Kilt Pin Position

[4thAWpipeSGT]

Hi all,
I was wondering what the opinions are regarding kilt pin position.
I have read where certain military units (UK) have worn them fairly high up the apron; not at the 'foot,' as it were. I have also read about a "hand's breadth" from the bottom of the apron. It appears that there are some differences. The Regimental Drum Major Assoc. gives much guidance on uniform, but the kilt pin position is not given explicitly. I wonder how much is left up to individual interpretation?

[just fyi, I wear my pin in the geometric middle of the green crossings of one sett in the Black Watch kilt]

Thoughts?

[Jordan]

I wear my pin a wee bit up and a wee bit in from the bottom right hand edge of the apron depending on the tartan and the pin ive found this to work well for me

Jordan

[Jock Scot]

There is no hard and fast rule on this subject, although, towards the bottom of the kilt and maybe an inch to two inches in from the edge would be the norm. Mid thigh height is also an option, but in reality, wear your pin wherever it suits your taste. Remember not wearing a pin at all, is also an option.

[Sir Robert]

May I suggest that you wear your pin very near the fringe as the material is doubled over there and less likely to be damaged by the weight of the pin.

[saharris]

I've found that a pin's-width from the edge, and a pin's-length from the bottom looks good and balanced to me.

[Heming]

I've recently copied Ancienne Alliance and worn a round or egg-shaped pin about mid-thigh and two fingers from the fringe.

To me the pin makes no difference in the function of the kilt, it's purely decoration.

[JRB]

May I suggest that you wear your pin very near the fringe as the material is doubled over there and less likely to be damaged by the weight of the pin.

I try to position my kilt pins where the apron is folded under as well. However, I know at least one of my kilts has a very narrow section of folded apron material and would cause the pin to be too close to the edge of the apron. As a general rule, I also like to place my kilt pin with reference to the tartan (in the middle of a sett line, for instance)

[Jack Daw]

When I wear one, I position it about 4 inches up and 2 in. And, the older my back gets, the higher the pin will go.

[Galician]

I have seen an episode of a British TV show from the 1960's which depicted a kilted regiment, where the actors all had the pins mid-thigh. It puzzled me at the time, as I had never heard of wearing the pin that high, but it does seem to be a common military practice.

[sfb]

I think that idea is because if the pin was actually put through both layers of material to stop it blowing up in the wind, as history would have you believe, then if it was too low down, it would restrict your movement a bit. It'd almost certainly result in a ripped kilt if you were giving it plenty during a Dashing White Sergeant, for example.

So, even though it's only cosmetic rather than functional, it makes sense to some folk to pin it where it would be pinned if it were functional.

Mind you, this is based entirely on what I was told by the nice man at Redshank in Inveraray who made my kilt, but it has a certain plausibility to it!