Front apron left pleat not laying flat

[Barb T]

Even though you say you have it buckled high enough, it still does not look to me like the buckles are at your true waist. The top of the kilt should be 2" above your true waist (not 2" above where you wear your jeans, but 2" above your true waist). That would put the bottom of the fell (the stitched part of the pleats) at the widest part of your buttocks. Where you're wearing the kilt in the pics, the bottom of the fell is about 2" below that, which is one reason why the back looks so odd. That contributes to the "wave" (i.e., the pleats aren't lying flat), although it may be that there's too much in the pleats at the hips and not enough in the apron (i.e., the splits might be off, but it's hard to tell with the kilt not sitting at the right height).

Having said all that, wearing a kilt at the proper height requires that the kilt flares above the buckle line - this allows you to buckle the kilt tightly at the waist and have the kilt actually stay there. It looks to me like your kilt tapers all the way to the top of the rise (i.e., it's smallest around at the top of the kilt, not at the buckle line). If that's true, it will be impossible to buckle the kilt tightly at your true waist and have it stay there. So you might not actually be able to keep it at the right height.

Realize that the hip buckle is purely decorative and doesn't do anything to hold the kilt on. If you buckle the hip buckle tightly, it pull across the front of the kilt. So, when you put your kilt on, don't buckle the hip buckle tightly - buckle it so that the apron of the kilt hangs as it would if there were no buckle there. Also, the hip buckle also seems low to me, although it might just be because the kilt is too low.

I would also not likely put as much flare in the apron edge, and I would curve it more so that, at the bottom edge, it's not pointy.

Oops - sorry for duplication on some of the of ideas - I missed Steve's and Tobus' posts when I wrote the above.

[MichiganKyle]

I just wanted to chime in and say: I'm finding the information in this thread phenomenally interesting. I wish I had known some of this before I'd bought my first kilt (and, really, my second one as well). There's a huge difference in fit between very small size differences in a kilt, and the pointers in this thread give a lot of insight into why.

Nothing meaningful I can contribute to this, but please by all means keep expanding on this subject. I have Barb's book and have found it wonderful as well, but every time this stuff's explained, it's explained in different ways and helps to actually understand the "why"s. It's really valuable information for those of us with no clue about textiles and garment construction.

[Dreaghann]

It still appears to me in your most recent photos that it's not being worn at your natural waist. If you put your hands on the sides of your torso and push in just where your rib cage drops off, that's where the top buckles of the kilt should be (not the top band of the kilt).

Even though you say you have it buckled high enough, it still does not look to me like the buckles are at your true waist. The top of the kilt should be 2" above your true waist (not 2" above where you wear your jeans, but 2" above your true waist). That would put the bottom of the fell (the stitched part of the pleats) at the widest part of your buttocks. Where you're wearing the kilt in the pics, the bottom of the fell is about 2" below that, which is one reason why the back looks so odd. That contributes to the "wave" (i.e., the pleats aren't lying flat), although it may be that there's too much in the pleats at the hips and not enough in the apron (i.e., the splits might be off, but it's hard to tell with the kilt not sitting at the right height).

Thank you both for your replies and for continuing to help me with this. I'm very grateful.

I was fairly certain that the top buckles were cinched in tightly just below my ribcage and above the hip bone at the fleshy part on the side where one can push in, but just to be sure, I've taken photos again. I cinched in the top buckle as far as it could possibly go with no remaining holes in the strap. Has it made a difference?









Looking at the pictures of the kilt as advertised it's difficult to see whether flare in the rise above the top buckles is part of the design because of the jackets the model is wearing, but you can see the same model wearing (presumably) the same kilt without a jacket 5 min. 35 sec. into this video on how to wear a kilt: https://youtu.be/50rEIHC6lB0?t=335 To my eye it appears that there is no flare.

Regarding the apron kick out, at the 6:00 mark of the video (https://youtu.be/50rEIHC6lB0?t=360), there doesn't appear to be any kick out in the model's kilt. I am no where near as muscular as the model, so perhaps that is part of the issue (although it should have been obvious to the maker from my waist, seat, and height measurements that I am no rugby player). At the 4:14 mark (https://youtu.be/50rEIHC6lB0?t=245), it's just barely possible to see the depth of the apron pleat as the model begins to wrap the kilt. It seems to be about the same depth as the other pleats.

Of course, one day, I would like to be able to visit a kilt maker in person for a bespoke kilt, but for the time being, I'm limited to mail ordering given my geographic location (Tokyo). Any advice you could offer would be much appreciated.

[Barb T]

You can easily tell whether there is any flare built into your own kilt. Check any of the following:

• Hold the kilt with the pleats facing you and the top of the kilt up. Pull horizontally on the two kilt buckles at the waist. Then, move your hands to the top band directly above each of the two buckles and pull. If the length between the two buckles is larger than or equal to the length at the top band, your kilt doesn't have any flare.
• If the pleats continue to taper from the buckle line toward the top band, your kilt not only doesn't have any flare, it actually tapers toward the top, which is worse than no flare at all. The pleats really need to flare a bit from the buckle line to the top of the kilt.
• Check the edge of the apron and underapron. The pleats should meet the apron/underapron along a straight, vertical tartan line from the buckle line to the top of the kilt. If yours has an apron edge that continues to taper, you have the same problem as tapering pleats. It's impossible for a kilt to have any flare at all if everything tapers toward the top of the kilt. Here's what I see in your kilt:

At least some of the pleats taper all the way to the top of the kilt. It's obvious on the ones in the pic below:


Apron edge tapers all the way to the top of the kilt (between the buckle prong, which should be at the waist, and the top band, you've lost what looks like almost 1/4" of circumference in this one place alone):

[Barb T]

In terms of where you are wearing your kilt in the photos - if you have your kilt buckled at the right height, the buckle line should be in the small of your back. In your photo below, it's the top edge of the kilt, not the buckle line, that looks to me like it's in the small of your back:



The buckle looks like its lower and riding on the slope of your side below your waist.

See my previous post. If the pleats and the apron edges taper all the way to the top of the kilt, your kilt will inevitably slip down until the top edge of the kilt (the smallest dimension) sits at the smallest part of your circumference, which coincides with the small of your back even if you buckle the kilt tightly. Having flare prevents that from happening - with flare, the top stays high (and comfortable) and the buckle line stays put in the small of your back when the kilt is buckled tightly.

[Steve Ashton]

This is what Barb means when she says the kilt will have flare above the top strap.



Versus a kilt like this without flare.



In the top photo the smallest part of the kilt is at the level of the top strap. This kilt will cinch into the smallest part of the body and not move.

In the lower photo the top of the kilt is the smallest part and no matter how tight you cinch the straps the kilt will drop down until the smallest part of the kilt is at the smallest part of your body.

[Steve Ashton]

And one quick way of telling if the kilt is the right size is to measure the circumference of your body at the anatomical waist, and them again down at the widest part of your hips and butt.

When measuring your hips please remember that you do not pull the tape measure in at the front. You pull the tape outward just a bit to simulate the apron falling straight down from the front of the belly.


Then - The apron should be, at a minimum, 1/2 of the waist circumference. A little more than 1/2 is better.

And the rear of the kilt or pleated part at the hips - or where the bottom of the pleats are sewn down - should be, at a minimum 1/2 the hip circumference. A little more is better.

And the total of the apron at the waist + the pleated part, at the waist, should equal or be slightly more than the waist circumference.
And the total of the apron at the hips + the pleated part at the hips, should equal or be slightly more than the the hip circumference.

[Dreaghann]

The apron should be, at a minimum, 1/2 of the waist circumference. A little more than 1/2 is better.
And the rear of the kilt or pleated part at the hips - or where the bottom of the pleats are sewn down - should be, at a minimum 1/2 the hip circumference. A little more is better.
And the total of the apron at the waist + the pleated part, at the waist, should equal or be slightly more than the waist circumference.
And the total of the apron at the hips + the pleated part at the hips, should equal or be slightly more than the the hip circumference.

Thank you so much!

Anatomical waist: 30" (pulled tight)
Seat: 36" (pulled tight w/o kilt); 38" (loose over kilt)

Front apron: 15.5" (at top band from seam to edge before fringe); 16" (at top strap height); 16.9" (at bottom of fell)
Inner apron: 16" (at top band from seam to edge); 16.5" (at top strap height); 17.5" (at bottom of fell)
Rear: 15.3" (at top band from seam to seam); 17" (at buckle height); 20.5" (at bottom of fell from seam to seam)

Kilt circumference
At top band: 30.8"
At buckle height: 33"
At bottom of fell: 37.4"

Measuring from the buckle to the first hole of the inner apron strap is 30.5"

In your photo below, it's the top edge of the kilt, not the buckle line, that looks to me like it's in the small of your back...
The buckle looks like its lower and riding on the slope of your side below your waist...
If the pleats and the apron edges taper all the way to the top of the kilt, your kilt will inevitably slip down until the top edge of the kilt (the smallest dimension) sits at the smallest part of your circumference, which coincides with the small of your back even if you buckle the kilt tightly. Having flare prevents that from happening - with flare, the top stays high (and comfortable) and the buckle line stays put in the small of your back when the kilt is buckled tightly.

I really appreciate you persevering in helping me, and I don't mean to question your expert eye, but the thing is that I can press on the straps and feel that they are nestled between my ribs and top of my pelvis. The top band is about 2 inches above my navel and over the ribs. I'm happy to post photos without a shirt on if that helps you determine where it is actually sitting, but I don't want to offend you or anyone else with my bare midriff.