Why are 99% of kilts only available in 24" length?

[celticskunk]

Kilts are definitely not a one length fits all kind of garment. It's frustrating considering some folks wear kilts at their jeans waist and some up around their bellybutton & everything in between. Yet unless you're paying for a custom kilt your stuck with a 24" drop. So can kilts, whether tartan or utility be hemmed? Should they be hemmed? I just don't want to wear my kilt up to my tits to make the length hit right or wear it at my Jean's waist (which I prefer) & have it hit at mid calf. I can't afford a custom kilt so are there any solutions?

[Kiltedjohn]

No doubt someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I imagine the "standard" length is a way to facilitate mass production. I have bought a couple of low-price kilts of this kind; they have been hemmed, and I was able to have them shortened professionally. The snag is that, because of the yardage involved, the alteration doesn't come cheap!

[Michael Flemming]

Some vendors of these types of kilts offer 22 inches as a special order, which is good enough to put it in the top half of my knee.

[Riverkilt]

Sad. I only do business with kiltmakers who will sew or cut to my required length - 21"

IF....your kiltmaker doesn't offer sizes that fit you you're probably dealing with a cheapo vender.

Value is much more important than price.

Avoid kilt vendors who market on price.

You CAN afford a custom kilt. They are worth it.

[Michael Flemming]

While I agree with you, I still think that the cheapies have their place for Highland athletics, Ren Faires or as a first kilt for those not quite ready to take the plunge. For most people, an off-the-rack kilt in a 22 inch length will be a much better fit. I see far too many people at my local Ren Faire wearing these types of kilts well below the knee.

My primary Ren Faire kilt is a made-to-measure Usakilts semi-trad but I also have an off-the-rack just for some variety.

[The Celtic Croft]

The Celtic Croft specializing in custom kilts. We have a full range of pricing. From $75 to $750. We know that one size does not fit all, so instead of keeping a whole bunch of standard size kilts in stock, we make them to order.

https://www.kilts-n-stuff.com/produc...quality-kilts/

Kind regards,
Joseph
FSA Scot

[FossilHunter]

Save up and buy custom. You’ll be happier with it in the long run.

[Kiltedjohn]

Lower-price ones do have their place, if you are wearing a kilt while hiking in rough terrain. Doesn't matter so much if a cheap kilt gets torn or muddy.

[Jock Scot]

Lower-price ones do have their place, if you are wearing a kilt while hiking in rough terrain. Doesn't matter so much if a cheap kilt gets torn or muddy.

Tartan wool cloth in kilt form has seen many a war and countless battles in their history and for certain sure many kilts did not survive the events, but, it appears that the majority survived many a battle and many a war. If they hadn’t , I cannot imagine a cash strapped Government financing them for all those centuries if they could not stand the battering of Army life.

It is true a proper traditional kilt is expensive. It is true the kilt cloth of today is not as thick as in days of yore. But, I have a kilt that is some forty years old that I wear out and about in town, on the hill, by the river and in rough woodland terrain without too much thought. Yes, I am concerned and aware of barbed wire and thorns. There is plenty of mud and animal waste too! But thus far I have not torn the cloth, but I have had plenty of mud and blood covering it.

Letting the cloth dry properly and sponging and brushing gets rid of most of it. The occasional dunk in a burn helps too and hung out to dry from a handy tree branch ..............and on we go.

I also wear heavy weight tweed( 24oz) in plus 4 mode, cords and also modern gortex and ripstop type material too out in the country and I probably get more rips and stains on those than I get on my kilt. Why not wear the kilt all the time? I hear you ask.

Well, three answers. One, ticks( I have had Lymes disease twice). Two, tweed in trouser form is much warmer and kinder to the body in rough terrain. Three, I don’t wear the kilt outwith Scotland.

The wool traditional kilt is tougher, much tougher, than many of you imagine. Would I wear a brand new traditional kilt out in the wild? No! But given time .......................

[OC Richard]

I've seen the 24 inch length as standard in Glasgow Edinburgh etc Kilt Hire shops.

It's simply a length that fits men of average height.

That's of little concern for people who wear genuine traditional kilts because these are made to measure and are made to whatever length the customer wants.

I'm taller than average and I feel my ideal kilt length is 25.5 inches.

Mind you, for a very long time army kilts were around 27 inches for all men, short and tall alike. It's because that was the width of the cloth. Soldiers were issued cloth and these would be sewn up into kilts by the regimental tailor and/or by the soldiers themselves.

I will say that recently many men's kilts are being made much shorter than ever before. Men's kilts are now being made in lengths that up until traditionally would only have been made for youths.