So just how 'great' is Great?

[David.Nolan]

Hi guys, first time poster here, long-time kilt wearer. For years I've proudly worn a beautiful quality BlackWatch kilt my sister brought me back from Glasgow...but recently I've had a hankering to wear a kilt to ren faire events that I go to. This is new for me...generally I'm in a kilt for weddings, and gameday, and know how to dress it up...but if I'm swinging a sword?

To my best understanding, there is no way a phillabeg counts as fitting in at a ren faire unless I don't care about looking the part. As a result I've been looking into getting a 'great' kilt.

Now, generally I've always been of the opinion that if you're going to get a kilt, you should get the best available to you. But in this case, it's a kilt I'll be drinking in, carousing in, getting doused in. It will become dirty, wrassled, flung, spread out, muddied, fought in, and in all likelihood by the time it's been worn out, have more fun than I did.

So...where can I guy like me find a great kilt that's economical, knowing that it's gonna take some wear and tear, and not have to shriek and cry over it every time someone spills a beer nearby?

I've taken a peek at the work CelticCroft does at the suggestion of a friend...but that's still going to run close to $200 if were I to get pleats sewn in to save on dressing time and increase on drinking time. (feel free to comment on the idea of cheater pleats, too, if you're offended or a fan).

Are there other options available, or is this as good as it's gonna get?

(On a side note...what kind of sporran goes best with a great-kilt? I have a full dress fur with bronze cantle and a semi-dress for bumming around in...but something tells me neither will match it well).

I appreciate you guys taking the time to help me with my dilemma!

Sincerely,

David
--------
A kilt without a sporran is just a skirt, but a sporran without a kilt is lingerie.

[troxel87]

I know of a place called Wolfstone that sells great kilts for good prices. I think the more inexpensive ones run around $90. But they're either acrylic or PV, can't remember. Just Google Wolfstone Kilt Co.

-----------------
Edit: if you want the PV or acrylic, you might have to call, I don't see them on their online catalogues...

[Cowher]

I don't know much about the kilt part of your question but I always think the "Rob Roy" style sporran looks great with a great kilt. And since you are talking CelticCroft : http://www.thecelticcroft.com/Highla...s_rob_roy.html

[Santa Wally]

David, you've been sent a personal email regarding a Rob Roy Sporran.

[jason10mm]

FWIW I've seen chaps with regular kilts, nice boots, a medievalish vest of some sort and that lace up ren fair shirt and they fit in quite well. Sure, not authentic, but neither is anyone else aside perhaps from a dedicated reinactment group and possibly some of the hired talent.

I'm doing the great kilt ren fair thing as well. I got the Celtic Croft braveheart tartan great kilt, made my own rob roy sporran, and finished it off with the CC ring belt. Made some crude ghillie brouges, picked up a simple balmore in blue, and got the longest tailed shirt I could find (it does have laces in the front, but the wife prefers that look so I defer to the lady This about completes the outfit, all I have left to do is shape the balmore a bit and get a pin of some sort to hold the ends of the kilt together (decided not to do the perannular broach, though I think it is a good look and not horrendously inaccurate, especially once I hang my drinking mug and whatever dagger comes to hand off my belt . If I get sufficiently motivated I'll knock out a targe of some sort.

[Captain_Cogle]

Does it matter that kilts really dont belong in the Medieval period or at a Ren Fair?

[Lallans]

By the most convincing accounts I've read, the original great kilt was a lengthy piece of unpleated and unsewn handspun and handwoven woven wool that was soaked in melted goose grease and then worn under the most extreme Scottish conditions, meaning amongst heather, brambles, and such drenched with dew, plus in general rain, fog, cold, mud, mixed with liberal quantities of manure from cattle and sheep and, of course, blood. People slept on the ground, out of doors and overnight in them and, if in groups, spread one out as an improvised shelter- the Great Kilt was a rough and tumble garment to end all such garments. If I wanted to wear one under authentic conditions, I would certainly choose wool since almost anything else would let you down under wet conditions, perhaps fatally, and I would also be shopping for, or rendering, goose grease... but under ren fair conditions as I imagine them (I've never been to one), surely any fabric resembling wool would do? I would of course test the fire retardancy before draping myself and then walking around amongst people who were smoking the herbs of Araby....

[Chirs]

Took a look at the Wolfstone site and, with the exception of the one "wool blend" at $90, the least expensive is $355. Celtic Croft has the Braveheart great kilt (100% wool) at $259 and their PV is selling for $159.

I'm not sure Wolfstone is really the best choice, although they do have some interesting stuff that I haven't explored yet.

[Guinness>water]

I have a CC Braveheart "tartan" great kilt. It is definitely a rough garment; the 13oz. wool is very coarse, so much so that it feels like burlap. I had them put box cheater pleats in mine and wish that I had gotten knife pleats. I wear it fairly often and you should see the looks I get!
I bet it is the most historically correct (minus cheater pleats) kilt available. Go with the Rob Roy style bag sporran,like this http://cgi.ebay.com/Rob-Roy-Style-Sp...item4cf6853d6b. I have two and love them!

[Zardoz]

My 2 cents;

Well, I've worn tailored phillabegs (mostly USA Kilts Semi-trads) and other 'modern' kit as part of faire garb for years without much concern about 'fitting in' as it were. I've never really wanted to invest in any kind of 'great kilt' styles, not over the money, but because I don't think of them as very practical wear compared to the 'regular' kilts I wear all the time anyhow. Lots of guys wear kilts at faires around here, but I'd guess that 8 out of 10 wear some sort of phillabeg.



Basically at faire one is either in "garb", ie; some kind of 'ye olde fantasy' getup, or one is in "mundanes" which are plain street clothes. As far as "fitting in", Nobody at faire, at least nobody you want to know, is gonna look down on your garb if you are making an effort.

The Celtic Croft stuff is a good value for the dollar, the Wolfstone stuff I've seen has been nice too, but they are a little proud of it IMO.
Honestly, I think if I was putting together an outfit like you want, I would look at getting a Stillwater 'Standard' and one of their plaids to match and do the faux belted plaid thing by tucking a side of the plaid into the back of my belt etc..


But really, if you hang around the right people nobody gives a damn what you look like