Towel Method

[Barb T]

Yup - that's why the "towel method" works. Here's an example. The kilt on the left was made using direct hip and waist measurements. It winds up being a tilted cylinder, with the apron edge and first pleat flopping open because they don't hang straight down. It's also almost impossible to wear the kilt at the proper height in the front. The kilt on the right is worn by the same guy, but several inches were added to the direct hip measurement, and the hip measurement was evenly split between the pleats and the apron, which allow the kilt to hang straight down from the true waist. This also allows the kiltmaker to add more shaping to the pleats, which snugs the kilt in to the small of the back.

You'll see that he also looks much slimmer in the right hand kilt! It also helps if kilt on the right is worn with sporran hangers rather than a sporran strap or chain, which tends to pull the kilt in under the belly.