Responses to Box Pleats

[Kilted KT]

I'm not just a trend setter, this is the correct way. Pleats crease aprons don't. Pleats allow for personal growth, aprons don't.

"personal growth"????

[way2fractious]

I'm in the process of making my first kilt and I've been debating whether or not to make it a box pleated one.

I agree with the comments made that most people will not differentiate between box pleats and knife pleats. In my experience, comments have been about me being kilted, not about the pleat style.

If you are speaking of hand sewing a wool kilt, your decision about which style to make might also be swayed by the fact that there are far fewer pleat tapers to sew in a box pleat kilt. Other than that, the tapers on the box pleats are sewn in exactly the same fashion as the knife pleat tapers.


(Unsolicited commentary follows

Matt's statement that all Scottish regiments started with box pleated kilts was truly interesting. It appears, then, that most regiments converted to knife pleats afterward. Further, some regiments developed the military box pleat, which is a knife pleat with the knife edge turned back to form a tiny box (with the stripe on it!) The military box pleats are sewn with a slight difference that allows a couple other steps in the behind-the-scenes construction of the kilt.

[cessna152towser]

The only box pleat kilt which I own is a hunter green camo pattern. Technically it is a skirt rather than a kilt as it is box-pleated all the way round rather than having the unpleated overlapping aprons at front, yet it is publicly accepted as a man's kilt, and a few people have made complimentary remarks about what they obviously saw as a kilt and called it such. I've seen quite a few guys wearing box pleated tartan kilts and unless you are particularly interested in kilts you wouldn't really notice the difference. So I can't see you having any problems at all with box pleats.

[David White]

I own two box-pleats, they are my favorites. I'll get another someday. I really think they look fantastic and have an older feel about them, which I like.

[Alan H]

What everybody else said. ... I have one box-pleated kilt, which happens to be my ONLY 16 ounce kilt. Nobody notices that somehow "it's different".

There are pluses and minuses to both styles, so pick what you like and enjoy!