SWK Standard in Weathered MacKenzie

[ChromeScholar]

Just picked up my SWK Standard kilt in Weathered MacKenzie. I'm not a kilt expert, so I'll touch on the differences between this kilt, and my other two (a thrifty in Stewart Black, and an economy in Black Watch).

To start with, the bad.

For some reason, my two cheaper SWK kilts came with two rows of basting for the pleats. They were neat and unwrinkled out of the box. This one, more expensive, came with one row of basting stitches at the bottom of the pleats and is pretty wrinkled. It will require a good pressing before the basting stitches are pulled.

On to the good.

For those of you who have seen the picture of the Weathered MacKenzie at Stillwater Kilts, you ain't seen nothing.

Here's the link to the kilt page...

Swk Standard Weathered MacKenzie

Enlarge the pic and compare it to the picture below, which I took, trying to match to the actual colors...



The colors of the real thing are considerably more vibrant and a couple of shades darker. The SWK pic looks washed out and blah compared to the real thing. Needless to say, it is an even better looking tartan than is apparent from the SWK pic.

It is considerably heavier than either of my other two SWK kilts. Well, it would be, since it has twice the material of the other two kilts. The pleats are considerably deeper, as well. I imagine this kilt will be much more, for lack of a better word, kilty than the other two.

And, of course, this kilt has the pleats sewn down at the top, which the other two do not.

I ordered this one a little snug, since I am losing weight, and it will be my last kilt purchase until I finish up the bulk of my weight loss. I think it was a good choice, and you can't beat the price.

For those of you planning to buy an SWK. If you want a daily wearer for cheap, buy the thrifty. If you can afford the extra money, go for the standard. It's worth the extra $50.00

[Mr. MacDougall]

Nice picture, and I completely agree with your conclusion.

[ChromeScholar]

Oh, and did I mention that it came with free flashes, which wasn't mentioned on the site. All the other standards mentioned free flashes, this one did not, so I was pleasantly surprised when I found them in the box.

[Ayin McFye]

That's great. I love the Weathered MacKenzie. My whole family are real MacKenzie's. My grandmother's maiden name was MacKenzie and my brothers and I all own the Standard MacKenzie tartan from KiltMart. Have you decided which one your going to wear to the kilt night on the 15th yet?

[McMurdo]

Congratulations on the new kilt, and the weight loss.

[Colin]

Congrats on the new kilt.

It's funny how the colours on the SWK picture and the colours in person can seem so different. The colours on the website look closer to the woven tartan that I have in the 13oz Lochcarron wool.

It looks like I may be getting my first SWK standard in a few weeks (different tartan). I am looking forward to having a closer look in person.

[ChromeScholar]

All I can say is that the SWK Standard is head and shoulders above the Thrifty and Economy.

[jmercier]

I recieved my first SWK standard & first SWK thrifty today. Yes the standard is a MUCH nicer kilt than the thrifty, and dollar for dollar actually probably a better value. That being said, I just ordered 4 more SWK thrifty kilts today because their light weight nature, and cost per unit allows a much larger variety of kilts for more casual wear.

The standard is heavy enough that even in 75 degree weather, it can be too warm. I wore mine around the house for a few hours today, and had to take it off as I was getting too hot.

[Perldog007]

I too was completely blown away by my Weathered MacKenzie SWK. And it ain't my first SWK. I sent Jerry an e-mail letting him know that I thought it was particularly nice.

Jerry wrote back and let me know that he had wanted to do this tartan for a while and was adding one to his private stash. Yep, they are that good

[Finn]

Good looking kilt! It caught my eye when I first saw it. I had almost decided on that very kilt. I'm that much closer now!
Thanks!

Finn