Kilt Quality Question

[HighlandMike]

All things considered, I'd rather it be recognized as a kilt, which probably contributes to my uncertainty over this one.

It would be an around-town, general purpose kilt; the plan is be kilted by next month's Scottish Games. As it turns out, the girlfriend is in full support of this which, while unexpected, is quite nice.

[cavscout]

Then my suggestion would be not to go with the Elkomando as your first kilt. No worries, you will end up getting one later, it's just par for the course. You can't have just one.

If you can manage a PV kilt, I'd start there. It's just an all around great kilt. Machine washable, tailored to your fit, lots of tartans to choose from, looks great.

If you want to go with wool right away, the Stillwater Heavy Weight deserves to be in every kilt arsenal.

If funds are really tight, start with the Stillwater Standard. You get a nice looking kilt and even once you invest in a high end wool kilt, you will still be glad to have a decent quality knock around kilt on hand.

Enjoy. The hunt is a big part of the fun.

[HighlandMike]

Many thanks, Cav!

As it turns out, I've been looking at Stillwater during this conversation and they're who I'm going to go with. The question now is, Economy or Standard? The price difference is marginal at best, and I'm of the mind that you buy quality once, rather than sub-quality twice. Their Nightstalker tartan is very appealing as well...

[Korvyn]

Quality over quantity. You really need to get the best you can up front. You may regret a cheap kilt, but never will regret spending a little more cash for a good one.

[Spartan Tartan]

Quality over quantity. You really need to get the best you can up front. You may regret a cheap kilt, but never will regret spending a little more cash for a good one.

***. Always get the best you can afford.

[cavscout]

The question now is, Economy or Standard?

Standard. Mainly due to the wider selection of tartans. I honestly don't really know what the differences between the Standards and the New Design Economy's are (Less yardage? No Lining? ...) They both appear to be acrylic, with buckles/straps, apron fringe, bottom selvedge, lot's of pleats.

The main thing to be aware of with the the Acrylic fabric is that it pills up and needs to be shaved every so often. Other wise you will end up with a fuzzy looking apron.

They are very light and may require a bit of pressing to keep it looking nice and straight after washing.

[Kid Cossack]

Someone (that would be me, I guess) ought to mention "Stillwater butt." Perhaps they've changed the design and specifications, but the Stillwater kilts I have don't have the pleats cut out. This can cause some "poofiness" and "pillowyness" around the lower back/gluteal area.

In my experience this was true across the board for Stillwater kilts, except for the thrifty, which avoided the problem by using less yardage.