New kilt

[Crazy Dave]

That's the crux of the issue, perhaps. Pants are designed to be held up by a belt or braces, while traditionally made kilts are designed to stay up on their own.

If one has their kilts made to fit like pants, it follows that such kilts will need to be held up like pants.

My sole kilt is a Sports kilt that I wear slightly above the belly button. It has velcro and buckles, so I can wear it as tight or loose as I want. I have worn it many time without a belt or suspenders, and it holds up fine, but I do have to hike it now and then, even with a dirk belt. With suspenders I can wear it a little lose, which is more comfortable to me and the waistcoat conceals them. This is why I like to wear suspenders and a waistcoat with my kilt. Of course, if as you say, the kilt doesn't fit, the suspenders become a necessity.

I am considering ordering a real wool kilt. I saw on one of the Scottish sites a recommendation of getting suspensor buttons sown in, rather than using suspenders that clamp so as not to damage the kilt. I will consider this, but only after a few wears. This is something I have had done to almost all my suits. My tailor will do it for a reasonable price.

Dave

[Tristan]

I attended a provincial Masonic Burns supper last year and without fail those who had hired outfits wore both the waistcoat and dirk belt... I assume that the collective thought was, as the hire company supplied them both it was correct to wear together....but as I have no inclination to join the kilt constabulary I kept my peace. I did have a quiet word with the DPGM and commented that I personally find it more comfortable not to wear the belt with the waistcoat....

[LordBagley]

Thank you for your advice very much appreciated
It's great to get opinions from people thank you for your help

[Tobus]

I am considering ordering a real wool kilt. I saw on one of the Scottish sites a recommendation of getting suspensor buttons sown in, rather than using suspenders that clamp so as not to damage the kilt. I will consider this, but only after a few wears. This is something I have had done to almost all my suits. My tailor will do it for a reasonable price.

If you intend to wear braces with a traditional 8-yard 16oz wool kilt, I would definitely recommend having buttons sewn in. I'm not sure I would even trust the little clips on a regular pair of braces to hold that much weight, and of course there's potential for damage to the wool as you mentioned.

And even then, I would think that braces should only be a supplement or back-up to keep it from slipping down from actions such as dancing, with the kilt fitting reasonably well on its own. If the kilt wants to fall down without braces, and the braces are the only thing holding them up, that is going to cause problems over time. Specifically, the weight of the kilt being held by only 4 points will eventually cause some deformation of the top of the kilt. Simply put, traditional kilts are not designed to be stressed like that. The internal components are meant to act like a belt, connected by the buckles, to keep the kilt in place through tension and friction around the torso. Introducing a vertical point load will distort everything over time.

So my recommendation would be to first have the kilt altered to fit snugly round the waist. If your body shape just won't hold the kilt up and you need braces, you might ask a kiltmaker whether they recommend some additional internal stiffening to the top of the kilt to prevent sag and distortion.

[Crazy Dave]

Sounds like wise advice to me! I am new to this. so experienced advice is very welcome. I am planning to but a Sillwater Wool Heavyweight Kilt in Irish Saffron "Shadow Tartan".I was looking for an inexpensive National Irish kilt for Saint Patrick's day, but seeing that the saffron kilt was only $50 more than a decent synthetic National Irish kilt, and I also really like the saffron, I decided that the extra money was trivial to get what I really wanted. Plus, when I was at the Irish Festival near Towson, MD, I met someone in a Saffron Kilt and I thought it looked fantastic. I have equal part MacPherson and Walker so I decided I wanted to honor my Irish side to.

Dave

[Finistere]

Here's your image:

Attachment 37869

Shane

Ar, that's bostin, ar kid!