New Blaklader!

[Old Hippie]

First off, a shout-out of praise to XMarks! Got a new story to tell.

Yesterday I was in my local work-clothing store, a couple of pair of kilt hose in hand, matching colours on some shirts I need. The assistant manager stopped over to see if I needed help, and I showed her the hose and told her I'd brought them in with me.

"Kilts?" she asked. (She's a lass from Oz.) "What's your size, then?" I told her my waist is around a 38.

"C'mere," she said, and led the way to the back of the store. As it happened they had a Blaklader kilt in a 38 waist -- a special order that turned out to be too small for the customer when it arrived. It'd been lying around for about six months, while she wondered what to do with it.

I looked it over and remarked that it certainly has a quirky construction. I enquired as to the price -- she said it was listed at $140 but that if it fit me she'd let it go for her cost, $60. I was still on the fence, though leaning heavily toward buying it. I asked for a couple of days to think on it, secure in the knowledge that it would more than likely still be there if I came back.

I paid the rest of my purchases and left. Back at my office, I logged on here and searched out Blaklader. That pretty much made up my mind. For $60, I could have a good beater that could be worn out in the fields, digging and doing farm work. Same price as a good pair of work pants.

So today I tried it on -- it's a "breathe out, hold it..." fit, but I won't need a belt until I work off some more winter insulation. So I bought it.

And gave her one of Steve's cards, because I had some spares, and talked kilts because her family originated in Scotland, and she gave me a discount card good for the next time I'm in to buy something.

As a kilt it's quirky -- the pleats are tapered from the waistband out, so they start with a 2.5 cm overlap and end at the hem completely open. Weird. But, hey, for $60 I ain't kicking. I'll be wearing it out in the garden this weekend!

:ootd:

[Jordan]

Sounds like you got very lucky there i wish that would happen to me sometime. I'll jump in before everyone else and say "without pics it never happend"

Jordan

[Aldisimo]

Is that the one that glows in the dark, the 'safety' kilt?

[cessna152towser]

Glad to know someone else on here has bought a Blaklader. I thought my black one and Hamish's hi-vis were the only two bought by x-markers. The Blaklader kilt will certainly turn a few heads in the shopping mall!

[Old Hippie]

Is that the one that glows in the dark, the 'safety' kilt?

Good Lord, no. I saw that one on their website. Sheesh. I strongly suspect that there are some fabrics that should not be made into kilts.

[Old Hippie]

I'll jump in before everyone else and say "without pics it never happend"

Thank you for that, Jordan! I'll have the wife snap a few pix of me beheading weeds.

[Old Hippie]

Glad to know someone else on here has bought a Blaklader.

I should have combined all the replies into one post. Mea culpa. OK, I'm over it.

It's interesting to put it up against a UK Workman. The fabric is a little lighter, and there are no "Modesty Snaps." The pocket scheme is a little different. Four big pockets right in front, where they will serve to hold the apron down a bit. The aprons are very wide, hence will not need either a kilt pin or a modification with a snap. (I'm aware a snap breaks Rule Number One!)

I've been thinking about some industrial-looking kilt pins. No specific ideas yet, but I'm getting a "let's bend some metal and make sparks" jones. They'd be good fits with this thing.

:ootd:

[Old Hippie]

I'll jump in before everyone else and say "without pics it never happened"

Alrighty, then, here y'go. I was getting a seedbed ready over the weekend, and heard a little forest sprite giggling behind me. She apparently broke into my office and stole my camera, which I later found under a tree, covered in fairy dust:

I'd call this the "pleat shot" but, well, a Blaklader doesn't really have pleats to speak of.



Beguiled by the sprite, I struck a pose:



This kilt is very comfortable as a workwear. We were doing major garden prep over the weekend -- putting down hundreds of kilogrammes of charcoal, dolomite lime, and manure; planting potatoes; inoculating with mycorrhizae, doing cleanup in the orchard. I was surprised that the aprons didn't blow up the way a UK would have.

[Monkey@Arms]

Hey that pose and kilt look familiar are you related to this guy?




Best regards,

Jake

[JolyStNicholas]

For a "knock-a-bout" ya did fine. well done!