Hemlines.....

[Phil]

The kilt should fall to the middle of the knee when standing erect (not stooping) and should be clear of the ground when kneeling. Anything else immediately looks wrong. I once had a quiet word with an Englishman trying on a kilt which a shop in Edinburgh was going to be happy to sell him and which was a couple of inches below his knee. He didn't buy it. Kilt or no kilt if it is the wrong length it just makes you look like a cross-dresser I don't know why.

[Barb T]

I respectfully beg to differ with those who argue for mid-knee. Traditionally, a kilt is supposed to come to the top of the knee cap. Ask my co-author, Elsie, who apprenticed as a kiltmaker in Glasgow back in 1947. That's what they were taught.

If a kilt is too long, there isn't enough space between the bottom of the kilt and the top of the hose, and it looks funny. "Skirtish", as Hamish says. Some guys solve this by folding their hose below the top of the calf, but that looks odd, too (makes it look like their socks are too small and don't go all the way to the top).

Frankly, I think the observation that people are wearing their kilts longer comes, not from kiltmakers who measure too long, but rather from kiltwearers who buckle their kilts on too loosely and let them sag down so that the top of the kilt rides at the waist or, worse, on the hips. I feel like a broken record, I've said this so many times. Many guys who wear kilts are unaware that a kilt has a 2" rise _above_ the waist. So, if you buckle your kilt so that the top sits at your waistline, it will be longer than the kilmaker intended. This was never an issue when men wore their pants at the waistline, and it _really_ wasn't an issue in the 19th century when pants matched kilts with a rise above the waist so that you could wear the short jacket of the time without having your shirt tails bunching out at the bottom of the jacket every time you bent over.

Anyone who owns a Prince Charlie jacket can immediately see what the rise of a kilt is for. A proper PC jacket comes to the middle of the buckle at the side of the waist. If you're wearing everything properly, the 2" rise of the kilt extends up beneath the jacket and keeps your shirt from showing. If your shirt shows at the bottom of your PC jacket, you're wearing your kilt too low.

You can see an example of this if you go to the following web site and scroll down to the very last picture on the page:

http://kiltrental.com/Kilt-Rental-Customer-Pictures.htm

The gentleman on the left is wearing a PC that fits him just fine, but he's wearing his kilt too low. So, the kilt is too long (skimming the tops of his hose), and his shirt shows at the side. If he had his kilt up at the proper height, everything would be fine, including the length. I'd also point out that this picture shows why you shouldn't wear a belt with a PC jacket.....

Cheers,

Barb

[furrycelt]

...this picture shows why you shouldn't wear a belt with a PC jacket

why is that? i ask out of total ignorance here. i've heard it said before on this form that if you have a jacket then lose the belt. but why?

[RK-REX]

I've got to agree with the Mistress and Master of all things kilt and go with the top of the knee. More manly or something like that. That and my short little legs need all the help they can get.

[Barb T]

why is that? i ask out of total ignorance here. i've heard it said before on this form that if you have a jacket then lose the belt. but why?

The bottom edge of the jacket (except in the tail and in the points) rides right at the waist line (i.e., the center of the buckle). A kilt belt centers at the waist and extends above and below the waist line by an inch or more. That means that half the belt shows below the bottom of the jacket at the sides, which ruins the nice clean look of the kilt, the jacket tail, and the side of the jacket meeting the kilt. If the jacket hid the belt entirely except at the front where the buckle shows, it would look fine, but even a perfectly-fitting PC won't extend to the bottom of a properly worn belt.

Turpin - thanks for the vote on the avatar!

Cheers,

Barb

[furrycelt]

...That means that half the belt shows below the bottom of the jacket at the sides, which ruins the nice clean look of the kilt, the jacket tail, and the side of the jacket meeting the kilt. If the jacket hid the belt entirely except at the front where the buckle shows, it would look fine, ...

oh ok cool. thanks for that. that does make sense. i didn't notice before because my belt was black, the PC was black, and my kilt was Gunn Modern (a dark colored animal). but now i know what to look for so i will be more conscious of it.