Okay, Lads...here they are!

[JCheshire]

I've recently acquired 3 new kilts of varying lengths. Let me know which one you think works best for me, and thanks in advance for your feedback.

Cheers!
Lindsay Modern 22 inch drop

Lindsay Modern 22 inch drop

Campbell of Argyll 24 inch drop

Campbell of Argyll 24 inch drop

Celtic FC 25 inch drop

Celtic FC 25 inch drop

[JSFMACLJR]

I think the 24 and the 25 inch kilts are far nicer looking than the 22 inch.

[gary meakin]

I think the 22" is 'sitting' where it should.
To me the other two look like you're wearing them higher to make sure they land at the right part of your knee.

[creagdhubh]

I think the 22" is 'sitting' where it should.
To me the other two look like you're wearing them higher to make sure they land at the right part of your knee.

I disagree. The kilt, ideally speaking, should sit at your navel, not at your trouser waist. To me, the Campbell of Argyll kilt looks the best.

[Burly Brute]

I disagree. The kilt, ideally speaking, should sit at your navel, not at your trouser waist. To me, the Campbell of Argyll kilt looks the best.

I second this completely! And, in my humble opinion I think it would be better to err to high (25) than to err to low (22). In some of the vintage photos I have seen the, what seemed to me to be regular kilt wearers, had their kilts up to what seemed to be their adam's apple almost! In any regard, I definitely like and appreciate the second and third most.

[davidg]

I disagree. The kilt, ideally speaking, should sit at your navel, not at your trouser waist. To me, the Campbell of Argyll kilt looks the best.

***

[Chas]

I cannot tell where the middle of your kneecaps is, nor can I see where your waist is.

Which feels the best? Which one are you most comfortable wearing?

Regards

Chas

[Ryan Ross]

I disagree. The kilt, ideally speaking, should sit at your navel, not at your trouser waist. To me, the Campbell of Argyll kilt looks the best.

I agree. No question about it.

[Barb T]

The kilt, ideally speaking, should sit at your navel, not at your trouser waist.

Ummm, no. Actually, a kiltmaker makes a kilt so that it has a 2" rise _above_ the waist, so the top of the kilt should not be worn at the navel but, in fact, about 2" _above_ the navel (depending on where your navel is, but, for most people, it's roughly where the waist is). Yes, it looks odd and a bit "farmer john" to many people, but that's because we're not used to seeing a garment with the top higher than the waist (and that's particularly true in the last couple of decades when it has become customary for men to wear their pants several inches _below_ the navel).

A kilt has a rise above the waist because it was meant to be worn with a short jacket, and, if there weren't a rise, there would be a gap between the top of the kilt and the bottom of the jacket (and you can see that when someone wears a kilt too low and has a PC on - the shirt pooches out under the jacket). Trews were originally made the same way, commonly with a rise of even 3-4". No one wears pants like that any more, but that's not true for kilts. Kilts are still made with rises that are meant to extend a couple inches _above_ the true waist.

Aaaanyway, if you wear your kilt with the top edge at your navel, it will not fit the way the kiltmaker made it to fit, and it will be too long. Also, the traditional length of a kilt is top of the knee so that there's a nice expanse of knee between the bottom of the kilt and the top of the kilt hose.

Last thing - I think it's really tough to tell whether a kilt looks right unless the person is actually wearing kilt hose instead of bare legs.

That's my two cents as a kiltmaker, anyway!

[MacMillans son]

In my very low cost opinion, I think you probably wear a 23 to 23 1/2 inch kilt. Although I completely agree with the feedback that you could wear the kilt a bit higher on the knee, to my eye if you were to pull the 24 inch up to where your kilt sits at the top of your knee it would be too high in the waist. If you pulled the 22 up to where it hit top of the knee and then added an inch to the top you would be about right. Of course this is all speculation based on a couple of photos.

A tape measure, and a good kilt maker is the best way to determine your proper size.

As Barb mentioned, when new to kilting it is quite easy to base our opinions of what looks good, or what feels right, on our years of experience of wearing trousers, which of course, is a completely different animal.

Kudos to you for seeking input!