Kilt Length

[Barb T]

Barb, can you tell me why kiltmakers ask for height when requesting measurements?

I always ask, just so that I can see if there is anything that seems a little odd. If someone gave me a length of 21" and said he was 6'3", it would be outside the norm. Ditto 25" and someone who is 5'8". The measurements might be right, but they are atypical enough that it would raise a reg flag with me.

Having said all this, I always always double-check length with a customer, even when the length/height seems more or less "normal". Sometimes I'll Skype with someone to watch how they do the measuring. You have no idea how many times I send out very specific measuring instructions and someone just measures either the way they've measured before or the way they think they ought to be measuring. If I went with the initial length measurements that people send me, about 1/3 of the kilts I've made would have been the wrong length. The only way to avoid that kind of catastrophe is either to measure the person yourself (which, for most of my orders is impossible) or pester the person about how, exactly, he/she made the measurement!

[KiltFitz]

Ok, so it's just to confirm the length measurement? That's what I had suspected as previous kiltmakers/vendors have never measured my height in person.

Interesting about the difficulty in getting measurements. Although I don't make or sell kilts, I am considered to be the biggest enthusiast among my friends so I often get the job of finding bargains on ebay etc for 2nd hand kilts.

I have learned the following about asking other men for measurements:

If possible, measure them yourself.

If not, don't ask them in front of women.

Don't ask them in front of men younger than them.

No matter how many times I explain it, even if I physically demonstrate, the concept of 2 different waists (kilt and trouser) is completely alien to them.

Whatever they tell you their waist is, it will likely be 2 inches bigger. Strangely, this isn't the same for height or leg length.