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.