wearer's height?

**Martin** · 26th July 07, 11:20 AM

Here's something that has always puzzled me.

Some kiltmakers, when taking measurements, ask for the wearer's height as well as waist, seat and length.

What is the purpose of this and what adjustments does the kiltmaker make to the kilt as a result?

**Moosedog** · 26th July 07, 11:30 AM

Hi, Martin,

Good question!

One reason is to confirm that the buyer has measured properly. Of course one can't tell by height alone what the kilt dimensions should be...But if the buyer's height seems out of proportion to the other measurements at least the kiltmaker can probe to determine if the measurements are accurate.

If someone requests a 22.5 inch length but is 6 foot 4, I know to ask some additional questions to make sure they have measured themselves properly and that their expectation of where the kilt will ultimately ride is clear.

Moosedog

**Martin** · 26th July 07, 11:45 AM

Ah, I see, a kind of error checking procedure.

As it happens, I wear a 22.5" length kilt and I'm 5' 8". Hopefully that works out right!

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 26th July 07, 11:52 AM

Yup, I usually ask for height and weight, if it's not a person I have seen in person, just so I can tell if the measurements provided are what I would expect or not.
M

**RockyR** · 27th July 07, 05:09 AM

Ditto what everyone else said... if I get measurements that seem too long or a bit short, I ask the height.

As a VERY GENERAL rule of thumb... a kilt should be 1/3 the wearer's height. Work it out with the math... if you're 6', that means you're 72" tall. 1/3 of 72" would be a 24" length.

**Martin** · 27th July 07, 05:13 AM

Thanks for the info chaps. I can sleep at night now!

As for the general rule of thumb, i.e. a kilt's length being one third the wearer's height, that works out almost exactly for me.

5' 8" = 68". 68/3= 22.6

I have a 22.5" kilt on order!

**Balaamsass51** · 28th July 07, 11:13 AM

So Matt, you measured me for a 23" length. I'm 5'6" which would work out to 22" using the 1/3 estimate rule. Was that because I am somewhat portly?

Matt H

**M. A. C. Newsome** · 28th July 07, 11:28 AM

The 1/3 rule is just a general rule of thumb, not a precise measurement. Everyone is built differently, after all!

**RockyR** · 28th July 07, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by M. A. C. Newsome

The 1/3 rule is just a general rule of thumb, not a precise measurement. Everyone is built differently, after all!

I agree 100% (Hence the CAPS in my last post). I just figured I'd point out something people up here may not have known about. However, Matt is right... not every person falls into that model (if they have long torsos or long legs), so it's ALWAYS best to ACTUALLY measure.

**Barb T** · 29th July 07, 06:17 AM

I agree wholeheartedly with Matt and Rocky. I only ask about height to try to sleuth out whether someone has measured incorrectly.

Despite very careful instructions to the contrary, about half the people who send me a measurement for length just measure an existing kilt from top to bottom and give me that length, which includes a rise. A kiltmaker _adds_ a rise (typically 2") to a length given, and if someone sends me length of a kilt that _already_ has a rise, the kilt that I make winds up 2" too long.

At the other end of the spectrum, some people try (again despite careful instructions to the contrary) to measure themselves for their kilts. If you try to do this, you'll likely wind up with a length measurement that's too short. And, even if someone measures the length for you, if you're looking down when someone does the length, it will come out too short.

So, if I am unable to do the measurement myself, I try to build in a few checks. It doesn't always work, because different people are proportioned differently.

Cheers,

Barb