Quote Originally Posted by The Wizard of BC View Post
Unless your lady likes the idea of wearing 4 pounds of wool around her waist may I comment that, in general, a man's kilts will often be made quite differently than a ladies Tartan pleated skirt.

A skirt for a lady will usually be made with lighter fabrics. 10oz if the most common.
Skirts will usually be made with less fabric. The pleats are usually shallower. Box pleats are quite common to reduce the amount of fabric.
Tartan skirts will also be made more like other skirts. This means that they usually do not have the internal construction elements found in a man's kilt.

Externally a skirt can open on the left or the right. This is a personal preference thing.
The size and shaping of the aprons can be the same as for a man. Again, personal preference. And what looks best on each person. Girls have different shapes than us guys.
I personally think box pleats are very flattering to the female shape. Box or knife is another personal preference thing.

A man's kilt is a very complex garment. A ladies Tartan pleated skirt is usually made following the pattern of other skirts.
I bought 11Oz fabric (with selvedge) for my daughters but the tartans my wife wanted were not available in that weight, so I got 13Oz for her. She wants a knife pleated skirt as she feels that box pleats make her look fat, accentuating her 27.5"/40" waist/seat ratio. Some of the short ladies' kilted skirts that Howie Nicholsby makes are her guide. I was going to use about 5 yards.

So in construction, the way the apron sits slightly forward (to make the triangular shape from the front) doesn't matter whether it emerges from a deep pleat or inverted pleat? Is that right?