odd/bad pleating #3

[OC Richard]

This is something that always jumps out to my eye, the strange pleating decisions I come across from time to time.

A while ago I posted this one



and more recently this one, which some posters defended as "creative" though to me the one random blue line (which doesn't appear anywhere else) looks like an obvious error



Well now there's this one.

I'll post a photo of the front too, so you can see how little relation there is between the tartan and the pleating

[Tobus]

Looks to me like the maker was just pleating to a set dimension, and letting the tartan pattern fall where it may. Each pleat displays a little more of the tartan sett, as evidenced by the way the red stripe gets wider and then narrower again as the pleats move across the back. In past discussions, I think it's been called pleating to the random.

As I understand it, there's really nothing "wrong" or "bad" about this. In the days before tailored kilts (and perhaps even in the early days of tailored kilts), I would imagine that pleats were done this way as a matter of course. It may look odd or bad if one expects all kilts to follow a certain pleating concept, but it may very well be that the old tradition is still alive.

Do you know who made this kilt? Or at least whether it was made in Scotland?

[Paul Henry]

The third kilt looks very like one from guilty kilts, in one of their own tartans, I've seen this in the flesh and I really don't think it looks bad or wrong, it is simply one way of pleating, infact it might well be thought of as an almost more historic way .

I really do wish that these variations of pleating were not thought of as "wrong" or "bad" , they are not, simply put they are pleated to a way that perhaps some people don't like, or approve of, but there is nothing wrong about it, after all there is not a singlebook of rules of how to make or indeed wear a kilt, and it would do some people well to remember that!

[CaptHowdy0001]

I agree that there are an infinite amount of ways to wear the kilt, none of which are "wrong" but as far as quality kilt standards go wouldn't you agree that the last one looks a bit odd? However, i am really liking the tartan itself quite a bit.

[Jock Scot]

Frankly how many would notice and even if they did would they know any better? I do think that some of us on this website are starting to be rather unnecessarily, unrealistically and rather unkindly fastidious over these details. I can quite understand if you are the customer who is spending a large amount of loot on a bespoke kilt, then these details are a rightfully expected priviledge for the customer to have what he wants, but come on chaps be a bit realistic!

[cable scot]

Frankly how many would notice and even if they did would they know any better? I do think that some of us on this website are starting to be rather unnecessarily, unrealistically and rather unkindly fastidious over these details. I can quite understand if you are the customer who is spending a large amount of loot on a bespoke kilt, then these details are a rightfully expected priviledge for the customer to have what he wants, but come on chaps be a bit realistic!

ya! What he said!

[Mudge]

Right on spot Jock!!!

Frankly how many would notice and even if they did would they know any better? I do think that some of us on this website are starting to be rather unnecessarily, unrealistically and rather unkindly fastidious over these details. I can quite understand if you are the customer who is spending a large amount of loot on a bespoke kilt, then these details are a rightfully expected priviledge for the customer to have what he wants, but come on chaps be a bit realistic!

[Friday]

Frankly how many would notice and even if they did would they know any better? I do think that some of us on this website are starting to be rather unnecessarily, unrealistically and rather unkindly fastidious over these details. I can quite understand if you are the customer who is spending a large amount of loot on a bespoke kilt, then these details are a rightfully expected priviledge for the customer to have what he wants, but come on chaps be a bit realistic!

It sometimes appears to me that we have become kilt police. Kilts have to be pleated to the stripe or the sett and nothing else. At one time the pleats had to be knife pleats and then that nasty Matt kept showing box pleats. These pleats do not fit into my style, but, may very well have asked for these kilts to be pleated this way. As Tobus said "there's really nothing "wrong" or "bad" about this" it is just a difference in style.

[OC Richard]

Frankly how many would notice and even if they did would they know any better? I do think that some of us on this website are starting to be rather unnecessarily, unrealistically and rather unkindly fastidious over these details... come on chaps be a bit realistic!

Now Jock, are any of the kilts you wear or have ever worn pleated like any of my three examples?

[RockyR]

Frankly how many would notice and even if they did would they know any better? I do think that some of us on this website are starting to be rather unnecessarily, unrealistically and rather unkindly fastidious over these details. I can quite understand if you are the customer who is spending a large amount of loot on a bespoke kilt, then these details are a rightfully expected priviledge for the customer to have what he wants, but come on chaps be a bit realistic!

SNIP... It is only since joining this website that I have really become aware of the details that some here agonise about and frankly I find it a tad tiresome. Still, each to their own.

With respect, we're on a kilt related forum. Obsessing over the details is to be expected, no? If not, this site would devolve into nothing but "here's a neat picture of a kilt" and "great pic" posts. Nothing wrong with those types of posts at all, but we need other topics and opinions to keep things interesting.

Also, in the "tartan Place" section, Figheadair posts his tartan of the month, where members pour over the most minute details of tartan scraps and make guesses / comments on it and no one (and rightfully so) comments on them obsessing over details. Sometimes, to some folks, the beauty is in the details and obsessing over them to see what we like / don't like is half the fun.