Kilt waist question?

[Joss1975]

Hello,

I have a chance to purchase a vintage ww2 Gordon highlanders kilt. The waist of the kilt fully out is 47in, will that fit a 34-35 waist?

Thanks,

Jae

[DCampbell16B]

Just guessing, but if that is the laid out measure it includes both aprons. That means it is for a waist of approximately 2/3 of that or about 30-31 inches.

[Joss1975]

Just guessing, but if that is the laid out measure it includes both aprons. That means it is for a waist of approximately 2/3 of that or about 30-31 inches.

Aye...so I won't be pulling the trigger then....bummer

[Steve Ashton]

The thing to remember about a fully Traditional kilt is that the waist circumference is not measured at the top band but down about 2" or the middle of the top strap.
Above the top strap the kilt flares out.




The next thing is to know that the aprons of a Traditional kilt make up just over 1/2 of the waist circumference. The pleats are just less than 1/2 the waist circumference.



To measure the waist size you measure at the level of the top strap from the outer apron right edge, across the apron and the pleats, to the under apron right edge. You do not include the under apron.

In this example the waist size of this kilt is 34".



The drop of a Traditional kilt is not measured from the top to the bottom.
Drop is defined as from the center of the top strap down to the bottom. Above the top strap is called the Rise. Total length = Drop + Rise.

The total length of this kilt is Drop - 23" + Rise - 2" = 25"



To determine if the length is correct for you, you find the bottom of the Fell. Or the bottom of where the pleats are sewn down. Measure both up to the center of the top strap and down to the Selvedge.

Then find the Hip line on your body. Or the widest parts of your hips and buttocks. Measure down from the hip line to the top of the kneecap and up to the bottom of the ribs.

If fit correctly the bottom of the Fell should be right at the widest part of the hips and buttocks.

If worn like this the pleats should fall straight down with no shower curtain folds.



What this means is that you cannot wear a kilt lower or higher than it was designed and built to be worn.

If you wear the kilt lower you get the shower curtain folds and you will sit on the pleat stitching which will cause the stitching to fail.



The waist on a military kilt is higher than you think.
Below are three kilts. All fit me perfectly.
The Bottom of the Fell is in the same place on each. And the bottom Selvedge edge is at the same place on each.

The Black Watch Kilt on the right is a Royal Regt. of Scotland military kilt.



The Highland Granite kilt on the left is a Traditional kilt made by Bart Tewksbury. The Hudson's Bay kilt in the middle is one of my Contemporary kilts designed and made to be worn with the belt resting on top of the hip bones.

[OC Richard]

Kilts come up all the time on Ebay with no measurements, not surprising because (except in the army) kilts are generally bespoke, made to the customer's specific size requirements, and don't have size labels.

I'm always having to ask the seller to measure the kilt.

I know it's not precise, but it's the easiest way I've found to tell somebody how to measure

1) lay the kilt wide open on a flat surface.

2) measure the distance from where the single leather strap is attached at one end to where the upper of the two leather straps is attached at the other end (not including the leather straps, just the width of the cloth).

3) multiply that end-to-end measurement by .666 to get the waist size that the kilt was originally built to.

Oftentimes the buckles have been moved, and measuring the buckled size of the kilt gives a false waist size.

BTW army kilts have traditionally given the waist and breech (widest part of the hips/buttocks) but not the length.

Rather, they give the height of the wearer.

[Patty Logan]

Hello, I have a chance to purchase a vintage ww2 Gordon highlanders kilt.

Do you have pictures? I think it would help.

[imrichmond]

Another thing to remember about vintage army kilts is that most soldiers were young and slim. I have rarely seen a vintage army kilt for sale with a waist measurement larger than 32".

[Joss1975]

Do you have pictures? I think it would help.

Screenshot_20240325_171020_Facebook.jpg
Screenshot_20240325_171020_Facebook.jpg

[Joss1975]

Do you have pictures? I think it would help.

Screenshot_20240325_171008_Facebook.jpg
Screenshot_20240325_073612_Facebook.jpg
Screenshot_20240325_171035_Facebook.jpg
Screenshot_20240325_171046_Facebook.jpg

[OC Richard]

Another thing to remember about vintage army kilts is that most soldiers were young and slim. I have rarely seen a vintage army kilt for sale with a waist measurement larger than 32".

For sure this was true in the past!

It's been changing as of late, and I've seen a few Royal Regiment of Scotland kilts with 38, 40, even 44 inch waists (of course the labels are in centemetres).

Back in the day it was rare. There was the brilliant piper Jimmy Anderson, a huge man



Here he is in his Pipe Major days.

I wonder what size kilt he wore, probably about the same as me. We look to be of similar size.