Kilts Worn at Long Length

[Bugbear]

I don't have to look at them, so I really don't care where people wear the bottom of their kilts.

I prefer mine to be at the top of the knee, and the hose to be a bit below the knee. If I could look, I think that would look the best.

[Ruanaidh]

I believe that J. Charles Thompson, in his book "So You're Going To Wear The Kilt", states that kilts longer than mid-knee look "trollopy".

[JelicoCat]

Due to a active youth both my knees have sizable and prominent scars. I wear my utilikilts at the bottom of the knee as is recommended by the folks at utilikilt. When I do purchase a traditional kilt I will default to the modern standard of splitting the knee. With that said I have read that prior to modern kilts there was no "standard" or rule for kilt length. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

[Howard Clark]

I'm a top of the knee vote, myself, unless it is really cold, then I have one that hits a tad lower, but still not at the middle. In hot summer weather working in the blacksmith shop, a couple of the work kilts I made are shorter than the top of the knee. But I do not wear them out in public, and I work standing almost all the time. It is purely about my comfort/safety at work.

[Monkey@Arms]

I've said this before. Its all about fashion. Kilt hems have been worn higher and lower at various times based on the kilt fashions of the day. We all have personal preferences, but unless you are wearing a kilt as part of a uniform, there is no absolute as to where it must fall in relation to your knee (or how high your hose must be).

I think Colin's point about off-the-rack sizes is a significant one. Combine that with modern fashions of long shorts, and wearing pants lower on the hips, and the result is lower kilt hems. Its not necessarily wrong, its just what is.

Best regards,

Jake

[NewKilt]

I'm 6'0" and the length of my kilts range from 22" to 24". My traditional, and traditional style kilts are all 24" and I wear them at a waist height that places the bottom of the kilt at the top of the knee to mid-knee - wearing them lower in colder weather. My 22" length are Amerikilts and I ordered them at the 22" length because I wear them in hot weather. With these I wear them at a waist height that sets the bottom of the kilt about an inch above the knee - much more comfortable this way in hot weather, and in my opinion they do not look too short.

Darrell

[pdcorlis]

Put me down as a top of the knee guy - I agree with Thompson that longer kilts look "trollopy" to me eye too.

[JohnQ]

I would have to agree that for a traditional kilt, above the knee is the right look. I have 5 UKs. I bought one on clearance that was 24.5" (just below the knee) meaning to have it cropped by my gf. I've left it as is to have a bit of variety.

Body symmetry is also a factor in how a longer kilt looks. A slimmer body can pull off a longer kilt better than a more stout one.

[george7]

Definitions of trollop on the Web:

slattern: a dirty untidy woman
adulteress: a woman adulterer
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

The name Trollope is derived from the place-name Troughburn, in Northumberland. Troughburn was originally Trolhop, meaning (in Norse) Troll Valley, and the earliest recorded use is John Andrew Trolope (1427-1461) who lived in Thornlaw, Co Durham
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trollop

a woman held by others as retaining a vulgar and discourteous disposition; a strumpet
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/trollop

That's a lot to say about an inch or two of kilt length.

[Jock Scot]

Oh I don't know,I think it is a fairly apt description.