Low yardage on a large frame?

[DrumMayer]

I am contemplating the purchase of a "low yardage" kilt for the first time, but am unsure if it will be a good fit for my frame. In latter years I have grown somewhat, alas all in the wrong direction, if you take my meaning. Would a five or six yard kilt provide enough "coverage"? Will it hang properly? Should I avoid box pleats with my build? All my life I've worn the 8 or 9 yard heavyweights, so that's the "kilt feel" I'm used to--how do five or six yard kilts compare? What experience do my larger-framed kilt-wearing brethren have with such kilts?

Any unvarnished feedback or advice is most welcome!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I suggest you talk to your kilt maker about what you want; the kilt maker will adjust for your measurements.

For example, if someone wanted to order a "four yard" box pleated kilt from me, and submitted their measurements as having 52" hips, I would actually use about five yards for their "four yard" kilt. That is because with his frame I would need that extra yard of cloth to ensure that I am able to make the pleats of the same size and depth as a typical four yard kilt. The general formula I use is that for anything over 46" (hips or waist, whichever is larger), I include an extra yard for every 10". Other kilt makers have different, but similar rules of thumb.

The largest kilt I ever made was for a 74" waist. That was a "four yard" box pleated kilt that I believe contained seven yards of cloth. Looked great on him.

[Geoff Withnell]

I am undoubtedly a "large frame" person. My hip measurement is 56", fortunately down from a high of 60". And while I am planning and working to lose more weight, I will never be "small framed". That said, I have "4 yard" (I'm sure they are actually higher yardage) box pleat kilts, "5 yard" knife pleat kilts, "8 yard tanks" and one 8 yard double box pleat. While the 8 yarders surely have more "action", that's true at any frame size. I have it on good authority (my wife, who won't let me out of the house in a kilt if I don't look right) that the lower yardage kilts look just fine.

[Father Bill]

I was fascinated a few years back, in a kilt hire shop to discover that their in-house kiltmaker was in the process of combining two smaller kilts into a single for a very large customer. I can only begin to imagine the logistics of that particular process!

[Grizzly]

Lower yardage kilts work out just fine, this is my latest which is nominally a five yard knife pleat but is probably nearer 6 yards, as Matt says your kiltmaker will actually order the right amount of fabric. Incidentally I think this is made to 55 inch hips. 51 1/2 " waist.

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[David Thorpe]

Larger gentlemen can benefit from the additional vertical visual component sometimes yielded by larger yardage kilts. Narrow pleats mean more vertical stripes (if pleated to the stripe). This makes the kilt look longer versus wider.
In the grand scheme of things, an additional yard or two of tartan is a minor factor in the total price of the kilt.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Lower yardage kilts work out just fine, this is my latest which is nominally a five yard knife pleat but is probably nearer 6 yards, as Matt says your kiltmaker will actually order the right amount of fabric. Incidentally I think this is made to 55 inch hips. 51 1/2 " waist.

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I just want to chime in and say that the choice of purple hose really works with that outfit! Good job!

[DrumMayer]

I suggest you talk to your kilt maker about what you want...

Funny you should say so...It is your box pleated kilt that got my started down this road. To be continued on your website!

[Pleater]

Having made costumes in the past, I'd not be overly concerned about making a lower yardage kilt in larger sizes. If the fabric is a good heavy quality then it should be just fine, even if it means having pleat reveals a bit wider than those on a kilt for someone smaller, they will still be in proportion.

A lower yardage kilt in heavy quality fabric will always look better than a longer length made of lighter weight stuff.

I would advise that the length be slightly longer than for a smaller size, and that the kilt be worn at the natural waist with a rise of two or three inches, as that will be most flattering. That will not need more fabric, but it will give a better effect.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: