All of my USA Kilts to this time have been their traditional model. This time I thought I would try one of their casual kilts. I wanted a tartan kilt but one that could be worn in less than ideal situations. Summer Geocaching comes to mind where I have gotten into mud and like. The hard part was trying to figure out what tartan to buy. I have about five on my want list. Well, the Oakleigh ended up at the top of the short list for the casual kilt. The Oakleigh is a generic tartan and looks like Ramsay but with the white strip being replaced with yellow.
As for the construction of the casual vs. the USA Kilt traditional there are a few differences as one would expect allowing for the reduction in cost between the two. I am comparing my traditional in Hollyrood to this kilt. My USA Kilt traditional is about a year old now. The material I assume is the same. They are both PV material and appear to be the same weight. The weight is appropriate for summer but a little cold for winter as one would expect for the lighter weight synthetic material. The traditional weighs in almost a quarter pound heavier (2.20 vs. 2.00 pounds) as it has buckles and I would assume a little more material. Of course what is taken up by the pleats will vary with the tartan sett so unless comparing the same tartan you are not comparing apples to apples. The pleats are approximately 1 inch on the traditional and 1-1/2 inch on the casual. On both the pleats are sewn down from the top of the kilt to the fell. On the casual the pleats are sewn along the edge all the way down the kilt. That is not the case on my traditional in Hollyrood. The waist of the casual consists of just the sewn down pleats. On the traditional there is a top band on the upper edge of the kilt. Of course the traditional has buckles where the casual has Velcro. There is ample Velcro by the way. It is not going to come loose when worn without a belt. Speaking of a belt, the casual has extra belt loops that are not present on the traditional model. I ordered my belt loops to fit a 2-1/4 inch belt. I like the extra belt loops as I normally wear a belt unless I have on a waistcoat and jacket. When I have on a belt I hang my sporran from the belt. On the traditional this results in the belt slipping down as there are no loops in front to support it. Some may argue that if the kilt had loops it would just pull the kilt down and buckle the material below the belt. Maybe so, and that could be what resulted in the buckled material in one of the pictures below.
I am not sure I care for the patch on the front of the apron. I may end up taking that off and using a kilt pin at that location.
Overall I like this kilt and it will serve the purpose it was purchased for. It is nice enough to wear dressed up as in two of the pictures below but will find it mostly used in more casual situations this summer. Despite the fact it has been in the 20's (F) in this part of the country I have worn the kilt to several places and received good comments.
Casual kilt dressed up a little with yellow:
Back of casual kilt:
Casual kilt dressed up a little in blue:
Casual kilt as it will be worn in the summer:
Waist of casual kilt:
Waist of the traditional model:
Edge of pleats sewn down on casual:
Originally Posted by NewEnglander
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