Are there any alternatives to strap/buckles on kilts?

[Steve Ashton]

Just about every fastening system ever devised has been used on kilts.

I have seen ties, pins, a single long belt going all the way around the back, buckles with leather straps, buckles with fabric straps, snaps, buttons, hooks and eyes, Velcro, and no fasteners at all that rely on the pressure of the belt to hold everything in place.

In your case I would opt for hooks and eyes. I did a kilt like this for a customer who had very limited use of his fingers and hands. I then went one step further and put rare earth magnets on the buckle tabs. The leather straps were permanently through the buckles and when the kilt was fastened with the hooks and eyes, the magnets formed false buckles. When worn you could not tell that the buckles were just for looks.

I also fit multiple hooks and eyes for the same customer because his weight changed rapidly and without warning. The kilt could be fitted to different sized waists instantly.

Using 5 sets of hooks and eyes, they were fit like this -

Right side.............................................. .....Left Side
Eye - Eye - Eye - Eye..........Hook - Hook - Hook - Hook
.......Hook.....................................Ey e