Bespoke kilt advice?

[Jimmy the Celt]

I believe am ready to get a bespoke wool kilt but cannot decide exactly what I want. Living in North Texas it gets bloody hot in the summer and sometimes down into single digit temps in winter; quite a gap in extremes. However, most of my time is spent indoors. I have concluded that I would rather have three or four nice tanks rather than a closet full of inexpensive kilts. I would like an 8 yard model and am hoping that a 13 oz. wool would be a good compromise for year-round wear, though I have not ruled out a 5-yard model.

Presently, I am considering USA Kilts and the Scottish Trading Company. Is it worth spending the extra money for a non-top-stitched kilt? USAK has terrific prices on wool kilts in the Celtic Nations tartan (top-stitched); that might be a good way to go for my first wool kilt, but I have other tartans in mind (Boyd, Irvine, Ayrshire Ancient, saffron and others). Or maybe I should get a nice tweed? But I am not asking for help choosing tartans . . .

For $475 US I can get an 8 yard, 13 oz. kilt from Scottish Trading Company. That is mighty tempting.

Please note, I am not a rich man; I am a poor man who kens the value of clothing made well. I have done a good bit of reading and feel moderately well informed, but this is a major investment for me.

Edited to add: My weight changes between 175 and 185. It worries me a bit that I might get the wrong size!

Jimmy

[Richrail]

I can't say enough about USAkilts I have three five yard wool kilts. I have one 13 oz. and two 16 oz.

[mookien]

Jimmy: FWIW - My opinions.

I own two 8-yard 13 oz. kilts that are very nice. But, I prefer my 16 oz. kilts. They hang and swing better and they are not that much hotter in the summertime. When it snows, they are warmer.

I own a number of 5-yard kilts in 16 oz. wool and like them as much as my 16 oz. 8-yarders. They, too, are cooler in the summertime (and wintertime) and cost significantly less.

I recommend USA Kilts, but I am biased, because I have done business with Rocky before and have always received excellent service and products. I have no knowledge of the Scottish Trading Company, because I have not done business with them.

I have no problem with top stitching in theory, but I don't own one, yet.

I wouldn't worry at all about a 10 lb. weight swing. That's what belts and buckles are for.

John

[McMurdo]

My advice starts with get the best kilt you can afford, get measured correctly by your kilt maker if possible as each maker has their own way of doing things. I would go for the 16 oz rather than the 13 for the reasons given above.

[IsaacW]

Heavier weight for the above and for better protection in wind. Heavier also holds pleats better. You are better with 16 oz or better and go lower yardage. Top stitching is fine, but I prefer the look of the more traditional stitching.

Isaac

[Couper]

I have one of USAKilts' 5-yard wool in Celtic Nations. I also have a casual in Celtic Nations. They are both wonderful garments and I own one of each for less than the price of just one 8-yard tank. I also have a USAK in American Hertitage. USAKilts is a solid company with great product quality, reasonable pricing and top-notch customer service.

[Todd Bradshaw]

We were at the Wisconsin Highland Games on Saturday, where the temperature was in the upper eighties with bright sunshine. I had one of my 16 oz. eight yard kilts that Barb made for me on. I don't tolerate really hot weather very well, but honestly the parts of me that were bothered most by the heat were not the kilted parts. I never felt like having one that was only 13 ounce cloth would have made any real difference, and I do think my kilt was cooler than blue jeans would have been in the same conditions.

[MNlad]

At the same games last weekend, and it was a cooker. 16 oz., five-yard wool kilt for the Friday ceremonies, and an 8-yard PV the following day, and, honestly, I had a hard time telling the difference. It was my upper body that was feeling the heat/humidity. Finished the weekend on Sunday with a 5.11 Tactical—my go-to really hot weather kilt—and there I could definitely feel the difference. They are about the lightest kilts going.

Advice above holds true. Go with 16 oz. wool and you won't be disappointed. I find that the yardage rather than the weight seems to be a bigger influence on the comfort in hot weather. A 5-yard, 16 oz. wool makes a great compromise.

[Jimmy the Celt]

Thank you for all the feedback. It sounds like 16 oz is the way to go then! Most of my time is spent indoors in any case so it really should not be an issue; a 5 yard may well be warm enough in freezing weather. But the traditionalist in me wants 8 yards Perhaps I can get the 5 yard later in the spring.

I bought a USAK casual several years ago and was very happy with both the kilt and the service. It is a good deal too large now unfortunately (or fortunately, depending). At the time I lived in southern California so winters were relatively mild. The PV served well enough with hose, but in North Texas it may not serve as well.

As for measuring, I do not know of any kiltmakers in my area (Denton County). It would be ideal to be measured by the kiltmaker but if than is not an option I might be able to see a tailor who can measure me. I have taken my own, but it may be worth it to get it done by a professional.

[Todd Bradshaw]

One thing you might be able to try is what we did for mine. I sent measurements that my wife and I took to Barb T using e-mail. She had some things that she wanted to check, so one Saturday morning we did a re-measuring via Skype, with my wife helping on this end and me standing in front of the computer while Barb directed the action from New York. There were some fairly substantial differences between what we had originally sent in, and what we ended up with after the Skype session. She has since made me two 8-yard, 16 oz. kilts from those measurements and they both fit perfectly. I was really amazed at how well and how evenly they hug your body. This really helps to keep them in place and also evenly distributes their weight so that they don't feel particularly heavy.

It's like having your kiltmaker come to your house for a private measuring session if they're good and you can get them to try it.