Kilt vest vs suit vest

[The Kilted Canadian]

I've been looking online trying to find a vest or waistcoat made for kilts as oppose to pants, and not part of a jacket combo.
Does everyone wear a regular length vest while wearing a kilt or are there vests cut shorter for a kilt?

[Father Bill]

In general, they're pretty close to being one and the same.

Consider your torso height - the "points" on the bottom of a vest may interfere with your sporran if you tend to wear it high as I do since with my belly being the shape and position it is, it hurts to wear it low.

If that's not a problem, they're pretty well interchangeable.

[LKM]

For some people the same vest will work with a kilt and pants, while for others there is a length difference. As someone who is 6'5" I have found that a regular length vest, or waistcoat as it is known in the UK, fits me perfect in a kilt yet falls above the belt when I wear pants. When it comes to a vest with a pants suit, I have to go with a long length for it to look like it fits.

My best advice is to wear a kilt and try on a few vests to see how it fits you.

[The Kilted Canadian]

In general, they're pretty close to being one and the same.

Consider your torso height - the "points" on the bottom of a vest may interfere with your sporran if you tend to wear it high as I do since with my belly being the shape and position it is, it hurts to wear it low.

If that's not a problem, they're pretty well interchangeable.

It's not my torso height but kilt height. I'm a wirey fellow, but I still like my kilt to sit up higher than pants would, so unless I wear a normal vest under my kilt, it bulges and bunches with a fair amount of overlap. It doesn't look terrible without a belt, still not a fan but I think it can be done. But I also use sporran hangers, so I wear a belt, and a regular vest bulges something fierce.

[Father Bill]

It's not my torso height but kilt height. I'm a wirey fellow, but I still like my kilt to sit up higher than pants would, so unless I wear a normal vest under my kilt, it bulges and bunches with a fair amount of overlap. It doesn't look terrible without a belt, still not a fan but I think it can be done. But I also use sporran hangers, so I wear a belt, and a regular vest bulges something fierce.

I suspect you mean "over" your kilt.

As has been said, try on a bunch and go with what looks good.

I dislike sporran hangers, so they're not part of my equation.

[Taskr]

I stopped at a number of mens and chain clothiers to find regular and short fit vests. When I've been wearing the kilt its been easier, but I also have the length top collar to lowest point recorded in my iPhone notes. It is definitely a hit-and-miss process, but I have found three vests so far that wear well with the kilt.
I don't wear a belt and sporran hangers, so I'm not familiar with any restrictions or constraints to a vest in that regard. If the outfit is going to include a vest perhaps you might consider wearing a sporran strap/chain for those occasions. Still, the "right" vest should allow the belt to be underneath and the sporran to suspend off the hangers below the bottom of the vest (straight hem or between/below the points)

[Steve Ashton]

This issue of vest (or waistcoat) length is one that is often misunderstood and done poorly.

In the old school that I was raised there were a couple of guidelines.

The length of the vest should be long enough to cover the entire waistband. No shirt should show below the vest.
But this was when men's trousers were worn higher than today.
The idea was to give an unbroken smooth line to the front.

Tailor's note - The height of trousers from crotch to the waistband is called the Rise. Not to be confused with the rise of a kilt which is the amount of kilt above the top straps.

In my day trouser waistbands fit in the back of the body at the small of the back. In front they hit at or just above where a thin man's belly button would be. The waistband sat on top of the hip bones.
Then came the 60's and Low-rider jeans which were down below the top of the hip bones and everything changed.

The kilt is one of the few garments still worn higher than today's trousers. And we have a sporran in the front.

So, my kilt vests are cut shorter than my vests that I wear with trousers. The idea is still to give a smooth, unbroken line down the front and not hit the sporran.
But I wear my sporran higher than seen in many photos. To me this idea of a smooth, unbroken line in front still holds.
So I wear the waist of my kilts higher and I wear my sporran higher - so that the sporran strap does not go under my belly.

This means that my kilt vests can be shorter than my trouser vests.

But please remember this is only how I wear my clothes. If you wear your kilt lower and your sporran lower you may wish to wear your vest lower.

The only thing to keep in mind is - It usually looks better not not see any shirt, between the top of the kilt or trousers, and the bottom of the vest. And the points of the vest should not hit the sporran.

The thing we often hear about not wearing a belt if you are wearing a vest comes from this same thinking. A belt buckle will disturb the smooth front line and be seen under the vest just like the shirt.

And the thing about buttoning the bottom button or not - - personal preference.
I was taught that the tradition came from King George IV who in later life was a rotund man. It seems that he would leave the bottom buttons of his vests (and even his breeches or trousers at times) unbuttoned over his stomach.
So I was taught that if your vest has a straight bottom you leave the bottom button undone. - But if your vest has points - The were simulating the gape of the bottom button left undone so you buttoned the button above the points. I actually had a vest as a young lad that had a button on the points. It could not be buttoned.

The only "rule" I know of about vest are those worn with the short, tail coat. What is called "White Tie and Tails". In this case the bottom of the white vest should not show below the bottom of the jacket. So I use the same rule when fitting for a Black Tie Prince Charlie coatee. My P/C vest does not hang lower in front than the bottom of the Coatee.

[kingandrew]

I would say that you can certainly get vests made a little higher to go with the kilt, but that in many cases a standard-issue vest will also look fine.

As noted above, much depends on whether you are using a belt. It also depends on the "rise" of your kilt. Traditional kilts have 2 inches of fabric above the straps, which makes it easier to have a short vest that still keeps your shirt covered. Many of today's "casual" kilt designs offer only 1 inch above the strap, making it a little tighter to get the right vest length.

I currently use sporran hangers, so vest length is a concern to me. I wanted my tailor to make a vest that would be straight-bottomed and high enough to allow a belt beneath, but she made one that just covers the belt-line instead. So I may have her do a 2nd version.

Since I have lost quite a bit of weight, I can't keep my kilt up without a belt. I plan to get a new kilt this summer to fix this problem (any excuse, I know). I would do it now, but kilt-makers are hard to find in China and the shipping is expensive and tricky.

Andrew