The expense of it all

[FreakPower70]

Having a growing interest in kilts and looking over the internet for them I find that they are very expensive. Some of the cheapest ones I have found are the Utilikilt brand which are less than traditional (which isn't a bad thing, it's just a thing). I mean, why are kilts so expensive?? Also where can one find some less expensive ones?


FP

[davedove]

This has been discussed before, so if you search around you will find other threads about it.

That being said, the main reason for the cost of the kilts is the cost of the wool. A lot of the time, the wool can easily cost $65 a yard. If that's double width cloth, it will take 4 yards of this to make an 8 yard kilt, so that's $260 just for the material. If the kilt costs $300, that's only $40 for labor, usually many hours worth.

And that's a common tartan. Less common tartans may require special weavings of the material, which will increase the material cost.

[auld argonian]

I'd like to make an observation that's sort of carried over from another thread: our Scottish participants have been asked about kilt wearing over in the "old country" and one of the points that has come up is that not all Scots own their own kilt and those that do tend to have maybe one for special occasions and not a collection like some folks seem to have. If you're going to buy one and not get into compulsive kilt acquisition, it's not that bad.

That being said, a good kilt is a lifetime investment and if you ammoratize the cost over the years of use, it isn't that big of a bite. If you look at good wool suits these days you'll see that the prices are at least comparable. Granted that you can often score a suit at a discount and save some $$$ but you can sometimes pick up a kilt on ebay or find a clearance kilt from a kilt shop and get a comparable deal.

For a lot of us the scenario is that we have dipped out toe in the water by getting an inexpensive kilt made from a synthetic (lots of commentary on the best values in this area on this forum) just to see if we really want to wear a kilt...and whether or not we can get away with it and not have our families try to have us involuntary committed to an institution for the going-off-the-deep-end. Once you find out that it is a good thing (with apologies to Martha Stewart), then you know that it's safe to sink the dough into a good, wool kilt.

Yeah, the material is special and it is, as Davedove pointed out, expensive but when you own a nice worsted wool kilt you realize that you have gotten real value for money. Keep an eye open for some of the off the rack wool specials from some of the dealers and the bite may not seem so big. Stillwater wools, for example, go for about $130 US and have received rave reviews. There are other values from other dealers...just hang around the forum and keep the eyes open. If you have your cap set for a special clan tartan, though, get ready to pony up but, honestly, the pride of ownership makes it worth it.

Best

AA

[Caddy One]

Only cost a little bit more to go first class............

[graham_s]

As has been said,
time and materials.
the fabric is expensive, the construction is a skilled labour intensive job.
these things cost money.

[Packhound]

If cost is an issue. Investigate making one yourself. Start off with the X-kilt. Instructions are stickied on the DIY page here. After that get Barb T's book and purchase some quality fabric from a local store. Many carry some tartan fabrics. Once you have completed a tartan kilt you will either continue to make your own and/or order one custom-fitted from one of the fine kiltmakers you can find here. Either way, you will have a greater appreciation for the skill that is involved in making a fine kilt.

Good luck to you!!

[DWFII]

I know times are tight...for everyone...but when you really think about it, given that a wool kilt can run from a low of around $150.00 to a high of over a grand, it's still pretty cheap relative to anything(everything) else.

When I bought my house...it's small but well made and tight...I paid about what a new car is selling for today. The house has appreciated almost 800% in the intervening years. I just saw a television show called House Hunters International where two young fellers in Scotland decided to buy a place in or around Edinburgh. They were looking at paying nearly a quarter million dollars for a flat with less room than my house.

What would you pay for a new car? A loaf of bread? A snowboard? A season pass to the mountain? A bottle of good single malt?

Anyone can shop at Walmart or its equivalent and buy stuff cheap...like it was still 1950...but it is cheap in more ways than one--so cheap that these goods have become the whole philosophical foundation for the "throw-away-society." They have but a brief life between the store shelf and the local landfill.

There is a very real reason why some things are priced higher than others. The term is "quality."

The real issue...that should be at the front of everyone's minds...is not what it costs but "what is it worth?" If a new car is too expensive for you do, don't shop at the dealer.

If a kilt is too expensive...

[Highlander31]

When I was in the corporate rat race I had no option when it came to my clothes. Tailored wool suits were the required uniform. I would pay between $400.00 and $600.00 per suit (depending on whether I could find them on sale on not.) I had seven suits hanging in my closet. (That many suits lessens the wear on the material allowing them to last between eight to ten years before the material wears out.) Contrast that with an 8yd 16oz kilt that I purchased in 2003 for $595.00. It gets worn two to three times a week and has been cleaned some eight to ten times. That kilt looks like it did the first day I put it on.

More important than the cost of the kilt, or that it will last for decades if taken care of, is what it feels like to wear an 8yd 16oz handmade kilt.

My wife tells me that in her opinion, the most important thing about a kilt is how it looks when it swishes (swing of the pleats.) Who am I to argue with my wife.

[Phogfan86]

For reasonably-priced kilts, see stillwaterkilts.com and sportkilts.com. You can even get a stock Black Watch from Celtic Croft for $99. That'd be a good first kilt.

The other advertisers on XMTS, like Rocky at USA Kilts and Steve and all the good folks at Celtic Croft in Minnesota (ya uff da you betcha), can sell you a quality kilt for a little more. Thanks to some dumb luck with the producers in Scotland and fortunate timing on my part, Rocky is getting me set up with a 5-yard kilt in a rare tartan for under $400. I'm pretty pleased with that. Yes, it's a lot of money. It's also a garment my grandkids I may hand down to my grandkids.

[O'Callaghan]

At the cheap end, you can get tartan kilts from Stillwater Kilts from $30 or from Kiltmart from $38. Those aren't wool, and neither are the $61 kilts from The Frugal Corner, or the kilts from Sportkilt. The latter start from $50 but bigger sizes are extra, and everything else is extra, so it's not likely you'll actually pay that price. There is a tradeoff between price and how many different tartans they make available. None of the above carry truly obscure tartans, and Stillwater probably carries the least number.

Of the above, people are more willing to recommend Stillwater Kilts and Sportkilt because they both have good names for customer service. Also, Stillwater seem to have both the cheapest kilts and also the the cheapest wool kilts (this latter point having been mentioned by others), whereas OTOH, Sportkilt are probably the cheapest lightweight kilts, which is important if it gets hot where you live. I own both these brands and can recommend them myself.

There is something to be said for kilts that cost hundreds, but probably not for frequent use.