An XMTS Game: Ranking quality of Kilt & Kit

[azwildcat96]

Although I would prefer a better made Jacket and Waistcoat, they would not be worn as ofter as the sporran, so I have to switch the order accordingly.

1. Kilt
2. Sporran
3. Jacket and Waistcoat
4. Hose
5. Sgian Dubh

[artificer]

My list:

1) Sporran - a good one, well taken care of, can last forever - and you'll never outgrow it. Like Matt mentioned, silver, functional, pierced and engraved. Probably goat hair or tooled leather.
2) Kilt
3) Sgian - again, it's forever
4) Jacket - I would rank this much higher except for the fact that I rarely wear one
5) Hose - as much as I love a good pair of hose, I'm very hard on socks of any kind. I don't know why but I can wear a hole in the ball of the foot in a pair of socks in no time at all.

Luckily I've got 4 of the 5 articles on the list already custom made for me by fellow X-Markers (and an extra half thrown in for the new bias cut waistcoat).

All I need now is to find a really skilled jacket maker that wants to build me a velvet Sheriffmuir as a trade... (not very subtle hint ).

ith:

[Joshua]

finest quality - Kilt, of course

very good quality - tweed jacket (my proportions make tailoring an inevitability, if I were more generically sized I might pick the sporran here and the jacket below under "good quality")

One item will be of good quality - sporran, I would consider L&M's standard lineup to be somewhere between good and very good, when compared with Kate MacPherson's work, or Artificer's work.

One item will be of average quality - Average being $40 hose, I think that would suffice. I would require fully fashioned hose, however and that might add to the price.

One item will be of low quality - Probably the kilt pin, I never splurge on them because the clasp comes undone so often. I would probably choose a blanket pin or tat pin (sword and badge) - often I even go without, so losing it would be no big issue.

[davidlpope]

One item may be of the very finest quality (bespoke to your specifications):
sporran (with strap)- no matter how fat one gets, you can always wear a sporran! Plus, there are so many crummy, ubiquitous sporrans out there, that I find that THIS is what really sets one man's kilted attire apart from the rest. I'd pick an antique functional cantle sporran.

One item will be of very good quality:
kilt- truth be told, many of the "8-yd, handsewn kilts" out there fall into this range. I've seen some machine-stitched kilts that look impeccable. As Matt pointed out, most kiltmakers are using fabric from the big three tartan mills, so there's actually little real difference. I'd go for a traditional 8-yd kilt in my clan's main tartan.

One item will be of good quality:
kilt jacket w/waistcoat- I'd pick an off-the-rack tweed argyll in lovat green. Since I'm a starving college student I'm not likely to attend any events where proper evening attire is required anyway...

One item will be of average quality:(1) pair of hose w/flashes- I'd go with the basic lovat blue or lovat green hose readily available.

One item will be of low quality: sgian dubh- I'd probably just forgo this altogether and leave the cheap plastic thing in a drawer at home.

[rondo]

(1) kilt, A tank...100% wool best quality available
(1) sporran (with strap) good quality full mask
(1) kilt jacket w/waistcoat off the rack average quality
(1) pair of hose w/flashes standard machine knit kilt hose
(1) sgian dubh I never wear one so this can be a low quality piece as far as I'm concerned

Rondo

Edit to add: I posted before I read any of the other post as I didn't want my initial response to be swayed by what others may have posted. I rank kilt as first & highest quality because I can wear the kilt w/o the other stuff and be okay but if the kilt disintegrated I'd look pretty funny sporting a cool sporran, hose [kilt type] and kilt jacket sans kilt now wouldn't I? I haven't too many dress up occasions so off the rack jackets work.

That said, I never even considered something like a silver cantled sporran [out of my league i guess, my mind just can't wrap itself around that]. But I do understand the thinking behind what Matt and Artificer are saying about the sporran. Interesting seeing how other folks reason things out.

[ctbuchanan]

One item may be of the very finest quality (bespoke to your specifications) - The Kilt of course
One item will be of very good quality - The Sporran and Belt because I hate the stiff inexpensive ones.
One item will be of good quality - Socks for comfort
One item will be of average quality - Sgian Dubh
One item will be of low quality - Kilt pin

I would skip the jacket and put the money into the kilt and sporran.

[David Thorpe]

[B][SIZE="7"]There is no "I'll replace" or "I'll make" allowed.

That leaves me and most other DIYers out of the game. Tartan fabric and a copy of Barb T. is *much* cheaper than a bespoke kilt by anyone else. I can get a very good quality tweed sport jacket from a thrift shop and turn it into a fine Argyll or Braemar. (Done that)
And a cheapo Ebay sporran rebuilt with on-hand fur, leather and horsehair makes a showpiece. (Done that, too)
Of course, a starving college student doesn't have the time or experience that a retired guy does.

Sorry for the digression. Carry on.

[knotty]

I can certainly relate to this livin on disability pension.

One item may be of the very finest quality - Full Mask Sporran. I picked the sporran because the best seem to be full masks or long haired.
One item will be of very good quality - Hose. If you can only get 1 pair of hose they should be of very good quality since you will like be weaing them often.
One item will be of good quality - 8 yard Kilt machine made. All the good material is made by good weavers so the quality will be similar.
One item will be of average quality - Tweed Argylly Jacket/Vest. Luckly Im a perfect 42 regular so any off the rack will fit perfectly. Also I rarely "dress up", so average quality is more than good enough.
One item will be of low quality - Sgian Dubn. Ive worn one mine a few time, but I can take it or leave it.

Craig

[Panache]

As someone who owns quite a few kilts and quite a bit of kit here is my personal order. My basic thought process in my list is getting the most "bang for your buck"

(1) Highest Quality (Bespoke) would be a sporran.

Here's the reason. I own something like 13 sporrans ranging in value from $35 to $400. They run the gamut between "Very Good Quality" and "Average Quality". To be honest, for highland kit, I see the least amount of difference from an appearance and durability point of view in them compared to other kit. Now "Very Good Quality" might allow for mink fur and "Average" is only going to be rabbit fur, but from the perspective of an outside viewer they pretty much fall into the same range of visual impact. In terms of durability and construction there isn't that much difference either. The increases in quality of construction and looks you get from each level between "A" and "VGQ" are pretty minimum. Now "Low Quality" sporrans are absolutely wretched and look cheap from a mile off. Conversely the highest quality bespoke sporrans are really going to stand out. But this only really happens at the highest end of the spectrum for sporrans. You go down to "Very Good Quality" it just doesn't give you that much more compared to "Good" and "Average". A bespoke sporran is going to look fantastic and be an heirloom piece that can be handed down for generations.

(2) Very good quality would be the hose.

As I mentioned this is all you have for highland attire for the better part of ten years right? I guarantee you that great quality hose are not only going to make an outfit look better, but they are going to last.

(3) Good Quality would be the kilt

In all honesty none of the folks I know beyond X Markers can tell the difference (in terms of fit and interior construction) between my new version Stillwater Heavyweight (with the cutouts in the pleats), my Matt Newsome 5 yard handsewn, my USA wool 5 yard machine sewn or PV semi-traditional models, or my Barb Tewksbury 6 yard handsewn, my Freedom wool kilt (machine sewn), or my way2fractious handsewn 7 yard military box pleated XMTS tartan kilts. Unless the kilt is really ill-fitting or poorly made all someone notices is the tartan. A USA Kilt 5 yarder in wool looks just fine and there are an awful lot of tartans from different mills to choose from to have it made in.

(4) Average Quality would be the jacket and waistcoat

The vast majority of people I see in highland attire at Highland Games, Scottish Country Dances, or other Celtic events wear off the rack rather standard jackets. As I wear a standard size 42 jacket so I'm going to look fine in an average jacket. A poor quality jacket will stand out (badly) and average one will blend in. If I could get a tweed one great, if not a standard black argyll would be fine.

(5) Low Quality would be the sgian dubh.

I love blades as much as the next guy (probably a lot more unless the next guy is Monkey@arms ). But from a visual perspective a cheap $6 plastic sgian dubh has just about as much impact as a $350 custom one (which is to say "little to none"). I have a few sgian dubhs and frankly my Sears Craftsman 2 blade pocket knife that my dad gave me 32 years ago works just as well, if not better, than any of them. Out of my three favorite things to do while in a kilt for two of them, dancing and walking, they are a pain (literally) to wear. For the third thing (socializing) my "sgian don't" cheap bottle cap opener is what I wear most often (it comes in more handy than a blade too!) So I wouldn't mind a cheap sgian dubh, it can sit in a drawer with my flashes just as well as an expensive one.

Cheers

Jamie

[Panache]

That leaves me and most other DIYers out of the game.

David,

No it doesn't. The "game" isn't DIY. (By all means run another thread with a DIY theme in a similar vein). The "game" is to see where X Markers see investing the most money in for kilt and kit (and their reasoning for doing so). All games have rules! So play along (and then start your own game.)

Cheers

Jamie