What is the best place to buy a bespoke military style kilt?

[Patty Logan]

The other thing to be aware of are the various distinctions in the Scottish Highland regimental uniforms between:

Other Ranks
Sergeants
Senior Sergeants and Warrant Officers
Officers

do you happen to know why there is such a difference between? why didn't they tailor everyone the same?

[figheadair]

do you happen to know why there is such a difference between? why didn't they tailor everyone the same?

RHIP and the fact that, historically, officers paid for their own uniform and always went for something of better quality.

[Iain Ruaidh]

UK Military tailoring can be a bit varied!
When I joined the Royal Air Force, I was issued with a raincoat made of rather cheap material like everyone else's. But after a year or so I hung it on the mess coat pegs (no coats in the mess hall!) and when I came out from dinner it had been stolen.
I went to the stores to get a new one and was not yet entitled to a replacement but they said I could pay for one. It was far superior to everyone else's! Nice material, probably from a bygone age as this was not the pile em high and push em through bootcamp the original coat came from.

[Jock Scot]

do you happen to know why there is such a difference between? why didn't they tailor everyone the same?

A very nice thought, unfortunately that is not how the system worked! It still doesn't!

[OC Richard]

do you happen to know why there is such a difference between? why didn't they tailor everyone the same?

It's a complex can of worms, because each of the traditional kilted post-1809 Highland regiment was a law unto itself as to where the line of demarcation was drawn, and for which items of dress.

The kilt situation was simpler than some of the other items, and more uniform across the various regiments.

What I think was universal was that Other Ranks wore the heavier woollier fabric and Officers wore lighter-weight worsted fabric. Generally Senior Sergeants (for example the Pipe Major, Bandmaster, Colour-Sergeant, Regimental Sergeant-Major, Regimental Master-Tailor) wore the Officers' fabric.

The traditional horsehair sporran situation varied greatly from regiment to regiment, for example the Camerons having one style of sporran worn by Other Ranks, Sergeants, Senior Sergeants, and even Officers in Service Dress, while in the Black Watch one style was worn by Other Ranks while a second style was worn by Sergeants, Senior Sergeants, and Officers.

[Steve Ashton]

To further expand on OC Richard's post above -

Things change within different units, different uniform contracts, and even among different Regimental Sargent's Major (RSM).

An RSM in a British, or British patterned. unit has far more authority than in units based on the US system. I know of cases here the uniform standards changed about every two years. In the days before 1 uniform contract for all the military, it was not uncommon for the standards to vary widely even within the same unit.

I can remember quit recently when kilts made from 13oz, non-UK produced fabric, were considered for all kilts.

Over time even the construction standards changed. This leads to us today not able to define what a kilt made to 'military standards and traditions' would look like.

So to ask where to get an authentic, 'military standard' kilt is just too broad.

[Padraicog]

Hi there kilt and military aficionados!

I'm looking at getting a new kilt, after careful consideration i like to the look of "modern" military style kilts.
Where is the best place to get one made? I'm looking for a maker that can take my clan tartan preferably and build a kilt to military standards and traditions.

Thx!

Try Stirling Tailors: https://stirlingtailors.co.uk

[Patty Logan]

RHIP and the fact that, historically, officers paid for their own uniform and always went for something of better quality.

What is RHIP?

[Bruce Scott]

What is RHIP?

Rank has its privileges.

[Patty Logan]

Even if you were a officer could you choose to wear the other ranks uniform?