Acrylic or PV kilts

[Profane James]

Rabble! I am being diligent in my research and have a question about kilts without tags or markings at all. Specifically, would an acrylic or PV kilt be without them?

[Steve Ashton]

In the US and Canada there are quite strict regulations on the labeling of new garments. Used garments are not usually covered by these regulations.

Basically the regulations are to protect and inform the consumer. Fiber content is one of the things that is usually required to be labeled.

There is a big difference between Acrylic fibers and those known as P/V. P/V stands for Polyester/Viscose. Viscose is the British term for Rayon. So P/V means a blend of Polyester fibers and Rayon fibers.

The abbreviation "P/V" has become sort of a catch phrase and is used by some off shore manufacturers to mean any synthetic fabric.

So, if you are buying a new kilt, the fiber content should be labeled in some way.

[Profane James]

Thank you Steve! My particular situation is, I am looking at a kilt which is advertized as 'vintage 100% wool' but the seller has no clue as to the maker or the age, and the garment has no markings or tags, other than a dark lining around the top on the inside. Again, just a little digging.

[Steve Ashton]

Ah, well, as I said it is not required that used garments have labels. I have seen many kilts will no labeling at all. Even new ones.

The only way to tell for sure what fiber the fabric is made from is to do a burn test. This is one of the same tests that would be done in a lab.

[Profane James]

Understood. Thanks for your input.

[Spartan Tartan]

Thank you Steve! My particular situation is, I am looking at a kilt which is advertized as 'vintage 100% wool' but the seller has no clue as to the maker or the age, and the garment has no markings or tags, other than a dark lining around the top on the inside. Again, just a little digging.

How can the seller "know" it is "100% wool" without any proof? How does the seller know it is wool? If they are not able to provide that information, then I would think it's best to continue looking for something.

One thing to keep in mind, there is ALWAYS another deal waiting to be found. Better to keep looking and get a good 'warm and fuzzy'.

Just my two cents...

[Profane James]

I agree - it's the particular tartan (Gordon red) that caught my eye initially.

[OC Richard]

How long has synthetic medium/heavy weight kilting tartan been used for men's kilts? Isn't it a recent thing?

And even today, how often are hand-stitched traditional 8-yard medium/heavy weight tartan kilts made of synthetic fabric?

If a kilt appears to be a vintage hand-stitched traditional men's kilt I would assume that it's 100% wool.

(I know that in Ebay-land the term "vintage" is used imprecisely and oftentimes wrongly.)

Yes traditional kilts, vintage or modern, often don't have any labels whatsoever.