Where to begin?

**shamada** · 11th October 13, 12:13 AM

Thanks for good advises. I have another question. Is heavy kilt like 16oz. for winter time and lighter one for summer time or does weight matter with the change of seasons?

**shamada** · 11th October 13, 04:23 AM

Does anyone know the reputation of this company I found on ebay. They seem to be reasonable and relatively new to ebay selling. I like to know what you think about those products. Are they legit for beginner kilt head like me? Thank you.

http://www.ebay.com/usr/tartansandbagpipes

**James Hood** · 11th October 13, 07:01 AM

Personal thought is to employ one of the businesses on this forum. They are known and respected.

When "getting into kilts," 'have purchased one each of Stillwater's Thrifty, Economy and Standard kilts and a Pakistani utility-kilt, total less than $250 US and they have "taught" much about construction, weight, amounts of fabric, practice wearing and caring for...a self-study "kilt-school class".

In this opinion, using inexpensive kilt or kilts to develop one's education and becoming comfortable with wearing, then going for one or more good ones has worked well.

Best of fortune!

**shamada** · 12th October 13, 06:23 AM

To me, the choice would be between Royal Stewart or Honour of Scotland. Both seems to be a safe bet for a beginner non Scottish bagpipe player like me to wear a kilt. Is it O.K for me to wear one of those or any other suggestions? Thanks.

**MacLowlife** · 12th October 13, 06:35 PM

I think Royal Stewart is an excellent choice for a first kilt. I think many people wear the same weight kilt year-round. I think the seller you spotted will probably give you a decent value for your money, but if you spend just a little more with one of the advertisers here ( like Stillwater ) I think you will get an even better value for your money. In the end it comes down to price generally being an indicator of quality and the question of how much quality you can afford.

There seem to be two major schools of thought- one is to buy one good kilt- the very best you can afford. The other is to buy and wear several kilts. If you subscribe to the second school, it may not matter if your first kilt is a "Learning Experience" (i.e., a disappointment) but if you are counting on having just one kilt, it is probably best to save your money and invest in a slightly more expensive one to begin with.

There is nothing wrong with a cheap "party kilt" as long as you recognize that it is not going to wear or look like a better grade one. It would be nice if we could all afford $1000 custom tailored kilts, but we can't. Somewhere between those two extremes is a kilt that balances price and quality as they align with your budget. So, your job is to decide how often and where you are going to wear your kilt, then decide where on the scale you want to be. THEN save until you can get that kilt. Or buy the cheap one and recognize that it is coming out of your savings for a better one.

**pbutts** · 12th October 13, 07:07 PM

Originally Posted by shamada

Thanks for good advises. I have another question. Is heavy kilt like 16oz. for winter time and lighter one for summer time or does weight matter with the change of seasons?

My experience is 16 oz fabric really isn't a problem in the summer (80-90 ' Fahrenheit isn't unusual around here) and it sure looks better than the lightweight fabric.

By the way, that eBay vendor maybe one of those mentioned here for stealing photos from other legitimate vendors. Many of the vendors that advertise here can meet the price range you are looking for.

**shamada** · 28th October 13, 03:31 AM

The more I dig deep about kilt and stuff, the more mysterious it becomes. What do you recommend about belt for non Scottish person like me? I am thinking about Royal Steward kilt. Are there any general all around belt buckle I can wear without any affiliations with clans? Thank you.

kiltedwolfman · 28th October 13, 07:13 AM

Shamada-san, you can wear any buckle that you find appealing and there are many styles of buckle that show no clan emblems but rather very nice decorative embellishments. You should know that the belt is not an integral part of the kilt attire and if you were planning on piping in a jacket and waist-coat you would generally wear a belt anyway. If you were not planning on a jacket and waist-coat then a belt makes a nice visual break between top and bottom of the outfit. As for the kilt itself Royal Stewart is a good choice however it is also one of the most used tartans out there. There are a very large number of what people would consider "universal" tartans and you should feel free to choose one that most suits you. If you are planning on joining into a pipe band then you may want to choose the tartan that band is currently wearing.