Help with first kilt

[Father Bill]

The bitter taste of lower quality is remembered long after the sweetness of low price is long forgotten. The kilt is the most expensive part of your kit, so the rest can be picked up one part at a time as you save a few more shekels.

As our friend has said, you don't need all the kit to enjoy it right away. This is my 8 yard 16 ounce totally traditional with just a good quality sporran, some nice plain hose, optional belt, optional sghian, and self-tie garters. I'm wearing shoes that I had in my closet. You don't really need a kilt pin either. That can come later.



Any normal Saxon vest will likely also go with this if there's already one in your closet. Tweed is always excellent but remove the belt if you wear a vest. Add a tie and already you're already "up" a good notch.

Please, do not wear a Saxon jacket with your kilt. It's too long and marks you out as an unknowledgeable kiltie and somewhat Dweebish.

[djallen813]

I appreciate the help. Father Bill, that kilt looks incredible! It suits you very well and your pride shows!

I'm leaning towards the 8 yd wool now. I agree that quality is most important here, especially when building a good kilt wardrobe! My only fear was wanting to be able to dress it up well for Christmas and a few weddings I'll be attending next year but I can save some pennies and get there soon. (Plus my birthday in a few weeks can help me out right? )

I'm looking forward to talking with USA Kilts next week too and seeing some of the products in person.

[Father Bill]

Aha!

For a lot of your Christmas functions, kilt, hose, garters, sporran... and a nice pullover/ jumper type sweater or sweater-vest over a nice shirt (preferably not button-down) and tie and Bob's your uncle!

[djallen813]

Aha!

For a lot of your Christmas functions, kilt, hose, garters, sporran... and a nice pullover/ jumper type sweater or sweater-vest over a nice shirt (preferably not button-down) and tie and Bob's your uncle!

That's an excellent idea! Got my imagination going now, could even do a turtle neck shirt with a sweater or vest over it. I like it!

[Panache]

djallen813,


I have three USA Kilts PV semi traditional kilts and love them all. They have gotten heavy use for a number of years and still look great. Their PV model is wonderful for a kilt for hiking as well as looking sharp at a wide variety of events. That said I also have two of their 5 yard wool kilts. If given the choice between the two I would go for the wool. The PV fabric is wonderful and durable, but nothing has the feel or look of nice wool tartan. This might be your only kilt (it certainly will be your only kilt for a while) so take the plunge and get the wool. If you find you like wearing kilts and would like to expand to wearing them at more informal gatherings then a PV Semi traditional model is not only going to be a cheaper addition. They do have the advantages of being lighter weight (important in the summer) and stain resistant (not to mention washable). Still, better to start off with a nicer kilt for dressier events (which you are looking to wear your kilt to).

Black Watch is a fine and handsome tartan for a kilt (I have one), however if you are going with Rocky and Co. send Rocky an email and see if he has any suggestions for other Universal tartans. It is nice to have options (if you go with wool there are so many wonderful ones!) and he may have a great one you haven't thought of, and if nothing else it will make your decision to go with BW firmer.

I applaud you going with a black argyll jacket and waistcoat. As much as I love tweed, it is a lot easier to come up with more casual outfits sans a tweed jacket. One can easily go to a daytime event with a nice waistcoat, sweater vest, or jumper and a tie and look great. Tweed would be better, but since again you mentioned wanting highland attire for dressing up, tweed jackets can only go so far. A black argyll will allow you to go from suit to tux equivalent levels of formality and can still be dressed down with a turtle neck to look sharp. Again, if you find yourself wanting to wear your kilt for more events then add a tweed jacket.

Charcoal tweed jackets have been suggested, I have to say though I love how they look they tend to be too dressy for most day events yet not dressy enough for formal evening events.

Here are a few photos of my black argyll jacket dressed up and down for a visual reference.

Hope this was of some use to you

Cheers

Jamie





















(Fez of course optional)

[djallen813]

Thanks for your input Jamie, it is very helpful and thanks for the pictures as well as it helps give a visual and spark ideas. I was wondering if you have experience with the 8 yard wool vs the 5 yard wool. I think I've made up my mind to go wool but now I'm deciding just which way to go. I think I like the idea of the 5 yard being potentially cooler in the summer and lower cost but I'm weighing that vs the quality and look of an 8 yard kilt. Would you have any input on that?

Also, what would be your opinion on the black argyll vs the charcoal jacket discussed? It seems to me that the charcoal version is technically tweed as I can only find black argyll vs charcoal tweed argyll style like the one seen here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MENS-CHARC...aPGyDFPck6PodQ (not sure if that link comes through or not).

[Panache]

Thanks for your input Jamie, it is very helpful and thanks for the pictures as well as it helps give a visual and spark ideas. I was wondering if you have experience with the 8 yard wool vs the 5 yard wool. I think I've made up my mind to go wool but now I'm deciding just which way to go. I think I like the idea of the 5 yard being potentially cooler in the summer and lower cost but I'm weighing that vs the quality and look of an 8 yard kilt. Would you have any input on that?

Also, what would be your opinion on the black argyll vs the charcoal jacket discussed? It seems to me that the charcoal version is technically tweed as I can only find black argyll vs charcoal tweed argyll style like the one seen here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MENS-CHARC...aPGyDFPck6PodQ (not sure if that link comes through or not).

djallen813,

I do not have experience with Rocky's 8 yard hand sewn kilts, only the 5 yard ones with machine sticking. They have a different and simpler internal construction than an 8 yard* hand sewn (basically once you get past 5 yards of wool cloth you have to stick with the traditional Scottish way of doing it or all the cloth from the pleats bunches up around the top of the kilt and you would look like a sausage).

It boils down to number and depth of pleats. with and 8 yard traditional kilt you get lots of deep pleats and they will have that wonderful "swish" when you walk or dance. I do not notice all that much difference between my 5 yard, 6 yard, or approx. 8 yard wool kilts in the heat. I do notice a significant difference between my lightweight PV USA semi traditional kilts and my wool ones in summer. If you can afford it, the hand sewn 8 yard traditional hand sewn kilt is the absolute best. However Rocky's 5 yards are a wonderful value and you get all the beauty of real wool tartan and the fit of made to measure with them.

I edited my original response to you and when I did so I addressed charcoal gray tweed jackets. To reiterate..they look wonderful!
I like them a lot. Yet they don't have the versatility for daywear and more casual occasions than other lighter tweeds. At the same time they can't be dressed up as formally as a standard black barathea argyll.

Cheers

Jamie

* They really aren't exactly eight yards to be honest. It all involves the size of the tartan set, the measurements of the wearer, etc...

[OC Richard]

In our modern traditional Highland Dress, which took its current form in the early 20th century, a black barathea Argyll jacket with silver buttons is an Evening Dress jacket just as much as is a Prince Charlie, Montrose, Kenmore, or what have you. In other words the materials, rather than the cut, seem to decide the category.

So, a black Argyll with silver buttons would be worn with an Evening sporran (silver cantle and fur) and with full tartan or diced hose, buckled shoes, formal neckwear, and so forth, just as a Prince Charlie would be. Evening Dress isn't suitable for occasions where the nonkilted men are in suits.

I think that's why so many people in Scotland advocate a charcoal jacket, due to it being suitable for informal and daytime occasions.

Now that's mere tradition, and anyone is free to not follow it.

An early appearance of the Evening Argyll



Nowadays the black Argyll has become the standard uniform of the piper. At the World Pipe Band Championships one could see nearly all of the 240 bands wearing them... that is until all the bands decided to not wear jackets in competition any more, and just wear the waistcoats.

Actually they're not all black. Some bands wear an extremely dark blue, some charcoal grey.

The standard modern pipe band uniform: smart but comfortable



Here is Prince Charles well showing the elegance of the grey kilt jacket

[djallen813]

You guys are great, thank you so much. At this point I feel like I'm going to choose between the 5 yard or 8 yard kilt, then depending on how much I have left in the budget I may look for an affordable charcoal or black argyll jacket and waistcoat to dress it up. At least that's the plan as of now, who knows what tomorrow will bring.

[djallen813]

Just wanted to give a quick update since you were all so helpful.

I met the wonderful and very friendly Rocky from USA Kilts at the Irish Festival here this past weekend and ordered my 5 yard Black Watch 16 oz kilt! I'm very excited!

I was also gifted a kilt pin and belt from some family members that attended with me, so I should have a great start on a casual outfit to start.

Thanks again for the help and I hope to be able to post some more updates soon. Can October get here quick, I want my kilt now