Kilt length poll

[Kilted_John]

Top of the kneecap for me, thankee...

So, about 20-21" long. My black survival UK is too long, especially if I wear it how UK says to wear it. Instead, I wear it like a traditional and it's still a little too long for my taste.

-J

[morrison]

I think there are reasonably five distinct lengths 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
What? Oh, yes, Describe them! Thank you.
Below the knee(2in+);
Bottom of knee(1in to 2in foldover when kneeling to floor as hem touches);
Center of knee(no space at touchpoint on floor up to 1/2in clearance);
Top of knee(1 to 2in from kneecap top); and
Above the knee(2in or more clearance at touchpoint on floor when kneeling).

I'm an "Above thy knee," kilt wearer. Shorter is fine until I begin thinking about the length. At that spot I drop it a quarter inch and don't give it another thought. I don't tug or make fall length adjustments. I wear the length exactly where I want it. In the other poll, I indicated I'm a hip bone kilt wearer. As you may surmise the the UK's xshort or mini suits me fine. However, I've some that are top-of-knee and some at-the-knee.

[Jerry]

I wear mine anywhere from the center of the knee to the top. Unless my wife takes the measurement, I measure the kilt length from the top of a belt, tightly worn at my kilt waist (just above the belly button) to the floor while kneeling. It must work, becausr when Matt took my mearsuements at the Tartans Museum, he got the same length I've been getting.

[Blu (Ontario)]

When I bought my first kilt, the kiltmaker advised me that there was one proper length and that was the middle of the knee. I thought the top of the knee length looked better but went along with the kiltmakers advice. With a little experience, I found that top of the knee was quite acceptable as well... and that's what I now prefer.

I put kilts that are too long (below the knee) in that same category as trousers that are too long.

But then - each to their own taste I guess.

.

[KiltedPilot]

I voted 'above the knee', by which I mean 'top of the knee'.

[Barb T]

Trad kilts are meant to be worn _to the top of the knee cap_ and no longer. Shorter is OK, but longer is not OK for a trad kilt. I don't know if there are "rules" for contemporary kilts or not. Probably not.

Many guys wear their trad kilts so that they come to mid knee or lower, which isn't proper for a trad kilt. It's commonly because they don't buckle their kilts tight enough and high enough. A trad kilt is worn higher than men typically wear their trousers, and the center of the side buckle should be at the true waist, not at the level of most people's trousers. The rise (typically 2") extends _above this_. If you put the kilt top at your waist (or, worse, at your trouser belt line), the kilt will hang down too far, which is why kilts made to the proper length can still look too long when they're worn improperly.

BTW - Hamish's kilts are always just right! http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=19859

Barb

[bubba]

There's a good reason to wear it at the top of the knee or a tad above. When walking it doesn't bang into the back of the knee. It's much more comfortable above the knee especially if you get caught in the rain. A wet kilt smacking the back of the knee can create irritation.

[arrogcow]

Trad kilts are meant to be worn _to the top of the knee cap_ and no longer. Shorter is OK, but longer is not OK for a trad kilt. I don't know if there are "rules" for contemporary kilts or not. Probably not.

If this is true, then why was I measured for my tank to the center of the knee by a worker in Thomas Gordon's shop in Glasgow?

Adam

[Hamish]

Trad kilts are meant to be worn _to the top of the knee cap_ and no longer. Shorter is OK, but longer is not OK for a trad kilt. I don't know if there are "rules" for contemporary kilts or not. Probably not.

Many guys wear their trad kilts so that they come to mid knee or lower, which isn't proper for a trad kilt. It's commonly because they don't buckle their kilts tight enough and high enough. A trad kilt is worn higher than men typically wear their trousers, and the center of the side buckle should be at the true waist, not at the level of most people's trousers. The rise (typically 2") extends _above this_. If you put the kilt top at your waist (or, worse, at your trouser belt line), the kilt will hang down too far, which is why kilts made to the proper length can still look too long when they're worn improperly.

BTW - Hamish's kilts are always just right! http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=19859

Barb

Thank you, Barb!

[turpin]

When I bought my first kilt, the kiltmaker advised me that there was one proper length and that was the middle of the knee.
.

Charles Thompson wrote in his book "So You're Going to Wear The Kilt" that of his three current kilts the one he liked best was the shortest and that, although it looked to him as if it were at the top of the knee, when he measured against a mark on his knee it was really one inch above the top of the kneecap.

I just sent my first kilt back to Scotland (and that was tough after all that waiting, especially since they offered me a 40 pound credit instead) because it was pleated to the sett whan I has specified to the stripe. I had measured it to the center of the knee, 25", and after trying it on several times to make up my mind if I wanted to keep it and take the discount, decided that I wanted the pleat the way I like it and that 24" length was more to my liking. The store (Kiltstore.net, an X-Marks sponsor) agreed to replace the kilt, making the length adjustment, and cover my costs for return shipping. I suggested they just give me store credit for the shipping transaction and they made it 1.5 times my shipping costs. I was very happy with how they treated me and wanted to let other X-Markers know about it.

BTW, they might soon have an 8-yard Balmoral in Gordon Modern on their sale pages. Measurements are 36" waist, 41.5" seat, and 25" long, pleated to the sett in N. Batley 15-oz wool. Tthey told me that this cloth is more like a 13-oz weight, and so it seemed to me.)