Looking to purchase a new first time Kilt.

[manavark]

Thank you MacLowlife, that is what I like, someone to talk to me. When going on a new adventure, I want to know all about it, the good, the bad and the ugly and I will ask the good the bad and the ugly questions. Because I want to know. It brings to mind the first time I went to Barbados in the Caribbean, the tour guide too us out to the sugar cane field where the women were cutting cane, I left the tour and stayed with those women who let me don the right apparel and I joined them in the field cutting cane. But you know, that was the best part of my 10 day vacation in the Caribbean. My point, is I wish to know from the ground up. Now I can talk to anyone about cane processing, ha ha, that subject doesn't come up very often. But I know. Thank you, I do appreciate you taking time to share with me. Larry

[MacKenzie]

There's a lot of information right here... http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...i-think-81662/

[manavark]

The reason I am wanting a Scottish outfit is because I am shortly taking a vacation that will have many Scot decedents, and I also have been able to trace my ancestry to Scotland. 30 years of exhaustive search, has taken be back to 870AD to the Vikings landing on the Orkneys . Even if this turns out to be a one night stand, it is still no reason to go with a rental or an outfit that is not authentic. But I don't know where my experience will take me, like I said before, I have always admired the look of the kilt and the men who wear them. But being a teacher, makes me want to know all there is about the history and the origin of the kilt.

[MacKenzie]

... makes me want to know all there is about the history and the origin of the kilt.

http://www.albanach.org/

Click on 'Articles' on the menu bar.

[BCAC]

Thank you BCAC, your points are well taken, for a first timer, I didn't realize how difficult this could be ha ha. should have know, I have email 2 of the persons you recommended and both would only talk about the top of the line kilts, they would even consider a lesser price one, maybe that goes with the territory. But I appreciate your advice. Larry

But even a top of the line kilt, with all the accessories that you need, will come to less than the $3k that you talked about on your initial post and you will have something of heirloom quality.

Thank you rlloyd, you are probably correct, I did ask for the Prince Charlie Jacked, it looked to be the more formal of what there is to pick from, I guess I was expecting more. What I was referring to was the kilt, the kilt makers I have talked to as I understand them is not to use standard tartan, but have one specially woven to make a kilt. And the price starts at $1000 and goes up, maybe it is my fault for asking for a Prince Charlie Jacket, which I said is nice from what is available, but it is not that formal in comparison to a regular American tux custom made. thank you Larry

I have four top of the line handmade kilts. NONE of them cost that much. You must be misunderstanding the kiltmakers. $1000 for a kilt? Must be stitched with gold thread!

[Nathan]

Larry,

I'm confused about your statement that a top of the line kilt starts with a custom woven tartan. A custom woven tartan is no better or worse in terms of quality than one that the mills weave as stock. The difference is how popular the tartan is. If it's a rare tartan that is almost never called for, you will have to have it woven, but given the plethora of choices of stock tartans clan, religious, district and universal, you need not go that route. A top of the line kilt starts with eight yards of 16 oz worsted wool tartan and is hand sewn by an expert kilt maker. That shouldn't run you more than $850 on the high end and can run you substantially less if you cut out the middle man and go right to the kilt maker and even less again if you're willing to compromise on any of those features a wee bit.

13oz fabric is very nice and costs a little less than 16oz (don't go lighter or you won't be happy), a 6 yard kilt has slightly wider or fewer pleats but will cost less, a kilt with machine sewn, rather than hand finished pleats will cost less but will not be as nice in the fell etc...

[Grizzled Ian]

Hi Larry,

If I have read this thread aright, you have expressed a preference for a machine-stitched kilt over hand-stitched, on the grounds that a hand-made anything is of inferior quality. In my opinion, what distinguishes a machine-stitched kilt is that you will see the row of stitching on each pleat. Most of my hand-stitched kilts have pleat stitching that you cannot see, unless you look really closely. That, to most discerning wearers of kilts, is a very desirable feature, the gold standard of kilt-making you might say, although, of course there will be a variation in quality, as there is with anything.

Visible stitch lines might well be the look you are after. Your timeframe might also have reduced your options to machine-stitching, although many kilt-makers offer an express service for an additional charge. I also own a PV (sorry, Poly Viscose) machine-stitched kilt from USA Kilts, because I wanted a kit I could put through the washing machine. It is a well-made, high quality casual kilt.

Lastly, I aspire to make my own wool tartan kilts, hand-stitched naturally, and attended Kilt Kamp in NY state this time last year to get me started.

Anyway, good luck with it, and welcome to the forum.

[manavark]

It is not that I am favorably to a machine made than hand made, I suppose it is what the consumer wants. I just stated that just because it is hand made, in my opinion doesn't make it better in quality than one made on a machine. I visited a up scale womens clothing factors awhile back and I ask the lady there about kilts, in her words, "we don't make them here but they are very simple to make and any of our women here could make one in less than an hour, it is just a pleated skirt, with straps and buckles, we could sew them with an invisible seam and would take less than an hour, then steam press, so the pleats would stay in." I ask her are you sure in an hour, and she said yes, less than an hour, the pleats would be made on our pleat machine and would take just a few minutes. Alice was her name and she said they made custom clothing, but never had a request for a kilt. So I guess it is just what you want.

[Nathan]

It is not that I am favorably to a machine made than hand made, I suppose it is what the consumer wants. I just stated that just because it is hand made, in my opinion doesn't make it better in quality than one made on a machine. I visited a up scale womens clothing factors awhile back and I ask the lady there about kilts, in her words, "we don't make them here but they are very simple to make and any of our women here could make one in less than an hour, it is just a pleated skirt, with straps and buckles, we could sew them with an invisible seam and would take less than an hour, then steam press, so the pleats would stay in." I ask her are you sure in an hour, and she said yes, less than an hour, the pleats would be made on our pleat machine and would take just a few minutes. Alice was her name and she said they made custom clothing, but never had a request for a kilt. So I guess it is just what you want.

I'm not a kilt maker but don't take her word for this. I've seen attempts by non-kilt makers to make kilts and they aren't as easy as they look. There is structure in a kilt that goes well beyond a pleated skirt with straps.

There is also math to be considered regarding how you wish to have your tartan displayed across the pleats - to the sett, to the stripe etc... and there is shaping to consider. I've seen the pleats from pleat machines and they are obvious. The kilt will not fall apart, but it also doesn't look traditional.

You can't beat the look of a hand made kilt by an expert kilt maker. The attention to detail and comfort is really a cut above.

[Jock Scot]

It is not that I am favorably to a machine made than hand made, I suppose it is what the consumer wants. I just stated that just because it is hand made, in my opinion doesn't make it better in quality than one made on a machine. I visited a up scale womens clothing factors awhile back and I ask the lady there about kilts, in her words, "we don't make them here but they are very simple to make and any of our women here could make one in less than an hour, it is just a pleated skirt, with straps and buckles, we could sew them with an invisible seam and would take less than an hour, then steam press, so the pleats would stay in." I ask her are you sure in an hour, and she said yes, less than an hour, the pleats would be made on our pleat machine and would take just a few minutes. Alice was her name and she said they made custom clothing, but never had a request for a kilt. So I guess it is just what you want.

Be careful, be very careful. Skirts, even properly made ones, are one thing and a properly made kilt is another matter entirely.