Subtle difference?

[Father Bill]

I hear here (!) two terms that may or may not mean the same thing, and I'm looking for clarification. One is "box pleat." The other is "military box pleat." I know that the box pleat was often associated with the military, but is there a difference?

[Downunder Kilt]

Hope this helps Father Bill

[Father Bill]

Hope this helps Father Bill

Perfect! Thanks!

[sevenoaks]

Thank you. That clears it up in my mind. Like they say... A picture is worth a thousand words. Great!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

That illustration helps, but I think a better illustration might show what a box pleated kilt looks like when made with four yards, six yards, eight yards, etc.

On a traditional four yard box pleated kilt, the pleats generally look like the one simply called "box pleat" above. There is little to no overlap of the interior of the pleats.

Now, imagine the same pleating style but made with five yards, or six yards. There will be slightly more cloth. That means there will be slightly more pleats, and those pleats will be slightly more narrow. It also means that at least one side of the box pleats (typically the right side) will be deeper, to take in the extra cloth.

I, in fact, have a kilt like this. It's my newest kilt, box pleated, made from six yards of cloth.

It doesn't really look that much different from a four yard box pleated kilt from this angle, but if I were to take a picture from the "bottom up" the way the B&W line illustrations are, you'd see the pleats are much deeper on one side than the other. There are also about 12 pleats in that kilt, compared with the 8 or 9 pleats I typically get when I make a four yard box pleated kilt for myself.

If you continue this line of thinking for an eight yard kilt, the number of pleats, and the narrowness of those pleats, will be akin to what we are used to seeing in a modern day eight yard knife pleated kilt. But they will be box pleats. The left side of the pleat will be fairly shallow, while the right side will be deep, like a knife pleat. In fact, they look rather like knife pleats "turned in" on themselves. Which a lot of people, unfamiliar with the history of kilts and the various ways they are pleated, tend to think they are.

So the easiest answer to what the difference is between a box pleated kilt and a "military box pleated kilt" is that a military box pleated kilt is simply a box pleated kilt made from 8 yards of cloth. (And often not even that!)

[seanachie]

Now, imagine the same pleating style but made with five yards, or six yards. There will be slightly more cloth. That means there will be slightly more pleats, and those pleats will be slightly more narrow. It also means that at least one side of the box pleats (typically the right side) will be deeper, to take in the extra cloth.

I, in fact, have a kilt like this. It's my newest kilt, box pleated, made from six yards of cloth.

First, That is a fantastic looking kilt, Matt. Which tartan is that please?

But Specific to Military Box Pleats I was told by one kilt maker that these are constructed with elastic inside to keep the pleats aligned. Is this specific to them or common amongst military box pleats?

[jhockin]

here are a couple of the threads I read ( & re-read) before starting my first military box-pleat; these have good photos :

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...t-trial-16994/

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...at-kilt-27980/

re: elastic: I was told that "the elastic shouldn’t be required in a new kilt and if you take proper care of the kilt (roll it up backwards, store it laying flat and NEVER send it out to be pressed) then you won’t need it in an old kilt. the elastic only becomes necessary when the pleats become f*cked up from hanging the kilt to store it"

[M. A. C. Newsome]

First, That is a fantastic looking kilt, Matt. Which tartan is that please?

But Specific to Military Box Pleats I was told by one kilt maker that these are constructed with elastic inside to keep the pleats aligned. Is this specific to them or common amongst military box pleats?

Thanks for the compliments! That's my own proprietary tartan, New House Highland.

On the elastic, that was a feature of some military kilts - specifically the Seaforth. Not sure if any other regiments ever adpted it.

[Steve Ashton]

I don't want to be too much of a stickler for detail, but that illustration was put together by our member Richard Behling (way2fractious) back in 2006.

We all use it now.

But to be honest, "Credit to, where credit is due".

[Downunder Kilt]

Thankyou Richard (way2fractious) for a great contribution to the understanding of the different ways of pleating. It make it so easy to understand what kiltmakers and articles on the net are talking about.

A to you Sir