Custom Tartan Kilt Advice

[Chip2]

I'm thiiiiiis close to ordering a kilt with a custom woven tartan, but have a cold finger when it comes to actually clicking on the order button. Basically the issue is the total price; I just want to make sure I've researched all my options before I place the order.

I don't want to say much more about my research and who I've contacted; I'd like to get the most neutral advice possible. So before I dive in can anybody out throw in any advice, experience, funny anecdotes, etc., regarding this?

Thanks in advance!

Chip

[Jock Scot]

Buy the best kilt that you can afford and talk directly to the maker, go for traditional style with the heaviest weight cloth that is available(usually these days 15/16 oz depending where the cloth comes from). Yes I know its a lot of money and you will hesitate to wear the kilt for anything less than a special occasion. Wrong! Wool is surprisingly tolerant to the rough and tumble of life, they have after all been worn in the muck and bullets of countless battles and scrub up remarkably well for a parade shortly after. Good luck.

[Truitt]

I ordered my first custom weave kilt a few years ago. It took almost a year from ordering it to wearing it, and it cost right at $800 when all was said and done. That was for a 6-yard box pleat and matching fly plaid. Could I have shopped around and found a better price? Probably, but I doubt if the fabric or the quality of the kilt would have been the same. And I certainly don't regret my choices. Now I have a fantastic kilt made by Matt Newsome in a very rare tartan with a custom color adjustment.

And I recently committed to a length of the second-run 1790 MacDuff (another custom weave) and Barbara Tewksbury has graciously agreed to make the kilt once the fabric is finished. Another wait and and expected total cost of somewhere between $800 and $1,000 once all is said and done. But it will be a very special kilt, at least to me.

On the other hand, my first kilt was a Semi-Trad from USA Kilts. I think it cost me $230 plus shipping. I had it within a month of ordering it. And I still really like that kilt.

In the end the wait and the cost are simply what they are. Bespoke work costs. If that is what you want and it is within your budget then go for it, and never regret it.

[Tartan Tess]

Common is cheaper....any tartan that has to be custom woven is not from the "common" masses. If you can go to the back of the mill and get the roll from the shelf it is going to be a Hell of a lot cheaper than "weave this for me"
As for kilt makers, there are the "traditional" hand sewn or the time saving with visual shortcuts of machine sewn. Each make beautiful kilts. It depends on what you want and expect. If I were ordering a custom woven tartan, I would want it made so it can be altered down the road to remain a family heirloom. Make sure which ever kilt maker you pick (and they should be able to help with the custom woven process and price)they add facings etc. for future alterations.

[MacKenzie]

In the end the wait and the cost are simply what they are. Bespoke work costs. If that is what you want and it is within your budget then go for it, and never regret it.

This. Exactly.

[Liam]

While I was very pleased with the results, I had a local kilt shop measure me up and arrange the details. it was woven and made by Lochcarron. If I were doing it again I would order the material directly from the mill and take it to a local kilt maker who can ensure the fit is perfect.
The cost will be in the $800 to $1000 range, depending on shipping, duty, currency exchange etc.

[Barb T]

Generally speaking, a kiltmaker can get a better price on a custom weave than someone who orders retail. So, if you are about to push button and order a custom weave from a 3rd party who will then contract for the weave and send it to you, you will be paying more than if you contacted the person who will be making your kilt and have that person order the custom weave directly from the mill. On the other hand, this may be what you've already done - hard to tell from the info you provide.

[unixken]

If you do decide you can afford it, go for it. Of the kilts I own, 3 are traditional 8 yd kilts made from short-run special order heavyweight weaves. These include a Buchanan Hunting tartan in ancient colors, a Buchanan in "reproduction" colors, and my "Leaf Peeper" tartan, in modern colors. These 3 kilts are the absolute favorites in my growing collection.

I've also just obtained 5 yds (dbl width) in a run of Glen's (McMurdo) beautiful new "Scottish Wildcat" tartan. As soon as my own funds allow, I'll be having a kilt made from that fabric, as well. This particular fabric was less expensive than the others since it was part of a 90+ yard collective group order, rather than just the small amount for my own needs, but was likewise a custom run.

As long as you work with a quality kiltmaker, and take good measurements, you will not regret such a fine garment, made from a custom quality fabric.

[Steve Ashton]

Post deleted as 'off topic'.

[Gryphon noir]

I have kilts in three different versions of the tartan I designed back in 2009.
The first one, I had woven locally (sadly, no longer possible), and sent the fabric away to have made into a kilt.

If you are having a length of tartan woven, this may be the way to go. However, most weavers give kilt makers a better price than you can obtain retail, so unless you are going for 25 yards or more, this is worthy of consideration.

The other two versions of the tartan are represented only by a single kilt. In both cases, I ordered through the kilt makers, and there is no way I could match that price point.

One version was an 8 yd. 18 oz knife pleat by Rocky Roeger of USA Kilts, and the other was a 6 yd.box pleat by Matthew Newsome. Both are excellent in every way, and as I say, when you add up the various costs, the services these gentlemen are offering is well worth the money and the wait.

Highly recommended.