Bear Kilts, formal cut; got it today!

[Jimmy Carbomb]

As time goes by, you'll notice that the pleats will actually set themselves into the proper position for good. His method of sewing makes it so that gravity will allow the pleats to "find" their place, and keep the drape and hang uniform.

As for the comparison to Stillwaters as far as maintenance, remember that the weave and threadcount on the PV is much tighter than the acrylic... which makes it more rigid and harder. It's the price you pay to have the comfort and "swish" of the acrylic.

Enjoy that kilt. I'm over two dozen kilts now, and the BearKilts are a couple of my favorites in the summer!

[Raphael]

I have a one year old 4 yard blackwatch and I still don't have the need in ironing the pleats.

[Andrew Breecher]

I wore a four-yard kilt every day for five months, in rain, snow, sleet, hail, and gallons of sweat. I never ironed it, and the pleats remained true. Only the very first pleat to the left of the apron "softened", because the four-yard kilt required that it was shallow. If there had been a bit more material it would have been deeper, and no problems at all (on my eight-yard kilt, that first pleat is much deeper).

Andrew.

[GMan]

Alan,

CONGRATULATIONS! I just love my Bear Kilt, and know that I will get more. Great review BTW!

[Jimmy Carbomb]

Bear, thanks for your clarification. I'll guess that the pleats hang as perfectly as my Grizzly since you take the style difference into account! I've washed the Cape Breton five times now, and never ironed it. The pleats are still right on the money! I wish I could do that!

Alan, you need to find an online photo album and post some front, side and back shots of the kilt for the membership to view. Okay. You don't NEED to, but it sure would be appreciated.

[Freelander Sporrano]

Great news Alan I wore my 8 yard classic Cut to Scotland . People I talked to about it liked the machine wash idea. However I'm yet to wash it .

I use a steam gun to freshen the pleats. However they still look great after a day driving the car.
The velcro is great for those heavy meals too.

While on the subject the two Kub kilts I ordered came a week ago I'll try for some pictures of my son and daughter this weekend.

[KMacT]

While on the subject the two Kub kilts I ordered came a week ago I'll try for some pictures of my son and daughter this weekend.

This is (I hope) good news for me as well. I ordered my Bear Kilt at the end of November 2004 (Bear cashed my cheque in December), so given that you have just received your December order, I can only hope that mine is right around the corner (the fourth vague "completion-date-estimate" from Bear passed several days ago).

Kevin

[bear]

His method of sewing makes it so that gravity will allow the pleats to "find" their place, and keep the drape and hang uniform.

Jimmy,
Alan H got a formal cut, so I don't know if the method of sewing comes into play on this one. It doesn't have the waistband of a classic cut or grizzly cut; the pleats go all the way up. As with any of the pseudo traditional kilts, it is machine sewn and has short cuts to try to keep the general appearance of a traditional kilt, while lowering the cost to produce.

The kilt is not "lined" like the Stillwaters, but has a layer of "same material" sewn in the inside which is very much like a lining. Since it's sewn down, it doesn't wander around and get scrunched up like the Stillwaters linings. This is a plus.

I wanted to use the same poly/viscose for the lining as for the kilt because it will all react to any changes with the same reaction. Nothing will shrink or change more than the other. It's comfy, too.

I might...*might* .... buy a nice pair of kilt straps/buckles and put them on the right side closure, for that more traditional look. I'll ask Bear what he thinks about that before I do it.

Go for it. The velcro will hold but cosmetically, some guys like to have the straps. It's an easy addition.

The pleats aren't sewn down, so it looks a little more traditional, which is what I asked for. Time will tell if the pleats require a lot more care, but I don't mind ironing them now and again. The Poly-Viscose on my USA Kilt hasn't fuzzed or shown signs of wear under the sporran, and I don't expect Bears kilt to do that, either.

You shouldn't have to do a lot of ironing. My kilts go in the washer and dryer without ironong. If I have someplace where I need perfect knife pleats, I'll touch them up.
Pilling isn't a problem on the clan tartans but can be on our Canadian tartans.

BTW, I got a pair of Bears white rugby socks, too. ... This type of sock is MILES ahead of the other rugby socks that I tried a few months ago. Those are already gone in the trash.

I still wear the original socks I bought from my supplier a couple of years ago. They're tough! I have 6 pairs of white, some black, blue, green, and some wool socks, too.
I like long, white socks with my sneakers. I push 'em down so they're about mid-calf.
Thanks for the review, Alan.