Cardinal Sin???

[Tobus]

Yeah, we've had many discussions here on the "proper" height of the kilt in relation to the knee. Opinions vary greatly. But in general, here is what I have observed:

1. Our native Highlanders generally recommend wearing it with the kilt somewhere between the middle of the kneecap and the top of the knee (with their preferences trending more towards the top of the knee).

2. Military kilt-wearing standards dictate that the top of the knee is the correct height.

3. Historic paintings/portraits/photographs from the 1700s through at least the mid-1900s (and many later ones showing native Highlanders) tend to uniformly depict kilts towards the top of the knee. Sometimes even higher than that.

4. Wearing the kilt at the middle of the knee or lower seems to be mostly an American trend, especially with the more modern/contemporary (i.e. non-Scottish) style kilts, and seems to echo the current fashion trends of wearing shorts below the knee. I may be incorrect here, but it seems that there is a new crop of kilt-wearers in Scotland who are following this trend, such as the "Tartan Army" and lots of Lowlanders who, like Americans, may not have grown up with a strong kilt-wearing tradition. This may be leading to new traditions evolving with a new kilt-wearing culture which do not mesh with older Highland traditions.

Personally, I have observed that kilt-hire shops do not tend to give advice that gels with more established kilt-wearing traditions. That, too, has been the subject of many discussions on this forum. I think kilt-hire shops are kind of "out there on their own", attempting to reinvent tradition. But at the end of the day, it's up to you to make the decision on what you think looks best. My only advice would be to take a look at older, more traditional examples of kilt-wearing and compare it to the newer fashion trends. Experiment with your own look, and let it evolve over time.