Trad fit

[Miah]

I have been thinking about Traditional kilts and getting one. With Christmas and all of those things I may be able to pick up one. I can't bear the Idea of wearing the Waist up under my ribcage. If I make my mesurements right (distance from waist to hip) is it posible to have a tank kilt made that does not have the waist up in my arm pits?

[Jimmy Carbomb]

Okay. It's not THAT bad! If it was, every old man in Miami would be wearing them!

Mine sits RIGHT at my navel. It's also easy to let the buckle/straps out to have it drop... if I wanted to. With the incredible tapering from the waist to hips, there's really not a whole lot of problem with the "drop" affecting the hang of the pleats.

I've seen guys with SERIOUS beer guts wearing authentic traditionals under their bellies. The pleats in the back will STILL hang straight and true since they're made right.

Your main concern will be to get the length right. If it "slips" up to your navel, and you want it at your waist, you might look a little "Britney Spears-ish". To be safe, you might measure between the navel and the waist.

Don't judge where to wear them by such images as Hector on "Monarch of the Glen".

[Miah]

no that is the thing, I like to wear mine a little under my navel, I have a small (but deveeloping) table muscle and wering it on or about the navel is just weird. I am nolonger bleesed with the flat washboad that i was. Ok course if i wore it a little low i woumesure the drop to reflect. Like my bear kilt it is a 20" drop and i wear it low on my hips. ( i got it at 20" drop cause it was one of Bears "in stock" kilts) it is about one inch shorter then I would normaly go for but it works. My USA Kilt is a 24" drop and I have to wear it a little above my navel for it to hang to the center of the knee.
Maybe it is years of wearing my trousers lower around my hips and not up on my "waist", but i just feel uncomfoatable having my **** covering garment up over my belly.

[Barb T]

Hi Miah

There isn't a right answer to this one, but there are a couple of issues. First, if you pick up a kilt that's already been made, it will have the rise built into it. If you wear it loose and down around your hips, it won't look right, because a proper kilt tapers from the hips to the center of the buckles and then flares a little from the center of the buckles to the top fo the kilt (or, if it doesn't flare, at least it doesn't taper any more above the buckles). So, it will fit funny if you wear it too low.

The other issue is what you want the kilt to look like when you're wearing it. A traditional kilt is worn high - kilts were made to be worn with a short jacket (like a Prince Charlie), and the rise was designed to keep your mid-section warm without a gaposis. So, if you have in mind wearing a _traditional_ kilt, it's not proper to wear it slung low on the hips. For most guys who want to wear a traditional kilt in the proper way, it's a matter of getting used to how it feels. And a traditional kilt should only extend about 2" above your bellybutton, although it may feel like more the first time you put one on.

But, maybe being traditional doesn't matter to you, and, in that case, you could see if you could find someone who would make a kilt with no rise. Remember, too, that a regular kilt belt won't fit very well if you wear it low around your hips, so you might have to do something else if you want a belt.

Cheers,

Barb

[Barb T]

Jimmy said:

I've seen guys with SERIOUS beer guts wearing authentic traditionals under their bellies. The pleats in the back will STILL hang straight and true since they're made right.

The pleats hang straight in the back because the straightness of the pleats doesn't really depend much on whether you wear your kilt at your waist or even somewhat below (unless you wear it so low that the bottom of the fell is well below the widest part of your butt). But a kilt worn below a beer gut in the front doesn't hang very well in the front, because the apron doesn't go straight across and takes a big 'ol dip causing a curve in the tartan under the tum and a bit of a fold below the belly.

Barb

[The Wizard of BC]

Miah,
This is exactly why contemporary kilts were developed. For "Gentlemen of Substance", and all those other gents who have never worn their lower garments at their waist. For guys who prefer belts. For guys who are more comfortable with pockets instead of Sporrans.
A well made contemporary kilt is designed to be worn at the place you are comfortable wearing your jeans. If well made, and tailored to your true measurments the pleats will fall straight in the back and the apron will not pucker in front.
There are several contemporary kilt makers on this forum who are capable of making you a kilt that will fit.
Some of them work in tartans and some in solid colors. You did not say which you prefer. But I assume from you post that you want a tartan. Give Bear, at Bearkilts.com, a call. He makes one good looking tartan, and he will work with you to insure the fit is what you want.

[Miah]

Yeah I have a bear kilt. I love the cut and it hangs right and is awsome. I guess I want to have my pie and eat it too.
I want that 8 yard full feel and the nice deep pleats and a buckle fastener. I also perfer Tartan kilts as well. I have thought long and hard about getting a plain kilt but just can't bring myself to it.
I love the deep pleats and I like the look of like 20+ pleats.
Maybe the idea of a tank like kilt but with no rise or something.

[Colin]

Yeah I have a bear kilt. I love the cut and it hangs right and is awsome. I guess I want to have my pie and eat it too.
I want that 8 yard full feel and the nice deep pleats and a buckle fastener. I also perfer Tartan kilts as well. I have thought long and hard about getting a plain kilt but just can't bring myself to it.
I love the deep pleats and I like the look of like 20+ pleats.
Maybe the idea of a tank like kilt but with no rise or something.

Than why not check out a wool Bear kilt. He can make it in any style cut (classic, formal, grizzly, raven, etc) and in 4 or 8 yards. I don't have one of his wool kilts (yet) but I really notice the difference between the 4 and the 8 yard kilts. He's got a bunch of pretty cool tartans, and is sometimes able to get remnants of others if they are available through the supplier. It may be worth an email. http://bearkilts.com/wool/woolpg.html

[Jimmy Carbomb]

I can only second Colin on the BearKilts suggestion. When it comes to "men of girth", his are the only ones that I've seen that look right. All the others have terrible wandering pleats, aprons that pucker, and an under-apron that usually hangs too low.

I have one of his "earlier" kilts, and they're comfortable and nice to look at. I have a BearKilt from just a month ago, and it's AWESOME. Pleats in perfect alignment, taper perfect, tartan perfect, and overall quality WELL worth more than we pay.

Take that ability and add it to a wool material, and you have a great combination! No matter what you pay, you'll only be happy if it looks "clean".

[Blu (Ontario)]

I think modern kilts are great but I also very much like the traditional cut with the rise. I like the look and I like the added support it offers the back. If I've been strapped into my heavyweight all day then remove it later, the sudden loss of support is very noticeable. Also, if I'm wearing a jacket, I don't want the top of the kilt and a bunch of shirt showing below the bottom of the jacket. Modern kilts are attractive and functional garment, but anyone with an appreciation and penchant for kilts in general should own at least one traditional with rise. IMHO.