They say you should never buy a pig in a poke - my vintage eBay kilt.

[NeightRG]

So I recently sold a vintage guitar amplifier to raise money for my upcoming wedding.
I figured that I still need to buy some more dressy kilt accessories for the wedding, and decided to have a look on eBay - seeing as I had a few hundred dollars in my PayPal account. I found what I needed, but on the way, I found this -



Poorly written description, just this one low-res photo... But I felt quite the pull to it, took the plunge, and grabbed it up with the "Buy it now"
I'll post more pictures when it gets here, but for now I really don't know what I've got. I wouldn't even be surprised if it turned out to be a women's kilt skirt.

Are there any details that anybody can glean from this photo?
It's definitely got some age on it - maybe 50+ years. There's at least a full repeat tucked into each pleat and it's pleated to the sett.
There's a fringe visible on the right side - so the aprons are at least laid out like a men's kilt...
And God knows it desperately needs to be pressed.

Just thought you guys might like to play the guessing game with me until it gets here, when we get to see - great find, or my latest folly?

[robthehiker]

Based on the photo, I'm going to guess that it's a woman's skirt. Hopefully I'm wrong but it was definitely worth taking a punt on it.

[cable scot]

Well this will be a fun thread if nothing else I hope it works out for you.If it is a ladies skirt will you tailor it for your lady? That would be cool too.

Andy

[cruiser348]

We'll know for sure once it arrives, but to me it looks like it might be a men's kilt. I think the picture was taken from behind, and based on where the fringe is peaking out on the top right I believe that would put it on the correct side of the front.

[ShaunMaxwell]

Based on the photo, it looks like the apron closes to the right, so I'm thinking it's not a ladies skirt...

[SlackerDrummer]

If that's the only photo, I'm betting that it's a kilt but that the apron is in really bad shape, which will be much more upsetting than if it were simply a skirt.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

It's definitely a man's kilt; I just hope the front apron isn't mothed to bits, or indelibly stained. A careful dry cleaning and pressing should reveal a first rate kilt. Fingers crossed.

[Pleater]

Just because the closing is left over right doesn't mean that it is a man's kilt - in the UK at least a kilt always closes the same way. The ones I had 50 odd years ago for school were left over right, and photos, knitting patterns and films I have seen show the same orientation for girls and women.

I hope that the kilt proves to be in OK condition - but it could still be a woman's.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[dea3369]

Nate,

I wish you the best with your purchase. (This is one thing I really dislike about eBay and other online purchases. You're pretty much at the mercy of the seller. Caveat emptor to the max.)

Curious to know what the tartan is. Is it a clan tartan? Hopefully, a tartan you are allowed to wear. Also, if you don't mind, how much did you pay?

[RockyR]

It's the MacDuff Red Modern tartan (though the red looks to have faded a bit to orange-y red with age). By the looks of it (fringe on right side, 1" to 1.25" straps, 3" to 4" rise), I'd say it's a man's kilt with a high rise. Also, I'm noting how much the kilt 'gathers' at the bottom of the fell while lying flat and how much each pleat tapers. I'd guess the hips are roughly 8" or so bigger than the waist (i.e. 34 X 42 X length). While I'm not very impressed with the way the kilt maker chose to pleat it, it DOES appear to have each pleat covering one full sett, so the pleat depth should be nice and swing reasonably well. If you paid $100 or so, you got a decent deal.

Just my $.02.

MacDuff: