highland warrior's kilt

[Martin S]

Just came across a receipt from Geoffrey (Tailor) ltd.
It has a picture of a well-armed warrior whose kilt leaves a good 6 inches of thigh below the "hem"-line.
:-O
Real men are not ashamed of showing their legs.

Martin (new member of PFLKT*)
;-)

* Popular Front for the Liberation of Knees & Thighs.

[caig]

We sometimes forget that, originally, highlanders wore their kilt much higher on the thigh than we do today. This was much better for running and walking through the heather.

[Martin S]

... highlanders wore their kilt much higher on the thigh (...) much better for running and walking through the heather.

and also for cycling. I was certainly more comfortable in my home made shorty, than my friend in his regular knee-length when we went out to celebrate the long-awaited arrival of summer yesterday.

Martin

[Martin]

At last weeks Highland games in Harpenden we enjoyed watching the Black Watch re-enacting battle scenes. The uniform they wore dated back to 1815, and several of the soldiers wore shorter length kilts.

Perhaps the lads in those days were a little more daring!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

All of the men in the Black Watch photo shown above seem to me to be wearing the kilt at the proper length. None seem too short. I'd much rather see a kilt that's a bit too short (I said a bit!), than too long.

When I'm outfitting someone I tell them that "acceptable" kilt length (judged by modern day Highland fashion standards) is anywhere from the middle of your kneecap at the lowest to one inch above the top of your kneecap at the highest. My personal preference is for no lower than the top of your knee. I think the kilt looks best when the whole knee is shown.

Yes, Highlanders in the past wore their kilts even shorter than this! However, a lot of men today are wearing their kilts much too long. I see a lot of gentleman around the Highland Games wearing their kilts at the bottom of the kneecap, or below the knee entirely.

It could possibly be that they were measured too long. (Some people remain convinced that "proper kilt length" is determined by measuring from your waist to the floor while kneeling, but this usually results in a kilt at least 2" too long). Or it could be that their kilts originally fit and "middle age spread" has forced them to wear their kilts on a lower and somewhat narrower part of their torso, causing the kilt to appear longer. I don't know.

But in any case, let's not be afraid to let our knees show! As I always tell people when measuring them -- if you aren't going to show off your knees, what's the point of wearing a kilt!

Just for fun, here's me showing some knee:


You have to peek under my Inverness Cape for this one!

[Captain]

Some people remain convinced that "proper kilt length" is determined by measuring from your waist to the floor while kneeling, but this usually results in a kilt at least 2" too long

That's the only way I've been told to measure for kilt length... Is there a better way?

[GlassMan]

That's the only way I've been told to measure for kilt length... Is there a better way?

Visit your kilt maker in person and have them measure you!

Sorry, had to say it.

In truth I never wear my kilts lower than the top of my knee and I've got a couple cut higher than that. I have no problem showing my legs, even though they are not the best looking things in the world.

My partner Nope has taken to wearing a couple of very high set kilts lately. One of them stops a good 3 inches above the knee. When we were out one day (he was pushing me in my wheelchair) a lady came up and stopped the two of us. I had thought that she would be giving us a hard time about our clothing, but instead she simply wanted to express her frustration that Nopadon's legs were good enough to pull off a short kilt but her's couldn't!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

That's the only way I've been told to measure for kilt length... Is there a better way?

Stand up, back straight, and have someone else measure for you this way (if you try and measure yourself, you'll mess up the measurement by bending down):

Take a cloth tape and put the number 2 on the top of your hipbone (assuming your kilt is to be made with a standard 2" rise). Then measure straight down the side of the leg to the point you want the kilt to fall. As I said, anywhere from mid-knee to about an inch above the top of the knee is generally considered appropriate. I personally prefer no longer than the top of the knee.

This gives you your total kilt length measurement. Be sure to talk to your kiltmaker, though. Some kiltmakers consider the rise of the kilt separately from the kilt length, so in that case you'd want to just measure from the top of the hipbone down without adding the 2" for the rise. The kiltmaker will add that amount to the kilt. This is why you sometimes will see kilt lengths expressed such as "22 + 2 = 24." This means the "kilt length" is 22" from waist to knee, and the 2" rise makes the total length of the kilt 24".

That's really more of an issue when the kiltmaker is dealing with rises of varying lengths. Most, though, will always be 2" so it's becoming more and more common to just include that 2" rise as part of the total kilt length and just give the kiltmaker one number. The 2" rise is then assumed to be part of that total.

Always talk to your kiltmaker to be sure, though!
Aye,
Matt

[Tattoo Bradley]

That shot with the MacGregor under the cape came to mind before I scrolled down. I completely agree.

[Hamish]

Real men are not ashamed of showing their legs.

Martin (new member of PFLKT*)
;-)

* Popular Front for the Liberation of Knees & Thighs.

Where do I sign, Martin?