Friendly discrimination? Kilt length.

[mcnice]

sorry forgot the link. see the poor guy in the middle ;)

http://www.reconstructinghistory.com...ish/kilts.html

[James]

Can I suggest that a lot of the problems regarding 'discrimination' mentioned above lie in he fact that what is often being called a kilt, is really something rather different in respect of use, material and style.

My experience is of the traditional kilt and the variant hillwalker-over shock horror sixty odd years. A very practical outdoor gament for the British climate throughout the year, for all weathers and certainly on the hills.

On the hill a kilt no longer than the top of the knee cap is best, for it does not drag on the legs as one walks, and does not collect so much water from heather/bracken and the like. Even today for stalking and such like, it is not unusual to have a kilt shorter than that-for such practical reasons.

Also when soaked with rain the shorter kilt tends to flick the moisture away as one walks-rather than being a soggy lump of cloth on the knees: which again impedes the stride.

This in turn suggests that the soldiers of an earlier generation had it right, when wearing the kilt as a practical outdoor garment.

However if looking to historical records/pictures, almost any length down to the bottom of the knee cap can be found-and there was even a picture in a recent issue of the Scots Magazine showing a silk kilt.

A problem we all have today is that thanks to the Victorian desire for rules-what was in fact a continually evolving garment: was beset by this or that set in stone dictate-dictates which still bedevil us today.

Of course that can be amusing when one reads the diktat of this or that pundit stating this or that rule, which is not of necessity backed up by historical fact.
James

[Hal]

Kilt lengths are CRAVED IN STONE! The Stone of Scone in fact!

All other styles, affectations and inclinations are HERESY!!!

You all will BURN in a SKIRTED GIRLY-MAN HELL!

REPENT!

G Koch

Archbishop
REFORMED APOSTOLIC EVANGELICAL CHURCH of the ONE TRUE KILT

(JK!)

Ok.."That" was funny!

Seriously, My UK pretty much "splits my kneecap", while my "tank" just barely touches the kneecap. I've been told my "Tank" is too short...And my UK is too long. OK. Whatever!

Not an attempty to hijack...But... on a non-related, but similarly debated topic, I don't wear kilt pins either (at the moment- Subject to change without notice, YMMV, slightly higher in CA, you must be THIS tall to ride, etc, etc, etc..)..So I'll probbaly see ya in "Kilt Hell" anyway!

Seems to me like this is another one of those topics that exists so we can debate it. That's OK with me, of course. As long as I can have a pint while we discuss it!

Hal

[Blu (Ontario)]

.... Yes to my eye it also looks wrong. However my point was that "At the time this was no doubt the norm" (No not that Norm)Therefore It looked right.

Good point! Many of the 'great kilts' that I've seen at events and in photos also seem to be worn well above the knee which I believe is the correct way. However, I've also seen the occasional 'little kilt' worn well above the knee. Even in a sea of kilts, the sight of it tends to raise an eyebrow or two. And yet at many of the events we attended this year, the kilts were more often covering the knee completely. That doesn't seem to bother people too much.

Today, the boundaries of kilt conformity is based on both accepted tradition and current practice. Female fashion trends were never a determining factor in kilt design in the traditional and historical sense. How we perceive what looks feminine or masculine in clothing is constantly evolving. Over the last 35 years, non-bifurcated female fashion has been relaxed to the point where, what was once deemed to be indecent, is now quite acceptable. All the while the mighty kilt remains pretty much steadfast and true to its roots.

My spider sense tells me that change is coming, but I think it will be slow. We'll just have to wait and see what's acceptable in the future. In the meantime, we must wear our kilts as suits both our comfort level and personal taste. However, most of us have at least some boundaries we won't cross.

[Graham]

very interesting James, nice to see you here again too.
Thanks for sharing your insight!

[Freelander Sporrano]

.... Yes to my eye it also looks wrong. However my point was that "At the time this was no doubt the norm" (No not that Norm)Therefore It looked right.

Good point! Many of the 'great kilts' that I've seen at events and in photos also seem to be worn well above the knee which I believe is the correct way. However, I've also seen the occasional 'little kilt' worn well above the knee. Even in a sea of kilts, the sight of it tends to raise an eyebrow or two. And yet at many of the events we attended this year, the kilts were more often covering the knee completely. That doesn't seem to bother people too much.

Today, the boundaries of kilt conformity is based on both accepted tradition and current practice. Female fashion trends were never a determining factor in kilt design in the traditional and historical sense. How we perceive what looks feminine or masculine in clothing is constantly evolving. Over the last 35 years, non-bifurcated female fashion has been relaxed to the point where, what was once deemed to be indecent, is now quite acceptable. All the while the mighty kilt remains pretty much steadfast and true to its roots.

My spider sense tells me that change is coming, but I think it will be slow. We'll just have to wait and see what's acceptable in the future. In the meantime, we must wear our kilts as suits both our comfort level and personal taste. However, most of us have at least some boundaries we won't cross.

I couldn't have put it better I can see that we are in full agreement Blu.

[Hal]

Greetings!
On a similar note, I've noticed that each of the "contemporary" mauufacturers has a "slightly" different way of explaining the "measuring process".

It seems to me that, besides the diffences in wording, individuals (even newbies) will have their own ideas, and make their own "slight" errors in measuring. *I* did!

I've also noticed that people tend to like "what they have", and stick with it. (As in, "My current kilt fits like "this", and I like my kilt...So I'll order my "next" kilt to fit the same way...") So, some of the trends..Intentional or not..May become "self-propagating, so to speak.

Just my opinion, of course!

Hal

[bikercelt1]

My oh my! The interesting things that come up when I'm away a day or two. Well, I'll just charge in here if I may. A few years ago, when I was at a music conservatory, one of the guiding priciples was "learn the rules, only then can you break them effectively and with conviction"! I sense that several of these posts are alluding to this. If you know what the "rule" is and want to change/challenge it with "authority", go for it. If you want to wear your kilt longer/shorter than convention and have a reason or explanation (even if it's just "cause I like it") then great. Go for it. If you're out there struting your stuff with a kilt that's longer/shorter than the norm out of ignorance that's a whole 'nother story. There are plenty of us out there looking for guidance, making mistakes because we're doing something new. We need support and assistance. There are some out there that are "too good" or too self-important to be bothered learning about the "proper" (if there truely is such a thing) length to wear the kilt but expect to be admired in spite of their ignorance. They deserve all the scorn they can find. That goes double for the morons that wear their kilts backwards. It all comes down to attitude, I suppose.

(deep breath, check pulse, get down off of soap box)

Jamie

[Jerry]

Since I had no one to help me in measuring for my casual kilt from Scottish Kilts , I made the length measurement by kneeling and measuring from the floor to the kilt waist. I must have gotten it close, because the kilt falls at a point just brlow the top of the kneecap.

[Blu (Ontario)]

Since I had no one to help me in measuring for my casual kilt from Scottish Kilts , I made the length measurement by kneeling and measuring from the floor to the kilt waist. I must have gotten it close, because the kilt falls at a point just brlow the top of the kneecap.

With traditional length kilts, there's a bit of adjustment available as to where you let the kilt to sit... on the hips a bit, or higher on the waist. If the kilt is too short, that adjustment is not an option.