Seeking advice for my first kilt

[The Wizard of BC]

Hi Moses,

OK, let me dive in here and try to help.

First - The visual differences between 13 and 16 oz fabric is very little. The biggest difference will be in the cost.

Second - don't let weight of fabric be a concern if you are thinking about sweating. A kilt is open at the bottom and is quite cool once you start walking. Where you will feel sweat is in the back of the kilt against your kidneys.

A well made machine sewn kilt can rival a hand-sewn one for looks but notice I said well made.

Who makes your kilt and how they make it count for more than anything else.

Ask your kilt maker about stabilizer and interfacings. Ask about depth of deep and reverse pleats. If possible take a look at examples of your kiltmaker's work. If you see any stairstepping of the Tartan pattern in the back of the kilt walk away. If you grab the two top buckles and pull can you see any movement between them. There should be no stretch or give in the back of the kilt. None at all.
Then look for stitching. In a hand sewn kilt you should not see a single stitch on the outside of the kilt. Not a one. This is the whole reason for hand stitching.

A machine sewn kilt will show the lines of stitching. But that should be the only difference in how the kilt is made. A machine stitched kilt is actually stronger but must still have the stabilizer and interfacings.

Then fold the kilt in half and look at the back. You should see a prominant taper from the hips up to the center of the top strap and buckle. Above that the kilt should flare back out to allow it to fit up over the ribs.

If you are looking at a kilt made by a traditional kiltmaker the kilt must be worn up at the natural waist. This is one of the parts of the definition of a traditional kilt. If you try to wear it any lower than your natural waist you will get a large pucker in the front apron. You will also have the bottom of the Fell, (The part in the back that is sewn down and tapered) falling below the crest of your hips and butt. This will after a while cause the kilt to develop a shower curtain like effect to the pleats in the back.

If you wish to wear your kilt below your belly insure that you kiltmaker knows how to make a kilt to be worn there. 99% don't. You will also find that the shorter kilt jackets do not look very good with a kilt worn lower. You will have lots of shirt showing above the kilt and below the vest or jacket.

I hope you are getting the hint here that I am not really addressing the points you are asking about. You are asking good questions but your first questions should be about how well the kilt is made not the weight of the fabric it is made from.
Buying the best kilt you can afford from the best kiltmaker you can find is the single most important thing.

I know and understand that the cost of good kilt fabric is pretty high. But a truly well made kilt should not be outrageous. Ask your kiltmaker what their labor cost is. The average of those kiltmakers who advertise here is between $350 and $425 to sew your kilt. (This is for a premium quality custom made kilt) Then the rest is the fabric. 4 yards of 16oz wool will be somewhere around $350 to $400. 4 yards of 13oz wool about $100 less.
If you find someone asking for more than this be sure to get a good answer why.

If you find someone asking for less also get a good answer to why. You will probably find that less expensive kilts will use less fabric or the kiltmaker will cut corners to cut down on labor costs.

Of course, if you are looking for an off-the-rack kilt or one from the big web based sellers of someone else's product please disregard everything I have just said. All bets are off then.