Dear findyourinsanity,

Matt Newsome (M. A. C. Newsome) is a real expert on Scottish dress through the ages -- a scholar in fact, and a museum curator. You can rely on what he tells you on this subject.

Quote Originally Posted by Jimmy Carbomb
I would advise that you stay away from teh kilt companies, since they're in the business to sell what they have.
I can understand why Jimmy would say this about kiltmakers per se, but I have to defend retail merchants at least to the extent of saying that at our shop -- which is all I can vouch for with any real authority -- we don't just try to sell what we have. We have sources for pretty much anything you might want in terms of Scottish attire, modern or historical, and our aim is to get you what you want. We do advise our customers about what's considered 'proper' in Highland attire, and are prepared to guide them in selecting the right accessories, etc., but not with the motive of selling them what we have in the shop or what we can make the most money on. We want our customers to look their best and feel happy with their purchases. Honestly!

The Great Kilt can indeed be worn as a very formal garment -- with the right sort of doublet and accessories, which when you add them all up make it a very expensive outfit to put together. And it can also be worn as a much more casual outfit, with the sort of shirt usually referred to as a Jacobite shirt -- full sleeves, thongs or strings lacing the neck opening together -- and this will cost you a lot less.

What the philamore (féileadh mór [or mhor] -- literally 'great [i.e., big] kilt', AKA 'breacan féile', i.e. 'belted plaid') is not so good for is the sort of day wear that would be the equivalent of wearing a suit -- like at church, for example. Even at a dressy affair like a wedding, if you go the fully formal route with a Great Kilt, you risk outshining the bride, which would be bad form! You always run the risk of looking like you've just escaped from the set of an historical film. Like any sort of flamboyant clothing, it takes a certain attitude and élan to carry off the look.

All things considered, the philabeg (féileadh beag, 'small kilt'), which is the typical tailored kilt we see today, is a more versatile garment. It can be worn for anything from hoeing the garden to attending a formal ball, depending upon the rest of your ensemble. By the time you buy enough double-width tartan (4 to 5 yards) to make a Great Kilt -- assuming the tartan you want is in production in double-width worsted wool twill of a suitable weight -- you may find it's hardly any more expensive to buy a tailored kilt. Sometimes it's even cheaper, because when you buy tartan fabric at retail it's very expensive. The kiltmaker is not charging you retail price for the material that goes into the kilt.

Dressing in 'authentic' Highland attire (most of which is Victorian in origin) in a way that's considered proper and stylish in modern society is not cheap. If you want to save money and still have an outfit that will pass muster for most sorts of occasions, I'd say get an economy type of tailored kilt like the USA Kilts 'Traditional'. Then start saving money for the 8-yard, 16-oz. kilt in the tartan of your choice that will be the staple of your kilt wardrobe for the rest of your life!