Velcro fastening left hip

[Barb T]

The hip buckle (the second one on the fringe edge) is purely decorative and doesn't serve any function (except on a Highland dancer's kilt, where it helps control the fringe edge of the apron when they are leaping around). Some people like the decorative look of the second buckle and strap, which is totally fine. The big issue with having a hip strap is that most people who have one pull it tight (like the waist strap). This is fine for someone who is trim but not OK for someone with a belly, because buckling it tightly pulls the apron in under the belly. What looks a lot better on someone with a belly is having the apron hang straight down from the top of the kilt (makes them look a lot slimmer than having the apron pulled under the belly, which accentuates it).

So, for someone with a belly, I strongly recommend only one buckle and strap on the fringe edge. If someone really wants a decorative second strap, that's totally fine, but my suggestion is to buckle the waist strap tightly, then let the apron hang loosely in the front. Once you see where the apron "wants" to hang nice and straight, buckle the hip strap at that position, rather than pulling the strap tight.

And it also helps to either use sporran hangers (rather than a sporran strap/chain, which will make the sporran hang under the belly, pulling the kilt in and accentuating the belly) or to wear a sporran a bit higher so that it rests on part of the belly instead of underneath it. Again, this is a much more slimming look.