Collections?

[Riverkilt]

BUY, BUY, BUY!!

You can never have too many kilts...

Serious...bet if you saved your loose change everyday that after a few months or a year you'd have enough to buy another quality kilt.

I have a variety of Macdonald tartans and Gordon tartans...I like wearing tartans that are for my clans - but also enjoy a strut in a loud MacLeod now, or something with variety to wear to work.

Was up to 55 kilts, but had outgrown some and finally decided to pass them on to guys that could fit them. Have sold five recently so that leaves me at 50. Have three more up on the for sale forum I think.

Headed over to Albuquerque this coming weekend for the Gathering of Nations and hope to get to visit with Kathy Lare, my hand sewn traditional kiltmaker. Don't have a Fletcher tartan kilt yet and my great grandfather Billy Fletcher was quite a guy. Made two trips over the Bozeman Trail to Virginia City, Montana in 1864 and 1866. he used to ranch up that way. Would round up wild horses and "break" them then sell them to the British Cavalry during the Boar War.

So, the more you know about your family history the more tartans you can put on your wish list.

Course, Utilikilts have a strong following down there in Flag too. You can save a few bucks by roaming their scratch and dent list.

Ron

[Robin]

I'm more or less full time kilted...at home I like to wear jogging pants, but I hardly ever leave the house not wearing a kilt.

Since I value quality above quantity and have to deal with limited recourses I now carefully plan my kilt purchases.

Handmade 8 yards 16 oz knife pleated tartan kilts make me drool, but since it's not always practical to wear them (warm weather for instance) I also own 12/13 oz tartan kilts and other kilts. My wish list keeps growing, but I buy kilts at a snail pace

I've a (pretty faint) connection to the MacLarens and I now own 3 clan kilts (muted, modern and the odd 1819 variety) and one more on my wish list (weathered).

Other tartan kilts I own...Caledonia modern, Isle of Skye and the XMarks.

Non tartan kilts...a grey cotton Freedom kilt and (next week!!!) a rosemary R-Kilt.

I think it's nice to "collect" kilts from different...respected...kiltmakers.
Lochcarron, House of Edgar, BarbT, Freedom Kilts, R-Kilts so far. More kiltmakers on my wishlist...Matt Newsome, USAK, Geoffrey(Tailor), Kinloch Anderson, La Maison du Kilt ...to name a few.

8 kilts now...hopefully I can order 2 more this year (Weathered Maclaren and the Bro-Kerne)

I also "need" a red-brown sporran

[flairball]

I'm not a full time kilt wearer, and I haven't a large collection, but do feel I've got my bases covered. I picked up kilt wearing for two reasons; first, I think they look great, and second, I wanted another choice of clothing. I try to wear a kilt at least once a week, sometimed twice. This depends of cicumstance. Not being as hard core a kilt wearer as others I wear a kilt less in the winter than in the warmer weather.

As for the tartans I've chosen; My first kilt was a SWK Nightstalker. I chose this because it was affordable enough as a starter kilt, and the tartan, being a fashion tartan looked really good. I didn't want to spend a bundle to find out I don't enjoy wearing a kilt.

Next I ordered a traditional tank in a tartan I had a connection to, Clan MacKintosh. Being there were several different MacKintosh tartans, all of which I like, I let my wife help me decide which one to get. We settled on the modern hunting variation.

While waiting for this kilt to be completed, and realizing the need for a more durable knock around kilt, I went again back to SWK and bought a HW Black Watch. The intent was for this to be my outdoor kilt. Being wool I feel it would hold up better than my acrylic Nightstalker. This has become my go to kilt however.

As for starting out, I highly recommend SWK for a starter. The Black Watch is a universal tartan, and recognized by many people. I'd also recommend getting a heavy weight before you get a standard. The wool is really nice, and I believe it will hold up a bit better should you decide to use it in any situatio where it might snag on brush or whatever.

Tartan choice is always an issue, and often discussed on this forum. As you can see, there are lots of opinions. In a nut shell, it doesn't really matter.

I've considered a variety of other tartans for future kilt purchases. Isle of Skye, because it looks great. Scottish National, because it looks great. USCG tartan, because I'm a former Coastie. Any of the other MacKintosh tartans, because they look great and I've a clan connection. MacTavish Modern, because it looks great and it'd piss off KT(just joking).

Anyway, This is a bit of a ramble, but I hope it helps.

[furrycelt]

if money is tight, you can always get kilted thru Stillwater or Amerikilt for a good price. you can also shop pre-owned on ebay and such.

but if you are after a particular tartan, then there may not be any other way. i really really really want to own a kilt in one of the Boyd tartans, and the only way so far is to spend several hundred bucks on a tank.


in my opinion you build up a kollection by a variety of solid neo-modern kilts (UK's, AK's, RK's and such) in a variety of colors and patterns. as for tartans go with stuff that means something to you. start with your last name, find its tartan if available, find the connecting clan if available, then pick other last names from your family tree, heck go with last names of other loved ones (doesn't has to be blood related). tartans can represent schools (North Carolina State University has a tartan), cities can have tartans,... states, countries, etc. military, clergy, etc. and you can repeat yourself but choosing different weavers. no two weavers will use the exact same dyes.

i wonder... if money were no object, what all would i get?....
(I have a Gunn Modern tank now.)...
Gunn Ancient
Gunn (the 3 colored version)
Gunn Muted
Gunn Weathered
Boyd Ancient (Boyd to honor my late and very dear grandmother)
Boyd Modern
Wilson Modern (it's my last name)
Wilson Ancient
Wilson Muted
Scottish National
American Tartan
Carolina Tartan (it's where i'm from)
North Carolina Tartan (it's where i'm from more specific)


so that is 14 just off the top of my head. (uhmm... i need to start staving up).

[Jerry]

Let's see. My first kilt ordered was Macneill of Barra, my dad's familt tartan. But I wound up getting a SK in Black Watch first because a not to be named kilt company (clan Walmart) screwed me over. Then, a Scottishkilts casual also in the Macneill tartan (which also arrived before my first kilt). My next was USA traditional (now semi-traditional) in Modern Gordon. Gordon is my mom's family name as well as my middle name. After that, several Stillwaters , and my pride and joy, a 9 yard heavyweight from Matt, at the Scottish Tartans Museun, in Macneill of Barra, ancient colors.

[Tattoo Bradley]

In chronological order of purchase:

-Henderson (ancient) 5 yd wool
-Ireland's National, USAK Casual
-Wallace (Modern) (the one tartan I really have no connection to, but just liked it)
-Irish Saffron, SWK Wool
-"Bark and Leaf" camo in canvas from XMTS member: O'Neille
-Gunn (modern,) USAK Casual
-Scottish National, PV (Ebay)
-Henderson (weathered), 4 yd box pleated from Matt Newsome
-St. David's National, USAK Casual

There are several other tartans I want, all of which I have connection to. And, I'm wanting a modern kilt -- in denim...

[beowulf67]

My first was a SportKilt dress Gordon for competing in highland games because my last name derived from a sept of Gordon.
My second was a wool tank in Davidson modern to honor my grandfather on my mother's side.
My third is a Sportkilt in Gordon modern. I sold the first one to my brother because it was a little big for me, and he said he wanted a kilt but was never going to order one on his on.
Now I need an Irish one to honor my grandmother on my mom's side. Her ancestors came from Ireland, I think around county Cork, but not sure yet so I'm trying to find out and then get a tartan for that.
And a saffron would be nice as well. Or Irish national. Or...

[auld argonian]

After a couple of Stilwaters and a USAK casual, I got a Gordon from Stillwater's "scratch and dent" department that's a wool blend but a good fit and I wear it a lot. I then got a five-yarder from Tartanweb in Campbell of Cawdor...just because I really love the tartan...the red stripe and the electric blue stripe.

My logic about the next couple (and as Red Green says, "If my wife is watching...I'm just kidding and I'll be home right after the meeting.") is:

The eight yarder in the Ayrshire District tartan...we don't have a family tartan but they trace back to Ayrshire...there seems to be some variation in the Ayrshire District tartans so I'm proceeding with caution and waiting for the local Highland Games where I can look at swatches. The exchange rate being as punishing as it is right now, this one's on hold but when it goes, I'll try mightily to have it made by someone on this side of the Atlantic...I know that the raw material is where the bulk of the cost lies, though.

Still really want a USAK semi-trad...I love the casual and would like to "kick it up a notch" with a semi. Tough to decide on the tartan, though.

And the outside choice is that I finally stop by the one local shop and find that they have eight yards of Cawdor lying around that they're anxious to unload and have an eight yard made by them.

As it is often said...so many tartans, so little time (and cash).

Best

AA

[Skweres]

I've read several posts that indicate there's more than one person on this board who wears a kilt most, if not all, of the time. I'm curious what that means in terms of collections of kilts, and money invested. (I'm a starving college student, myself, and $20 jeans vs. $200 kilts generally seems like an obvious decision).

When you choose a second kilt, how do you choose the tartan? I'm presuming most people have a family tartan as their first -- is this a mistaken presumption?

I can see four clear choices for myself -- family from both sides, branch of service, and professional -- but some people have indicated greater collections than this. Do you have multiples in the same tartan?

Thanks for your time.

being from ireland the only "family" tartan would be the ones created and in your families county. the problem with that is that the irish county tartans are all only made in 8 yards 100% wool, so they tend to be expensive, so my first kilt of choice was a national tartan from sportkilt, and then i decided to get my Limerick County after i had my SK for a while, from now on i can only move towards other national and universal, unless i want to go with my family's other county, galway. besides that i could always go with any tartan that looks good. doesnt really matter, i preferably want to stick to tartans of my family and nation, or any other universals that interest me

[Mr. MacDougall]

So I seem to be hearing a consensus that, in America at least, if you like the pretty pattern on the cloth, it's acceptable to wear it, even if you can't document a link to the 'rightful' owners?