Kilt Height

[Tobus]

I agree with Rocky, most kilts I see in Scotland anyway have the 3 straps. Only time I have seen the 2 are on hire kilts and budget kilts quite often only have the 2. I have been told on many occasion by shop assistants that the 3rd strap ensures a better fit.

I can't speak for Scottish kilt shops, but I'd say the majority of traditional kilts I see "in the wild" have the 3rd strap. To me, it just looks traditional and "right". I love to see a full-yardage substantial kilt with that extra bit of visible leather and metal. But that's just my personal taste.

As for why it's there, I wouldn't say it has to do with ensuring a better fit, but it is helpful in ensuring better conformance to the body of the wearer. It may be splitting hairs, but I see it as a real difference. A well-made tailored kilt should fit the wearer just fine with only two straps. And it should still wear well if the customer prefers not to have the 3rd strap. Ideally, the tapering in the fell area should make the kilt fit the person's body snugly and there's no need for the extra lower strap. But the kilt is just hanging or draping from the top.

On the other hand, some people (like me) prefer the 3rd strap because it helps keep the apron just a smidge more conformed to the body by sort of "closing the loop" around the fell area to ensure that the kilt stays a bit more snug around the hips. It's not a huge difference; rather, it's a very subtle one. And it will very much be a function of the wearer's body shape, the width of the apron on the kilt, and the height of the 3rd strap. Some are higher, some are lower. But the other thing the hip strap does is keep the apron edge following the leg when you sit, kneel, etc.

As you can see in the photos below, my natural stance when I'm "at ease" tends to throw one leg forward. In the first photo, this kilt has a wider apron with the hip buckle higher up. So it's not doing a whole lot in terms of keeping the apron in place. All it's doing is providing a little more contour to my body shape when it's snug. And it's OK to snug it up a little tighter when it's a higher hip strap like this. In the second photo, though, the hip strap is much lower, and the apron is narrower. So I wear that strap more loosely. It's not so much keeping the kilt contoured to my body, but it does keep the apron edge aligned with my leg when I bend.




An extreme example would be when I kneel or raise one leg up (say, to tie my shoe). Below you can see that the hip strap is keeping the top of the apron (above the strap) securely in place, and the apron is forced to bend at the hip strap, which keeps it exactly in line with my leg. Is it absolutely necessary? Well, no. But I think it does have some functional advantage. Or at least, it's what I'm used to.