decisions

[WKJester]

With all the choices in tartans, kiltmakers, stlyes ect... how do you make up your mind?? If I was scottish I would go with a clan tartan but no blood ties as far as I know. My kids are wanting to buy me a new kilt for fathers day, so now is the hard part which one to get? I'm liking the look of the sport kilts us army tartan. I love my stillwater but want to get a usa kilt. I'm leaning to the sport kilt see if I like how it looks then getting the army tartan from usa kilts. Any advice out there???
Thanks in advance

[Snowbear]

For the tartan I would try to find anything that could connect you to them. That could be geographic tartan, military tartan, or simply tartan you want to wear to salute the families. Like some I know that wears a Wallace tartan in salute to William Wallace, and so on.
Otherwise you could just pick a tartan you really like the look of, but then you might have an issue about explaining why you wear that tartan (besides fashion).

Personally I love the feeling of a tank, but it do cost some. I would recommend you to take a good look at different kilts from various kiltmakers. See whitch one you like best, and what you would be most comfortable to wear.

You will have to face the decition about pleating, but can't help you there. I have always had knife, and will always have it knife.

[raibeart_dubh]

I always go with tartans I have connections to first. Second are universal or district tartans, i.e. Highland Granite, Aberdeenshire, etc. Third, I choose tartans out of respect for the clan or district they belong to, providing I like the way they look. I know my third method of tartan choosing differs from the traditional Highland norm and I respect this norm, that's why I choose my clan tartans first. However, I really like kilts and the different tartans. If I do choose a tartan that's not my clan, universal, or district, I make darn sure I know the history of the particular tartan and I always write to the chief of the clan whose tartan I want to purchase to make sure it is okay with him. I'm a fan of wearing what tartan you like but I do practice this measure of courtesy as not everyone shares my way of thinking.

[JolyStNicholas]

While you have no direct family connections as you say, if your x-military they do offer tartans for all of them that are very nice. All of the above advice is very informative and solid, you just have to digest it and follow what works best for you.

[Riverkilt]

Be sure and put Kathy Lare [best there is]in Albuquerque on your list for hand sewns if you're to that stage yet. www.kathylare.com

Here's the USA Kilts U.S. Army tartan in semi-trad.





Here's the Leatherneck tartan hand sewn by Kathy from 13 ounce wool from Strathmore Mills.



When the breeze ain't blowing it looks like the kilts on backwards eh?? That's great pleatwork.

Ron

[The Barry]

Wow, some of those pleats disappear! That's amazing. Don't forget about our very own Matt Newsome and Barb T! They both do amazing work.

With so many (beautiful) universal tartans, you should have no problems coming up with a dozen or more tartans to get made into kilts.

That being said, choose three, and get one of each from Matt, Kathy, and Barb!

[Phogfan86]

That being said, choose three, and get one of each from Matt, Kathy, and Barb!

Could you please put that idea in the form of a very persuasive proposal and send it to my wife?

[The Barry]

I shall not try to be persuasive towards your wife in any way, for yours and my own sake!

I can't even figure out a way to get my GF to allow more kilts and gear. She's the sensible one.

[Bugbear]

Well, if you were in the US Army, then that would be fine to wear that as your tartan. It looks like the traditional Scottish thing to do, as far as I have read, is to only have and wear one tartan. If you don't have a clan association, then a tartan of a group you are associated with or distric, state, area,would do the trick.

[dfmacliam]

In my humble opinion, I think you would be more satisfied with a more traditional kilt in the Army tartan. Istarted out with a SportKilt, then I got a Stillwater.. I prefer the fit of the Stillwater Standard over the Sportkilt. I then bought an USAKilt casual and I really like it over the Sportkilt because of how it's made, what I would do next time is have one made to fit in a more traditional manner than the jeans waist. I am a big guy (6'2" and 260 lbs 44 in waist).
What I am/will do is I am going to have Steve Ashton of Freedom Kilts, make me a Marine kilt in a 16 oz tartan 4 yard Box Pleat (military style). I will order another casual kilt from Rocky at USA Kilts because I like the one I have but get it longer to fit me higher on the waist, I will probably get a couple more Stillwater kilts in Standard and Heavyweight to wear for my going in the woods and getting rough.
As far as tartans go.. My Stillwaters are/ will be solid colors. My USA kilt is Tara an Irish pattern and the only kilt tartan I will wear will be the Marine. It just happens that my last name is Wilson and it's a sept of Clan Gunn, and it's the tartan the Leatherneck is based on with a couple changes.
You can wear any tartan you want, but for me, I choose to wear primarily wear my Marine kilt. It's my personal choice and I would never tell another what to wear or not.. I would say.... Follow your heart and make the choices you feel more comfortable with.