Measuring for the kilt

[Tommy Hunt]

I'm wondering how much adjustment there is at the waist of the kilt. I vary in weight and can lose or gain almost an inch either way on my belt size. That's almost 2 inches. Can the kilt accomodate this much expansion.

[O'Callaghan]

I'm wondering how much adjustment there is at the waist of the kilt. I vary in weight and can lose or gain almost an inch either way on my belt size. That's almost 2 inches. Can the kilt accomodate this much expansion.

Most of those with buckles have two positions either side of the actual size and have holes an inch apart, so in general that would be a yes. OTOH, there are some with fewer holes, and sometimes the size corresponds to the loosest hole and not the middle one, so it pays to check before you order.

Those with vecro usually adjust even further than kilts with buckles.

[Bugbear]

It probably can. That would be an inch on each strap. You don't want to go too far with expanding... A kiltmaker should explain the issue you might run into with the bottum righthand or fringed corner of the top apron not covering the bottom apron as you fatten up, though.

[Tommy Hunt]

Thanks guys that answers my question. I'll check with Houston when I order.

[Tommy Hunt]

About the length, do you guys wear your kilts at the belly-button or above it? Measuring from 1/2 to 2 inches above the hip bone or one inch below the lower rib is kind of sketchy. I find that if the top of the kilt (in my case my friend's pleated skirt) sits just above the naval it feels about right. Where do you guys wear yours?

[Bugbear]

The straps and buckles goe right on the waist. Find the waist by putting your hands around the bottom of the ribs and bending back and forth and so on. The waist line is at the place where all the bending goes on. The belly button could really be anywhere almost, so not so good a measurement. The Wizard explains all this much better than me, and I think he has a tutorial on it in the "Articals and Tutorial" forum. Good luck.

* I don't see The Wizards instructions on measuring over in that forum, but they're somewhere around here. Hopefully he will post something here for you.

[Rex_Tremende]

I think you'll find a lot of different answers to your last question - where "should" it be, where does one like to wear it could be anywhere, depending on one's aesthetic. On the my most recent kilt, the centerline of the top buckles (and in my case, only buckles) hits at my navel. Above that is two and a quarter inches, and the waistline is flared a bit extra to fit my torso. This is, for me, the most comfortable and proportionally correct kilt I have to date.

Be sure and check with your kiltmaker, however. Some will want the total length, but the measurement I gave was from centerline of the buckle (the natural waistline and smallest circumference) to the bottom edge.

Regards,
Rex.

[Carolina Kiltman]

The straps and buckles goe right on the waist. Find the waist by putting your hands around the bottom of the ribs and bending back and forth and so on. The waist line is at the place where all the bending goes on. The belly button could really be anywhere almost, so not so good a measurement. The Wizard explains all this much better than me, and I think he has a tutorial on it in the "Articals and Tutorial" forum. Good luck.

* I don't see The Wizards instructions on measuring over in that forum, but they're somewhere around here. Hopefully he will post something here for you.

Always go by what the individual kilt-maker asks for. For men, the navel is almost always at the waist. Women, it is lower. (I learnt that in Life Drawing!) However different people have different length torso's, so there is often quite a bit of variation from bottom of the rig-cage to the top of the hip bone (pelvis). ?

[Bugbear]

Ok Tommy, I found it:


The Wizard of BC's sticky thread "How to measure for a kilt - a video"
Now, that is for the kilts he makes, but he explains all of this very, very well. And yes you need to do what your kiltmaker tells you to do when you go to measure, but I think it helps to understand the terms and so on.

Good luck, Tommy.

[Tommy Hunt]

Ok I think this gives me enough to go on - thanks guys and thank you Ted for posting the video. My waist seems to be just above the belly button and the waist is where the top of the kilt should be. This seems right to me but I will ask ken @ Houston when I order tomorrow.