Kingussie Kilt by Lady Chrystel

[Ancienne Alliance]

The only one of my original kilts which has not become a reverse Kingussie is a jungle print with lions, elephants and - possibly hipopotamii, - due to my tendency to put folds into any piece of fabric long enough - it is just the thing for long hot Summer evenings in the garden.

The thing is that when sitting with one's feet up the Kingussie pleats tend to fall and spread, though in the heat that is no bad thing really.

It could be the amount of fabric in the pleats, and after the centre box pleat there is no problem making the pleats deeper, so I await the results of this with great interest.

I might try a heavy material Kingussie - just three layers of fabric in the pleats - for indoor wear in the Winter, just to see if it is the design or the fabric which makes it feel so fly away. Of course my making pleats without any sewing down of fells and the like does make things more dangerous.

I always have this vision of a slender runner with rippling pleats flowing behind him when I think of Kingussies - too much cinnamon in the bananana soup surprise, I think.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

Well, Anne, I'm happy you are interacting here on this thread. Thank you. I always read your posts and threads with great interest.
Now you are mentioning two essential points of view:
“...when sitting with one's feet up... in long hot Summer evenings in the garden.”
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in a ”...vision of a slender runner with rippling pleats flowing behind him”...

Humm... Where I live we don't necessarily raise our feet while wearing (any) kilt.
Now for running... Lord help me ! I would have the tendency of quoting Lord Winston Churchill when questioned about his great health; he just answered : “Nooo sport.”

Kingussie for us would be …
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let's see...
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nothing else but the ideal, original,
8 yards , heavy duty, (expensive perhaps) knife pleated kilt for today's demanding knife pleated kilt wearer.
Something that will really stand out in any situation, formal or casual.

I guess I'll never quit cinnamon !


Best,

Robert

[Pleater]

I see from the time on my reply that I was probably feeling whimsical after dinner when I wrote it.

I do sometimes reflect that not having enough time to make garments for other people on a commercial basis does rather free me to create a little unwisely from time to time.

Not having an artistic genius I do have several bags in the loft of things that not even I would wear, but I am sure they will come in handy for something eventually.

Fortunately our little garden is somewhat secluded, more so in high Summer when the apple trees are in full leaf - so sitting with feet up or even using the trampoline when kilted is not likely to distress nor alarm the neighbours, not even the tumbling pleats of a jungle print Kingussie kilt in August.

The runner was simply my visualisation - and for me it is likely to remain so, I fear, of the essence of the Kingussie kilt.

I do include quality fabrics in my purchasing for kilts - I have several lengths to make into heavy Winterweight kilts, including some 17 oz Armstrong tartan, but the weather has been so mild recently that there has been no impetus even to put away the heavier cottons. I have not yet brought the wool jerseys out of storage, as the central heating has only been heating the bathroom.

I do await Lady Chrystel's treatment of the centre back pleat of the Kingussie kilt with interest, as although it must be about 4 years since I began to alter my attempts to the Reverse Kingussie, or the Ghillie Kingussie as I tend to think of the style, I had never quite perfected my making of a Kingussie. Possibly I had some factor amiss, and might try again this Winter, as I hate to be beaten, but I suspect that my ideal will continue to be the Reverse Kingussie.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: