Review of USA Kilts Kids Kilt - warning: pic heavy

**HuDonald** · 16th March 17, 09:34 PM

Hey rabble!

When I was shopping for a kilt for my daughter, I looked everywhere, and there were hardly any reviews, so I thought I would share my thoughts here for anyone else who's interested. As a bonus, this will be a two-for-one review, since I bought two kilts from two places. I'm not going to lie about my preferences, but I'm not shaming anyone either; just presenting the facts as I see them and not throwing stones at anyone. And for the record, I am not affiliated with either brands or stores; I paid for both items on my own, with my own money, and did not receive compensation of any kind from anyone for doing this review.

For reference, my daughter had just turned 2 earlier this year, and is ready for the weather to turn nice. Since she is starting to get into 2T-sized clothes, her physical growth is proportionally slowing... clothes we buy for her will start to last longer than just a few months at a time - SWMBO has finally agreed to let me buy the kilts.

First, let me present to you the two kilts I bought for my daughter. On the left is the "Kids Kilt" in the Isle Of Skye tartan by USA Kilts (made by Ron), while the one on the right is the "Toddler Sport Kilt" in MacDonald tartan from Sport Kilt. Kilt pins were not included with the kilt purchases.
(I've included some details about the garment in the first picture for reference; sorry for the J.C. Taylor ruler... that's why my mother-in-law had laying around... I'm not affiliated with them, nor am I advertising for them.)

IMG_2094 (1) by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

Let's start the party with the similarities: Both kilts feature velcro closures for adjustability and expandability. They are both made from PV cloth. The tartan is well centered on the front apron on both kilts. We are familiar with the high quality PV cloth Rock's team uses, which are teflon coated and from Marton Mills. I have no idea what cloth Sport Kilt uses, but they have a similar hand to the Marton Mills PV and seem to be of good quality. Definitely not the stiff acrylic material. They are both 12" long - a non-changeable standard size from Sport Kilt, but made-to-measure from USA Kilts. And that's the extent of their similarities.

OK, moving on to the individual kilts. Saving the "best" for last, this is a USA Kilts subform after all, lets start with the Sport Kilt offering.

The Toddler Sport Kilt - which I'd be more ready to call a kilt-like garment (similar to a Utilikilt or 5.11 TDK - narrow front apron, fewer wide pleats), or a kid's kilted skirt with a small/narrow front apron. It's meant for waist sizes between 21"-27".

IMG_2096 (2) by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

IMG_2067 (1) by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

The front apron measured 8.5" both on the top and the bottom. It is straight and not tapered. A bright yellow Sport Kilt patch is affixed on the top right of the apron as they do all of their garments.

IMG_2069 by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

IMG_2070 (1) by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

Looking around back, you'll see the scrunched waistband at the top. A good amount of Sport Kilt's adjustability comes from it's elastic waistband. The waistband is approx 1.75" tall; there is no fell. The pleats are a full 2" wide at the top (when fully stretched out) and at the bottom. When the elastic is fully stretched, the kilt is pretty square (no "shape" or tapering from top to bottom). The pleats are about fairly consistently 1.75" deep across all pleats - but the pleats aren't a perfect match to one another - there is a mild variability in how they were pressed and lined up. There are a total of 9 pleats, going from one edge of the apron to the other edge.

Coming back around front, let's open'er up.

IMG_2072 by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

As you can see, the velcro is a full 1.5" tall velcro, matching up nicely with the all elastic waistband. Once opened up, you ca see that the first "pleat" runs back across almost the entire width of the front apron. I'm not sure why they do that, but my guess is it has to do with the following Sport Kilt feature: the "hidden pocket". Front and center under the apron is a sizable pocket for... whatever you wanna put in there. To me, it seems silly to put a pocket directly behind where a sporran would hang.

IMG_2076 by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

Open it some more, you'll see that there's really not much more going on there. The only thing keeping the fabric from laying straight across is the elastic waistband. Also note that there is about a 3/4" hem across the bottom - I don't think it's meant to be let out.

IMG_2090 (2) by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

This is the kilt laid on a table. I would not say they are holding a hard crease as the hem is not as "crisp/sharp" as it is "convincingly rolled" back in.

Alright, NOW, onto the USA Kilts Kids Kilt. This is a made-to-measure kilt, and the size I ordered were 19.5" waist, 12" length.

IMG_2095 by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

Where do I begin? This is a completely different garment. It's actually a KILT.

IMG_2078 by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

From the front, you have a properly shaped apron. It measures 11.25" at the hem, and tapers up to 9.75" at the top. The kilt is clean (no distracting logos), and features a mild fringe along the apron's outer edge.

IMG_2079 by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

Here is the kilt around back. Beautifully pleated to the oatmeal stripe. And as you can see, there's a real shape to this kilt.

IMG_2083 by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

IMG_2084 by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

IMG_2092 by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

The pleats are even and exact. Each pleat is carefully measured out and identical to the next one (as much as humanly possible). Top width of the pleat measures just about 0.75" while the pleat width at the bottom of the fell measures just about 1". Yes, you heard me right - a FELL! The fell measures just about 3.25" tall, compared to the 1.75" waistband (nonexistent) on the Sport Kilt.

IMG_2085 by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

The pleats measured 1.5" deep and are identical on each. I counted 16 pleats from apron edge to apron edge... but that's not the total number of pleats there are. You can also see that the pleats take a much better crease and are "precision pressed" to give very clean and crisp pleat edges and hem line.

IMG_2080 by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

There are 3 additional pleats (a total of 19 pleats) hidden under the front apron for future expandability.

IMG_2082 (1) by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

With the front apron opened, you can see the deep first pleat with the folded tip (good attention to detail). Another difference here is their use of a 3/4" tall velcro to keep the waistband short.

IMG_2086 by Dexter Hu, on Flickr

Here, you'll find a full 1.5"+ hem, which Rocky told me they put in place with the kid's growth in mind. When your toddler grows up, you can let the hem out a bit for the kilt to last longer. This is consistent with his idea to have a few extra pleats tucked under the front apron!

I forgot to take a picture of the USA Kilt opened up all the way. But trust me when I tell you that the construction is almost identical to the adult Casual Kilt. The inside top of the pleats are not scalloped out, but neatly pressed and sewn down.

The USA Kilts Kids Kilt is just a much better constructed kilt, it looks great on, has a nice shape, and doesn't look like a pleated skirt. All the little details like the full-width apron, narrower pleats, the expandable hem and extra pleats just makes it a true work of art, and is respectable as a kilt. I also like the fact that I know who made it (thank you, Ron!). The overall "fit and finish" is heads above the Toddler Sport Kilt. But of course, this all comes at a price too. You get what you pay for. The Toddler Sport Kilt is $36 with a 1-week build time. In contrast, the USA Kilt with my provided measurements was $60 (originally $40, the $20 surcharge was added because the length of the kilt), and because I didn't want to wait the full 8-10 weeks, I paid the additional rush fee to get it out the door sooner. You can say "oh my, that's almost double the price!", or you can just as easily say there is a $24 difference. With the rush fee, I could have bought TWO of the Toddler Sport Kilts! But I personally think the quality is worth the price difference time and time again, and I think this little kilt will last us quite a few years. The Sport kilt is nice if you want something a kid can slip on and run around in, get dirty, and look like she is wearing a pleated skirt. I have a daughter, so looking like a pleated skirt is fine. But if I want my daughter to wear a kilt, I'd reach for the USA Kilts every time.

Thank you, Rocky and gang, for putting out a high quality product. I will, and hope my daughter will too, own this garment with pride.

**Balaamsass51** · 17th March 17, 03:54 AM

Great review. Can you throw the usa kilt into the washer and tumble dry like the sportkilt??

**RockyR** · 17th March 17, 04:31 AM

Originally Posted by Balaamsass51

Great review. Can you throw the usa kilt into the washer and tumble dry like the sportkilt??

The fabric we use has a Teflon coating on it. The preferred method of laundering is to machine wash on cold and lay flat to dry. You CAN use a dryer, but that shortens the life of the Teflon coating. If you lay the cloth flat (across the back of a couch or the foot of the bed), it typically dries within 12 hours and even quicker if you have a ceiling fan on.