Wow, y'all are absolutely amazing. Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions, I will be looking at contacting both recommended kiltmakers.

I checked out the sites for Bear and a couple others that are linked from here. He has expressed marked interest in a "non-traditional" kilt... Utilikilts was heavily represented this year at TRF and both my husband and his Irish best friend were fascinated. I think they'd BOTH start wearing kilts more often if they weren't always heavy wool. *grins* That's one of the down sides to being such a big man... all that wool, plus the semi-tropical climate of the South is a bad combination. So once I make this $800 investment worth my money, I will indeed be looking at kilts from one of the sites here.

I'm hoping to get him to come peruse the site... he's not comfortable typing, so he'd be a lurker of the first degree, but he's expressed interest, so perhaps you'll be welcoming him, too.

Thanks again
Bryn