Phicong,

I have received your email with the photos. Thanks.

In the photos you appear to be wearing the Kilt at what I call Mid-Rise. The waistband is riding on top of your hip bones. If you will look at the photos yourself you will notice that the Kilt you have on is too short. The Hem is well, over 2", above your knees.

To measure for this type of Kilt I take, in addition to the standard measurements of Waist circumference, Hip Circumference and Drop, the measurements to account for the Slope of the waistband.

Please remember that each Kiltmaker has their own system of measuring and the one I will now describe is only used by me. OK, call me weird but it seems to work for me.

Put on your current Kilt or use a Kilt Belt or piece of 2" webbing and adjust it up and down until it is where you wish, or like, the waistband of your Kilt to ride. Please don't use your naval as a reference, as the location of a man's naval changes with weight loss or gain.
I like to think of the waistband cinching into one of three places in the back near the spine.

Full-Rise is defined as the waistband cinched into a small hollow just at the level of your Kidneys. If you place your hand on your back with the fingers spread and on the spine, and your thumb at the side just under the ribs, then bend side to side, you will notice that your thumb will fall into a hollow just under the ribs. This is your natural Waist. It is the place where the top straps of a Traditional Kilt cinch into.

Mid-Rise is defined as another hollow that can be found right at the small of your back at the spine. At the side it is usually just above or below the "Love handles" depending on your weight. A mid-rise waistband will sit right on top of the crest of your hip bones.

Low-Rise is defined as where Jeans are worn. The Waistband goes over the hip bones and in back is down, resting on top of the crest of the buttocks, or the base of the spine.

Now you have found your waist height you can take your measurements.

Stick a piece of masking tape on a door frame or the corner of a wall. This gives you a place to make some pencil marks and protects your paintwork.
(Caution - Failure to use masking tape and making marks on paint work has a tendency to cause a man to sleep on the couch for a month.)

1. To find your Waist circumference take your flexible tape measure (or if you don't have a tape measure like those used by dressmakers, a belt, piece of webbing, or thick string will work) and measure the circumference of your waist just above the waistband of your Kilt. This measurement should be taken over a t-shirt or dress shirt and should be snug but not tight. The tape measure should be able to move from side to side. Read this measurement to the nearest 1/2".

2. To find your Hip circumference take your tape measure and place it around your hips and butt at the largest point. This measurement should be taken fairly loosely. There has been a lot of discussion on the forum about the amount of taper from the hips to the waist. In my experience I have found that the average difference is usually between 3" and 6". The only time I can think of where there is no taper to a Kilt is in the rare case when a man can stand with his back to a wall and the butt and waist touch the wall at the same time.
If you have a beer belly or you are a "Gentleman of Substance" you may find it easier to think of the aprons falling straight down from your belly and hold the tape measure out in the front to simulate this.
Take your Hip Circumference measurement to the nearest 1/2".

3. Now stand against your piece of masking tape with your side as close as you can get while still standing naturally. With a pencil, make a mark on the tape just at the top of the waistband of your Kilt. Label this mark "0".
This mark is a zero or reference from which all the other marks you are going to make will be measured from.

4. Stand naturally with your stomach against the wall and make a mark on the tape right in the front of your stomach. Label this mark "-" or minus. If you use your tape measure and find the length between mark "0" and mark "-" you have just found your Front Slope. Read this length to the nearest 1/4".

5. Now do the same thing but this time you will stand with your back to the wall and place the mark on the tape at the top of the waistband right at your spine. Label this mark "+" or plus. If you find the length from mark "0" to mark "+" you have just found your Rear Slope. Read this length to the nearest 1/4".

6. While you are standing with your back against the masking tape make a mark where your butt first touches the wall. If you slowly back up to the wall the first part of your butt that touches is perfect. Label this mark "F". If you find the length from mark "0" down to mark "F" you have just found your Fell Length. Read this length to the nearest 1/4".

7. Now comes the one measurement that most Kiltmakers warn you not to do by yourself. But because the length of your lower leg from the floor up to your knee will not change when you bend over, using this method is a good way to find your hem if you need to take your measurements by yourself.
Place your leg against the wall with your foot and knee touching the masking tape. Find where you wish to have the hem of your Kilt touch the kneecap and make a mark on the tape at that point. Label this mark "D". If you find the length from mark "0" down to mark "D" you have just found your Drop length. Read this length to the nearest 1/4"

A note. In Contemporary Style Kilts we usually define Drop as the total length of the Kilt from the top of the waistband down to the bottom of the hem.
A Traditional Style Kiltmaker defines Drop as the length from the center of the top strap down to the bottom of the Hem. In a Traditional Style Kilt there will be 2", 3", and sometimes even 4" of Kilt above the top straps. This is called the Rise.
So a set of measurements for a Traditional Kilt may or may not include the Rise. Sometimes you see the Drop listed like 22" + 2". This means that the total length of the Kilt is 24".
In measuring for my Contemporary Kilts please use the total length of the Kilt from top of waistband to bottom of Hem as the Drop.

I'll discuss how to actually build Slope into the waistband of your Kilt in my next post.




:ootd: