Kiltmakers in Edinburgh, questions . . .

[hylander]

I will be in Edinburgh this summer and I wanted know if anyone could recommend a kiltmaker there. I have looked online and there are several and I'm sure they all are more than competent, but I was hoping someone might have had a personal experience with one which they would recommend. I am in a bit if a dilema in that part of me thinks I would like to get one ordered before I go so that I could wear it there, but the other part of me thinks the whole experience of being fitted for one in person would be a blast and that I would end up with a better fitting kilt. The other consideration is that my plaids are rather rare. Any thoughts?

thanks in advance!

Kerry

[Skweres]

can i hide in your luggage? please?

[GG]

I have good very experiences from The Woollen Mill, 179 The High Street Edinburgh. http://www.woollenmill.co.uk. You might give them a try.

GG

[Chef]

Geoffrey (Tailor), John Morrison, Hector Russell

There are plenty others but these are three I either have some experience with or I know someone who does. Personally though I think you will get a better kilt from some of the independent kilt makers. The reason being that while the three I listed sell hand-sewn kilts they are not necessarily (and actually unlikely) to be made by an artisan. They are hand sewn but done in a assembly line fashion.

My advice is get your kilt and take it with you. Then go to one of the stores above or others and try on jackets and other accessories. I do this...of course it might explain why my wife thinks I have too many kilt jackets. Besides you will have a blast with your kilt in Scotland.

[Robin]

Geoffrey (Tailor) and Kinloch Anderson have a very good reputation....avoid the tacky shops (easy to recognise)

[Chef]

Geoffrey (Tailor) and Kinloch Anderson have a very good reputation....avoid the tacky shops (easy to recognise)

Exactly if they sell "tartan" toilet paper don't buy a kilt there.

And Kinloch Anderson should have been on my list as well.

[McClef]

Another one one worth mentioning is the Celtic Craft Centre.

They were heavily recommended to me by local Edinburgh people.

http://www.celticcraftcentre.com/

Website isn't up to much at present but a great place to visit and I have a kilt on order from them. Added advantage is that they not only have a shop in Edinburgh but also one in Palm Springs so can overcome a lot of the delivery and import problems that might otherwise arise.

Piccies of the Caledonia Ancient in due course of course!

[Phil]

Kinloch Anderson are expensive and the only decent kiltmaker they had retired two years ago. She told me they hadn't bothered getting her to train a competent replacement either. Instead try Edinburgh's only proper bespoke tailor Stewart Christie & Co., 63 Queen Street, Edinburgh for a proper handsewn kilt. Cost of a kilt £405 against £425 at Kinloch Anderson. They will make you any kind of bespoke jacket too (at a cost). Another good kiltmaker is Hugh MacPherson (Scotland) Ltd - website http://www.hughmacpherson.demon.co.uk/. Avoid the "Pride of Scotland" shops in various locations around Edinburgh unless you just want a tartan skirt with a hem made somewhere in India/Pakistan.
If you really aren't too fussy, however, go to Armstrong's second hand shop in the Grassmarket. They always have a selection of kilts and jackets but probably not in your particular tartan. Have you tried Lochcarron or House of Edgar to find out how long they will take to make you a length of cloth? You can add another 6 weeks to that for making up a kilt.

[Presuming Ed]

Stewart, Christie and Co Ltd, 63 Queen Street in the New Town. Well away from the tourist kilt shops. Excellent service, and an absolute top quality hand sewn kilt.

[Hamish]

Mt first choice would be:

Geoffrey (Tailor) Ltd.,
57/59 High Street,
The Royal Mile,
Edinburgh (www.geoffreykilts.co.uk)

and, if you are looking for something a little more contemporary:

'21st Century Kilts' at the same address (www.21stcenturykilts.co.uk)

Then there are the other reputable kiltmakers already mentioned: the independent Kinloch Anderson Ltd., who are out in Leith and are kiltmakers to our Royal Family (www.kinlochanderson.com); and Hector Russell Ltd. at 95 Princes Street, Edinburgh (with a smaller branch on The Royal Mile). The latter is no longer an independent company having been taken over by the national 'High Street' chain, The Edinburgh Woollen Mill who closed some of its branches. Since when, but not because of, I've had no personal contact with them.

Here, in no particular order, are a few comments I have regarding some of the other named kiltmakers:

Firstly, Chef mentions 'John Morrison'. Well, John Morrison was a good kiltmaker but he was bought out by the notorious Gold Brothers who own about six tourist-trap shops on and around The Royal Mile - they have retained his name over the shop-front, however. I personally would not patronise them - but that's just me!
Chef also says that he doubts that the three kiltmakers he lists employ "artisans" and that their kilts are hand-sewn on an "assembly line"! OK, perhaps he knows a lot more than I do about this, but I can vouch for the Geoffrey (Tailor) Ltd. set-up. At the end of this week I will be collecting my 24th kilt from this House. Several times I have visited their workrooms above the shop and know several of their in-house kiltmakers who make my kilts. Their bespoke kilts are tailored on the premises, and one kiltmaker sees the process through from start to finish. Their hire/rental kilts (a large part of their business) are sewn either upstairs or by contracted kiltmakers working in their own homes.

McClef recommends The Celtic Craft Centre. I do not personally know their kilts but I have visited their shop in Paisley Close off The Royal Mile on many occasions, where they sell only the highest quality accessories. I understand that this Company is, or was, American owned. Their HQ was at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco for many years, but that address is no longer listed and they now show one in Palm Springs CA, which I visited last October and which did not impress me at all!

Finally, GG recommends The Woollen Mill in The High Street. I do not think there is any connection here with The Edinburgh Woollen Mill I mention above, but their might be! Again, I have no personal knowledge of the quality of their kilts, but they are not primarily a kiltmakers. Unless they have reorganised in the past two years (when I was last in their shop) they have a rather small area at the back devoted to tartan wear whilst the main area is given over to woollen and cashmere sweaters, scarves, etc.

There are a number of small kilt-hire shops around the Capital, Kerry, and some might offer kilt sales, but those we have so far suggested are tried and tested. I would stick with those if I were you.

My apologies if this is over-long but I wanted to expand a little on what our kilted brethren have said.