt maker, but rather a kilt middleman. Not a crime for sure, there are other reputable vendors on this site who farm out their kilts as well. However, it sounds like the person in question is less that reputable in his business practices relative to his communication and customer service. I would look into using one of the many well supported kilt makers on or off this site who come with great recommendations. I can personally recommend Bonnie Heather Greene (banner on the bottom of the page), Kathy Lare (not a member here but very well regarded) and my newest kilt maker, Paul Henry who is a member here but not an advertiser. Those are my first hand recommendations, but there are many others here and elsewhere who come highly recommended without any of the poor practices noted about the person you inquired about. The prices of all the people I mentioned are going to push your budget out to between $500-$600 but the knowledge that you will have a great kilt, hand made by the person who you are dealing with, and without any problems, worries, or concerns, is well worth the extra cost

Best of luck!