A Madras Kilt for Summer

[Riverkilt]

Hey, I'm ill today, brain is going on tangents...

I live in Arizona where it gets HOT...remember one year in Phoenix it never got below 90 degrees for ninty days straight..numbers like 118F are real.

Madras is kind of a plaid, sort of...why not a madras kilt. Did a google search and found they exist for little girls.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...44045?v=glance

They don't look bad. I could see a man's kilt in a madras pattern...very fashionable.

The regular madras cloth would be way too light for most wear, but maybe okay in the desert heat...don't know if madras patterns come in other cloths like the popular PV...?

Did Scots on duty in India ever fashion madras kilts?

Yes, I'm serious here....sorta....

Ron

[macwilkin]

I live in Arizona where it gets HOT...remember one year in Phoenix it never got below 90 degrees for ninty days straight..numbers like 118F are real.

Madras is kind of a plaid, sort of...why not a madras kilt. Did a google search and found they exist for little girls.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...44045?v=glance

They don't look bad. I could see a man's kilt in a madras pattern...very fashionable.

The regular madras cloth would be way too light for most wear, but maybe okay in the desert heat...don't know if madras patterns come in other cloths like the popular PV...?

Did Scots on duty in India ever fashion madras kilts?

Ron,

All of the pictures & documentation I have ever seen about Scottish Regiments in tropical climes (India, South Africa, Celyon, etc.) shows them in standard army issue wool kilts -- the British Army did eventually adopt a cotton uniform tunic in Kahki (dust) colour, and of course, Scottish regiments were wearing the kahki-coloured kilt aprons in the South African (Boer) War & WWI, but I've never seen any evidence of the British Army issuing anything but wool kilts.

Remember that wool was standard issue for most military uniforms for years -- wool is durable, and it does breathe.

In fact, some Scottish regiments serving in India at the turn of the 18th century turned in their kilts for white cotton or duck trousers, and the 93rd Highlanders (Argyll & Sutherland) during the New Orleans campaign of the War of 1812 had their kilts turned into trews.

I was in PHX back in 1989 when it 122 degrees F (3% humidity though)! :mrgreen:

Cheers,

Todd

[Riverkilt]

I was there that day too...suit and necktie...parking lot asphault moving under my feet like quicksand...

Theres an East Indian fashion guy named Ashish Gupta that I googled up. He's into "metallic" madras kilts but can't get a photo without joining some fashion board for a fee.

So...someone thinks madras kilts are the cutting edge of fashion...

Ron

[macgreggor]

hi kilt,
sorry to hear about the doc results. progressive things suck, eh?
somehow found this on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEWA:IT
never turned up on a regular search before or since. maybe a karma thing
macG

[Hamish]

Ron, I believe just the kilt you are thinking of was worn on the catwalk in the 2004 'Dressed to Kilt' fashion show in NYC!

I have a photo of it in my files but I cannot reproduce it because of severe copyright restrictions. However, here is a direct link to the photo in the Agency's photo-archives. I hope it works:

http://editorial.gettyimages.com/sou...2581&cdi=0

I just see you with the colour co-ordinated turban

[Doc Hudson]

Looks like it would be rather flyaway to me.

I think that one would need weights on the hem to keep it down. Maybe Ron could use the same clips he uses for drying.

[Riverkilt]

Hey Ham - Welcome Back Buddy

You been missed...

Thanks for the tip on the Madras Kilt idea...ain't much the fashion designers haven't thunk up yet.

Just seems it'd be a nice summer look with a solid shirt that carried a kilt color.

Them clips would be knee bangers doc...

Ron

[Riverkilt]

Duh Ron...just saw the link...been stuffed up, brain askew...

Looks like the model slept in that kilt...jeez...and the colors...looks like an explosion in a crayola factory.

I'm thinking a madras pattern and colors more along the line of the girls kilt link or a men's madras shirt.

No turban...

Ron

[Thistle Stop]

The 'Dressed to Kilt' example looks to me like it's made in Dupion silk, not Madras cotton. But in either fabric, because of the weight, I think a kilt made from it would look a lot like a 'girl's skirt' on a man.

[Thistle Stop]

For a selection of cotton plaids, see http://www.fashionfabricsclub.com/ca...laid&Page=. A few of the ones recommended for upholstery and draperies might work for a kilt. The whole first page that comes up will be very light, shirting-weight fabrics, so skip those. Look for a repeat of at least 5 inches. On some of the swatches, it's hard to tell if they are yarn-dyed or printed -- you want one that is yarn-dyed. You might be able to find out by contacting the company. I don't think they have a phone number or email address on the site, but you can reach them by phone at 314-993-4919 or by email at customerservice@fashionfabricsclub.com.