New Kilt Day and some comparison

**RedBurbach** · 6th December 19, 10:52 PM

Hello all,

I have enjoyed reading the wealth of info available on this site and finally found it fit for me to make my own first post and share some information for others to hopefully use.

I just received my new Stillwater Kilt in the mail today and I love it! It is the Weathered MacKenzie and the colors are perfect for fall and spring. This will be my second kilt and I thought it fit to compare it to my other which is a Tartanista I ordered online. The Tartanista is in the Black Watch tartan and both are listed as being acrylic.

I ordered both of these in a size 38 based on my measurements and to have the most overlap at the apron, I think that a 36 would fit, but I would rather get the straps moved than have an apron that is too short. Speaking of aprons, that is the main comparison of this post. In this post here Steve discusses how to measure a kilt for the waist which got me thinking about measuring other proportions of the kilt. I noticed that the apron on the size 38 Tartanista just did not fit the same as a 40 Tartanista or my 38 SWK. The front apron barely made its way across and it took carefully positioning for the apron to cover the under-apron. There was also a noticeable pull from the left side with the over-apron and pleats which I do not think looked good. Nothing was puckering or tight, it just looked as though there was not enough fabric used.

I went ahead and measured the front apron for all three of the kilts that I have Tartanista (38 and 40) and the SWK ( 38 ).

Front Apron at hem

Tartanista 38 - 19.5in
Tartanista 40 - 20.75in
SWK 40 - 23.0in

Front Apron at waist

Tartinista 40 - 18in
SWK 40 - 19in

I find that the fit (not to mention the feel, color, and drape) of the SWK to be far superior to the Tartanista. This is to be expected at the change in price range. I also suspect that the change in price lends itself to a change in econnomy and material useage as is evidence in the measurements. Again, this is all my hypothesis from comparing the two of these kilts with what I have learned from you wise folks here. To my eye, they both have the same sort of flare or taper at the knee so the additional material of the SWK gives it a better fit and drape on my body ( and I suspect on others' as well!)

If anything is totally off or I'm missing something hugely obvious, let me know and we'll both learn. Otherwise, thank you so much for the awesome forum and I look forward to many years of posts!

**Liam** · 7th December 19, 03:08 AM

Welcome to the forum!

**Crazy Dave** · 7th December 19, 07:16 PM

Very glad to see that you like your Stillwater Kilt. I have been considering buying their heavyweight wool kilt in saffron. (I have both Scottish and Irish blood.) The company seems to be well thought of here. Did you buy the thrifty, economy or standard kilt? The only kilt I own to compare it to is a MacPherson Red Sport Kilt, which is my first kilt purchase, and I like very much, but I am certain there is better out there.

Dave

**RedBurbach** · 7th December 19, 09:39 PM

Originally Posted by Crazy Dave

Very glad to see that you like your Stillwater Kilt. I have been considering buying their heavyweight wool kilt in saffron. (I have both Scottish and Irish blood.) The company seems to be well thought of here. Did you buy the thrifty, economy or standard kilt? The only kilt I own to compare it to is a MacPherson Red Sport Kilt, which is my first kilt purchase, and I like very much, but I am certain there is better out there.

Dave

Dave, I went with the standard. Everything that I read seemed to point to just biting the (well priced) bullet and getting one from that product line. The wool is too heavy for my use and the limited tartan selection didn't help sell it either.

I was taking a look at the saffron as well before I made my purchase. As much as I would like to also represent my Irish heritage, I just couldn't see myself regularly wearing a saffron kilt. [Matching hair probably doesn't help sway me either! ;) ] I don't doubt that I would be a lovely kilt though. I like that the dye varies between the different roll of fabric being used and if the hand is like my Standard MacKenzie it will definitely look good on the wearer. I really like the fringe on my apron and I think with the saffron it would look stellar.

Also, they are still offering the 10% off on two kilts, which is what almost swayed me into getting two. For my next kilts I will definitely be considering SWK. If you have any other questions feel free to ask and I'll help as best I can!

**Crazy Dave** · 9th December 19, 08:52 PM

I didn't see anything about 10% off, but the standard price is so reasonable that i'm not going to sweat it.

I used to have long red hair, but losing my hair has made we switch to a crewcut. When you lose your hair you have two choices, Larry or Curley and I have made my choice.

I did meet a man in a saffron kilt at the Irish Festival near Towson, MD. The kilt looked great!

Dave

**RedBurbach** · 9th December 19, 09:49 PM

Having seen it worn in person and combined with the excellent economy of the SWK it is no doubt you'll enjoy it when it arrives. I forgot to mention, I picked up one of their kilt pins with my order (and a couple more for gifts) and they too are A1 quality with the detail on the pin. It lowered the cost on shipping a bit and at ~$12 was a nice addition the the ever growing collection.

**The Wizard of BC** · 10th December 19, 12:41 AM

One thing in addition to my measuring thread that you quoted - If the kilt fits perfectly - the outer apron should overlap the under apron fully. At the very least, the right edge of one, should be equal to the right edge of the other.

On many kilts it is actually preferable for the outer apron to overlap the under apron a bit. This means that if the kilt is fastened on the largest hole of the strap, the outer and under aprons should still meet perfectly.

I should also mention that it is not just the waist circumference that is an issue here. There is also the width of the two aprons. In general, at the waist, the aprons should be the same width and both slightly wider than 1/2 the waist circumference. While the apron, at the level of the bottom of the Fell Area, should be slightly less than 1/2 of the hip circumference. This gives a good taper to the aprons allowing the right and left apron edges to fall vertically without splaying open at the first/deep pleat or the last/reverse pleat.

The edges of the apron should not "kick out" at the bottom or tuck in.

Stillwater Kilts are right up front that their products are pre-made in Pakistan. They are a great product for the money and perfect for their intended use. But they should never be expected to fit the same way as a made-to-measure or fully bespoke kilt.

Unless you specifically request a custom total length and Fell Area length they will be made 24 inches in total length and the Fell will be approx. 8 inches or 1/3 of the total length. This means that you first measure up, from the top of your knee cap 24 inches, and measure for the waist circumference at that point. And that is where you should wear the waist. If you prefer to wear the waist at somewhere other than where it was designed to be worn it will not look the way it was designed to look. That is not the fault of the kilt or the maker.

If you choose to wear the kilt somewhere other than the way it was designed to be worn the waist circumference may be off and the pleats in the back may not hang well due to the length of the Fell.

As long as you know and accept these limitations and are happy with your purchase all is well. Enjoy your kilt and wear it with pride.

**jthk** · 10th December 19, 06:19 PM

You had commented: "The edges of the apron should not "kick out" at the bottom or tuck in."

If I may pose a slightly off-topic question: what causes that? So, as an example, if I'm looking down at my left-hand outer apron edge, it is currently curling a bit outwards.

Thank you!
Jonathan

**The Wizard of BC** · 10th December 19, 07:04 PM

Without seeing a photo I am just guessing and can't diagnose your problem very well.

The shape of an apron is not a complex thing to explain. But to have one fit and hang well is not quite as easy to achieve.
Here are just a few the different parts that must be taken into consideration when shaping an apron.

The shape of an apron is not a trapezoid made up of straight lines unless the fabric the kilt is made from will not form complex shapes. For example Cotton fabrics.

Instead the shape starts up near where the upper strap is placed. It goes straight up from the top strap. This is the 'Rise" of the kilt.

The shape then flares out to the line of the hips.

Finally the shape tries to return to as close to vertical as possible.

It forms a gentle "S" curve.

But there is also the shape of the deep pleat that will often effect the apron. So please, post a pic.

**Crazy Dave** · 10th December 19, 08:00 PM

Originally Posted by RedBurbach

Having seen it worn in person and combined with the excellent economy of the SWK it is no doubt you'll enjoy it when it arrives. I forgot to mention, I picked up one of their kilt pins with my order (and a couple more for gifts) and they too are A1 quality with the detail on the pin. It lowered the cost on shipping a bit and at ~$12 was a nice addition the the ever growing collection.

I am sure I will enjoy it! I will definitely get an Irish kilt pin with the kilt. Thinking about a Sporran too!

Dave