Bear Kilts, formal cut; got it today!

[Alan H]

Well I got my long-awaited Bear Kilt, formal cut in muted MacNaughton today.

First off, it was right on time. Bear promised six months turnaround, and I got it in six months and four days. It's in time for me mate Phil's wedding, and for that I'm really, really glad. THANKS, Bear! I'll be the MacNaughton in a sea of MacFarlanes!

No sooner did I get it out of the bag that I strapped it on and wore it for the rest of the day. Here's my review.

OK, the construction is substantial. This kilt is in-between in overall weight...between my USA Kilts Philabeg and my Stillwaters. The stitching is wonderful; even and solid. It has a more "constructed" waistband than the philabeg. The way the kilt is made in terms of taper from hips to waist is very well done, I am impressed. I appreciate the full-length front-apron-waistband velcro and the full-width apron.

The kilt is not "lined" like the Stillwaters, but has a layer of "same material" sewn in the inside which is very much like a lining. Since it's sewn down, it doesn't wander around and get scrunched up like the Stillwaters linings. This is a plus.

I wish it had a couple of belt loops in the back, but then I didn't ask for belt loops and I'm sure Bear would have stitched on a couple if I'd have asked for 'em, so no biggie.

The bottom edge isn't selvedge, it's fringed. Traditionalists will not like this, but then the Marton Mills PV doesn't come with the most perfect-looking selvedge, so this is a good way to do it. This is how Rocky does his USA kilts edges, too. I enjoy the fringed LEFT edge of the apron, too. It's a different touch unique to Bear, and I like it.

The kilt just FEELS substantial, but yet it's not *heavy* to wear. I have a 40 inch waist and 44 inch hips and this kilt has about 16 pleats. The pattern match in the pleats is good, not as good as it would probably be on an 8-yard kilt with a smaller revealed pleat area, but still good. The kilt just looks good 'round me butt. It has a good "swing" to it.

I wore the kilt for about 7 hours on a warm day today and it was very comfortable.

I might...*might* .... buy a nice pair of kilt straps/buckles and put them on the right side closure, for that more traditional look. I'll ask Bear what he thinks about that before I do it.

All things considered...NICE kilt. I'm up to four kilts now...One USA Kilts philabeg, two Stillwater Standards, and this Bear Kilt. Each of them has their strong points. The Stillwaters are *heavy* and hotter than blazes on a hot day. They sure are nice in the winter, though. They require a lot of care in terms of pressing pleats, de-fuzzing the aprons and so on. Yet they're the most traditional-looking ones. The Philabeg is great on a hot day, and I love the bright color. It's lightweight, and incredible though it sounds, the cut is actually "slimming" on me, probably because of the reduced bulk of the garment, and that it naturally rides a little bit lower than the Stillwaters. It has sewn-down pleats and is a breeze to take care of.

Bears formal cut lies somewhere in between. It doesn't have the bulk of the Stillwaters, and I like that. Yet there's more substance here than the summer - weight philabeg. The pleats aren't sewn down, so it looks a little more traditional, which is what I asked for. Time will tell if the pleats require a lot more care, but I don't mind ironing them now and again. The Poly-Viscose on my USA Kilt hasn't fuzzed or shown signs of wear under the sporran, and I don't expect Bears kilt to do that, either.

All in all, a nice kilt and it looks sharp. I'm really looking forward to showing up at the Clan tent at the next games with my MacNaughton, FINALLY!! I'm very glad I ordered it, and I promptly went down and bought a tie to go with it so I'll be dressed to the nines on Phils wedding day. I'll be sure to get pics as soon as I can.

THANKS, Bear!

BTW, I got a pair of Bears white rugby socks, too. I got bright white, which will annoy a lot of people (it already annoyed my wife) , but I thought I'd try it. This type of sock is MILES ahead of the other rugby socks that I tried a few months ago. Those are already gone in the trash. These will stick around for a while, as theres' a lot more cotton in these than the other ones. For what they are, they're pretty nice. Don't expect them to be $25 woolen imported kilt hose, 'cause they're not, but if you don't want to spend $20-$25 for Locharron Hose, these'll do. I wore them all day, too, rolled down to my boots. They're going to see a lot of use on my kilt-and-boots days.

[Jimmy Carbomb]

As time goes by, you'll notice that the pleats will actually set themselves into the proper position for good. His method of sewing makes it so that gravity will allow the pleats to "find" their place, and keep the drape and hang uniform.

As for the comparison to Stillwaters as far as maintenance, remember that the weave and threadcount on the PV is much tighter than the acrylic... which makes it more rigid and harder. It's the price you pay to have the comfort and "swish" of the acrylic.

Enjoy that kilt. I'm over two dozen kilts now, and the BearKilts are a couple of my favorites in the summer!

[Raphael]

I have a one year old 4 yard blackwatch and I still don't have the need in ironing the pleats.

[Andrew Breecher]

I wore a four-yard kilt every day for five months, in rain, snow, sleet, hail, and gallons of sweat. I never ironed it, and the pleats remained true. Only the very first pleat to the left of the apron "softened", because the four-yard kilt required that it was shallow. If there had been a bit more material it would have been deeper, and no problems at all (on my eight-yard kilt, that first pleat is much deeper).

Andrew.

[GMan]

Alan,

CONGRATULATIONS! I just love my Bear Kilt, and know that I will get more. Great review BTW!

[Jimmy Carbomb]

Bear, thanks for your clarification. I'll guess that the pleats hang as perfectly as my Grizzly since you take the style difference into account! I've washed the Cape Breton five times now, and never ironed it. The pleats are still right on the money! I wish I could do that!

Alan, you need to find an online photo album and post some front, side and back shots of the kilt for the membership to view. Okay. You don't NEED to, but it sure would be appreciated.

[bear]

His method of sewing makes it so that gravity will allow the pleats to "find" their place, and keep the drape and hang uniform.

Jimmy,
Alan H got a formal cut, so I don't know if the method of sewing comes into play on this one. It doesn't have the waistband of a classic cut or grizzly cut; the pleats go all the way up. As with any of the pseudo traditional kilts, it is machine sewn and has short cuts to try to keep the general appearance of a traditional kilt, while lowering the cost to produce.

The kilt is not "lined" like the Stillwaters, but has a layer of "same material" sewn in the inside which is very much like a lining. Since it's sewn down, it doesn't wander around and get scrunched up like the Stillwaters linings. This is a plus.

I wanted to use the same poly/viscose for the lining as for the kilt because it will all react to any changes with the same reaction. Nothing will shrink or change more than the other. It's comfy, too.

I might...*might* .... buy a nice pair of kilt straps/buckles and put them on the right side closure, for that more traditional look. I'll ask Bear what he thinks about that before I do it.

Go for it. The velcro will hold but cosmetically, some guys like to have the straps. It's an easy addition.

The pleats aren't sewn down, so it looks a little more traditional, which is what I asked for. Time will tell if the pleats require a lot more care, but I don't mind ironing them now and again. The Poly-Viscose on my USA Kilt hasn't fuzzed or shown signs of wear under the sporran, and I don't expect Bears kilt to do that, either.

You shouldn't have to do a lot of ironing. My kilts go in the washer and dryer without ironong. If I have someplace where I need perfect knife pleats, I'll touch them up.
Pilling isn't a problem on the clan tartans but can be on our Canadian tartans.

BTW, I got a pair of Bears white rugby socks, too. ... This type of sock is MILES ahead of the other rugby socks that I tried a few months ago. Those are already gone in the trash.

I still wear the original socks I bought from my supplier a couple of years ago. They're tough! I have 6 pairs of white, some black, blue, green, and some wool socks, too.
I like long, white socks with my sneakers. I push 'em down so they're about mid-calf.
Thanks for the review, Alan.