Pre-Owned Kilt Score!

[MinusHD]

Having been an occasional tartan kilt wearer for about a year and a half, today I’ve taken delivery of my fifth kilt, and my first utility kilt. I found a Craigslist deal that seemed too good to pass up for a Utilikilt “Original” and a Soviet style belt/buckle. I’d been watching the post for a while and the price kept dropping to the point where I just had to go for it.

The seller purchased it new in 2005 and says it was worn only once to attend a concert, then relegated it to the closet. The most obvious risk was the sizing: supposedly a 33” waist with only an “M” on the tag, and I’ve gained a little weight. I did a quick fitting in a restroom stall here at work and thankfully it fits fairly well.

Interesting things to mention:

It was advertised as Brown/Dark Khaki and it was hard to tell from the photos, so I was thinking it was the old Utilikilts “Chocolate” color. However, in person my eyes see it as Olive. Chocolate would have been totally fine with me but I actually prefer the Olive, so this error actually made the deal little sweeter! The kilt is in fantastic shape – it really does appear* to be in “like new” condition as described by the seller.

The belt was advertised as leather. It is not, which is a little disappointing. It’s that plastic/rubber laminated canvas webbing… you know, like an old Soviet belt (which is what I was really expecting to begin with based on the photos). Perhaps it looks enough like leather that he didn’t know? Some might be upset about this error, but I’m not going to. It is still a cool belt that I will definitely wear. I already have the same kind of buckle on a belt that looks similar from a distance but this new belt is superior by far, so I’m getting an upgrade... and it was still a good deal for both items.

* At the seller’s request we had a telephone conversation before agreeing on the deal and before I PayPal’d him. He wanted to go over the items (based on his limited understanding... and poor color recognition) and make sure I was aware that a smoker had been living in the home and the items might have a slight smoke odor. Well, they have a pretty strong smoke odor. I suppose this is subjective. A quick wash should take care of the kilt, and I’m taking suggestions for deodorizing the belt. I do appreciate the seller letting me know ahead of time in case it would have changed my mind.

At the end of the day I believe the guy was being pretty honest, though I believe he was honestly a bit uninformed about the goods he had. Ultimately I think this worked to my advantage, as did his attempt at selling a Utilikilt on the “open market”. Overall I’m very happy with the two items I received for the price I paid, even with the belt not being leather and the smoke odor - and also considering I like the color better. I’ll get the kilt in the wash tonight and post a photo or two once it dries.