Top of the Kilt (USAK Semi-Traditional, SWK Standard)

[James MacMillan]

That's why we always tell people to use the measuring instructions on EACH KILTMAKER'S site... different makers do things differently and may need different measurements. Heck, look at Steve Ashton's (FK's) measuring instructions... he gives you a video!

Of course! And the best of all possible situations is to be able to have a face-to-face fitting. That way any problems can be caught early on.

I'm going through a return right now, that I don't know how else the problem could have been handled. I gave my measurements, the absolute best that I could, and still ended up having to send the kilt back to be tweaked. I don't think this was a problem with the kilt maker, maybe just a peculiarity of my body. Well, now that I think about it, I do have a non-standard body….

Maybe someday, we will be able to scan our body into a measuring machine like the movies, and have a perfect product come out.

When I was growing up, we once lived close to a seamstress that made custom women's dresses. She had an adjustable wooden mannequin (womanequin? ) that she could dial-in or adjust the sizes somehow, and she sewed parts of the stuff right on the dummy. The expensive tailors also demand personal measurements. I have a shirt maker in Mexico City that has my measurements on file, and he can make a perfect shirt for me everytime, but I went to his shop and he measured me.

Being able to visit our kiltmaker is a luxury that most of us don’t have, so we must be extra careful.

[The Wizard of BC]

If I can expand on Barb's post. Her kilts are designed for a Traditional fit. This means that the top straps are cinched into the natural waist of the wearer. There is then the rise above the top strap. This rise is shaped to be wider than the waist. I know of no casual, contemporary, or MUG maker who incorporates true tapered rise into their kilts. This is one of the reasons that Barb and Kathy's kilts fit so perfectly. The place where the top strap is, is the narrowest part of the kilt. It tapers outward above and below from the straps.

A note on finding your Natural or True waist. Do not use your naval as a guide. Depending on your shape and weight your naval may not be in the same relative position as it is on someone else.
How you find your natural waist is around the back side, somewhere around your kidneys. Place your hands flat against your back with the fingers just touching at the spine. Then bend from side to side slightly. You will feel the place where your spine is bending. That is your true waist. If you have "Love Handles" Those pillows that sit just on top of your hip bones. Your waist is just above those. It is also just below the ribs at the sides and covering the short ribs.

Another way to find your true waist is to put on a t-shirt and then find a wide belt. fasten the belt around yourself just under the ribs. Then walk around for a while. Bend over and side to side a few times. Don't try to move the belt to where you think it should be, just let it find it's own natural place. If you have to, tighten the belt if it becomes loose. The place the belt settles into is your natural waist. And that is where the top strap of a Traditional kilt needs to fit. The flared Rise of the kilt will be above that.

[O'Neille]

Visit you kilt maker for a fitting whenever possible. They also get to see your body posture and shape and the finished product will fit even better than just the correct measurement.