Kilt Length For Man Sized Men. (Kilt Makers, Take Note)

[Dreadbelly]

Sitting also causes the butt cheeks to artificially expand, making them spread a good bit.

[Canuck]

I have compensated this by dropping the front waistband by 3/4" incriments depending on how big the gut is. by doing so the kilt hangs even in the back, sits under the tummy in the front and looks level all around. sometimes stitching down a 1/2" further on the hip line also stops the kilt from flairing out in the back end when bending over.
Cheers
Robert

[The Wizard of BC]

D. L-N. M

In the PM I sent you I asked you to go to my website and measure using my system.
I'm sorry and humbly apoligise if that came across as an advertisment. That was not my intent.

I needed us to be talking the same language with your measurments. You seem to have done all your measurments correctly. (Rocky and I use almost the same wording on our sites.)

At 5'5" and 48x48x21 you problem is caused by what is called "ease". All garments have some 'ease' it is the extra room built in to allow you to move.

In your case a kilt maker will also need to know the 'drop' not just in one spot but also in the front and rear. As Rocky posted, in most kilts made for 'men of substance' there is a built-in 'angle' to the waistband. Shorter in the front and longer in the rear. This is to allow the bottom hem to hang straight while standing and not ride up in back or bunch in the front.

I asked a former customer whose measurments are similar to yours to bring in his Freedom Kilt and stoop and bend for me so I could look at it. His kilt which is 1 1/2" higher in the back than in the front doesn't seem to do what you describe.

I think in the case of your next kilt you need to have a long talk with your kiltmaker before you order. Explain your problem and let them work with you. A couple of photos might help.

By just sending in a set of measurments you are essentially ordering 'off the rack'. I know that most kiltmakers here and espically Rocky, Bear, and Jeff, care deeply how their kilts look on their customers and will work with you to solve this problem.

[Dreadbelly]

Well, I was measured by that nice lady, and properly. She no longer sews. She told me measuring down from the navel for a kilt was silly. She said it was better to measure from the hip bones, the pointy spot where your leg bones hit your pelvis. You measure the drop, which mine is 19 inches, and you measure up from that spot, which on me is 5 inches. She told me it's the same as measuring for a skirt or even a pair of short pants. She then said a bunch of stuff I don't understand about spread, drape, and taper.

So I have the right measurements, with the rise, the drop, and all those things, I am just not sure if everybody uses the same terms. If it's universal.

[Casey]

This is the measurement method that Burnett's & Struth uses. They then add a rise of 1.5" to 3 ".

This is a more complex measurement and is very difficult to do yourself.

Casey

[Dreadbelly]

This is the measurement method that Burnett's & Struth uses. They then add a rise of 1.5" to 3 ".

This is a more complex measurement and is very difficult to do yourself.

Casey

So it is somewhat universal?

How can they predict how much rise? Seems to me, there could be an awful lot of space between the hip and the navel on some men. It's more than hight based. Is there some super secret science I am not aware of?

I personally don't know. But it's interesting.

I think I sort of understand why it's important to know the drop and the rise. Using the hip as an anchor point, you could most likely taper better, sew down the hips in all the right places, etc. Does it give you a better idea of where to start on all these things? I mean, if you just started at the waistband and worked your way down according to some formula, like in a kilt that's x inches long you would sew down y inches from the waistband, I could see where that would cause problems. Not every man would follow that formula, if this is the case.

[Casey]

When they measure you or you submit your measurements you had the rise that you need to take the kilt up to where it will look right.

Both of mine have a 2" rise.

Casey

[Jimmy Carbomb]

Hey Dread... your little old lady knows her stuff! You NEVER measure the length from the front of the body!

There's actually a kilt making "rule of thumb" that the "traditional" makers use, which takes the waist, hips, and length... and determines the rise. 99% of the time it's on the mark! If you send in your measurements to a Scottish kiltmaker, they don't ask you to measure your entire body. Yet, they can take the normal three measurements and have a "Drape" and rise that are on the mark. A schooled kiltmaker is well worth the money with it comes to a formal or traditional kilt.

On the other hand... if you look at original designs like Bear's Grizzly and Ravens, notice in the pictures of customers how they are a perfect drape, hang and rise. THAT comes from knowing the original design and how to sew-it-up. Original tapering and sizing is in the kiltmaker's own design.

My recommendation to you would be this:
When ordering a kilt (in the future) from ANYONE... let them know, either by word or drawing, any concerns or "shaping" that you need to have addressed. Unless you're going to a certified kiltmaker, you're not going to have the educated sew-up. You can either spend a load for a certified kiltmaker... or save some serious bucks and well-inform the others. In either case, you'll be happy with the outcome.

[Pittsburgh Kilts]

I like what Barleyjuicer had to say there--just tell your concerns to the kiltmaker. I haven't had any customers report a problem like you are describing, but it does make me curious.

Maybe you should get together with the guy who was going to make a life-size foam model of himself to send out to his kiltmaker! That would solve the problem!!