Interesting letter

[Heming]

I have only one tailored kilt, by Howie Nichlesby (sp?). I don't know if I got the special speech for foreigners, but I was told quite clearly never to let the kilt hang lower than the top of the knee for formal wear. But then I was also told that slightly lower is fine for casual wear, and the camo kilt he was wearing himself that day was covering his knees quite thoroughly.

I suppose fashion changes even for kilts!

[Dr Mac]

So glad to see you back, Jock! I prefer the top-of-the-knee, with my hose three fingers'-width below my knee. Like several others have expressed, I can't abide the look where 'no skin shows between kilt and hose'.

[EagleJCS]

Good to see you posting again, Jock.

Although I haven't been kilting for decades (only 8 years or so), it does seem to me that some wear their kilt a bit too long and/or their hose too high. I prefer wearing my kilt just above the knee. That way the pleats don't brush against the sensitive skin on the back of my leg. Any lower, and the pleats chafe when I walk.

My kilt hose I settle just above my calf muscle, or just below the top of the shin bone (that little knobby protrusion on the front of the leg), about 4 inches below the knee. That position exposes the entire knee joint to view (maybe 4 1/2 inches or so when standing).

[Nighthawk]

A very interesting letter indeed, thank you for sharing it with us. Funny though, my Aunt from Coatbridge swears that my kilts are too short, and they are at the top or above my knee for the most part. She swears they should reach mid knee, to each their own I suppose.

That's my feeling on the matter. In school, military, etc, they are uniform. On me, they are simple clothing. It seems to me that some measure of decorum should be observed, but I'm not pulling out my ruler every time I put my kilt on. And besides, the extra length helps to preserve modesty when there's a nice wind blowing.

[slohairt]

I prefer top of the knee cap myself, and I try to suggest this to others as well. Still, most people ask me for mid-knee. The worst thing about those wedding photos with the groom(smen) wearing their kilts too low, is the big white expanse of shirt showing below their equally poor fitting Prince Charlie! You would think that would be enough indication for them to pull it up!

[JSFMACLJR]

And besides, the extra length helps to preserve modesty when there's a nice wind blowing.

You must walk around in hurricanes! I've really never had a "modesty issue" when wearing the kilt in wind.

[Phil]

Great to see you back and posting again, Jock. I know this is a bit of a personal thing (depending on your tailor) but my choice would be top of the knee-cap with a bit of leg showing between kilt and hose-top. Anything else just looks naff (sorry for the expletive but I hope your delicate state can stand it).

[Carolina Kiltman]

Nothing scientific to back up my point, but I think the real problem is not that the kilts themselves are too long, but that men wear the top of the kilt too low on their body. It seems to me that mens' clothing, including pants, used to be worn much higher at the natural waist, instead of the hips. Compare the length of kilts from the MOD to most stock kilts. The stock kilts are usually 24", the MOD kilts seemed to be around 26"-27". Still, modern photos of kilted men show the kilt riding lower, even though the rise is less. Also, since many kilts are not properly fitted to the small of the back/rump area, they tend to creep down when one is wearing them, resulting in the "trollopy" look.

Cordially,
David

You are absolutely correct about trousers being worn lower than before. I used to have to have custom made clothing because of my proportions (I am 6'-5", 196 cm tall, and weighed only about 70kg or 153 lbs at the time. The tailor always measured me around my true waist and that is where the waist of the trousers went.

I rather think it was about 40 years or so ago that trousers started to be cut with far less rise (to cut fabric costs?) perhaps because it is easier to wear them under the "pot".

Scotty Thompson in his book So You Are Going to Wear the kilt also advocated the kilt being no lower than the top of the knee-cap, and called the longer look "trollopy"

Another factor could be that braces (suspenders) became far less commonly worn about the time immediately after WWII, in much the same way the pocket watch was supplanted by the wrist watch after WWI

Also if you are a "gentleman of substance" as my mother used to say, trousers with the belt at the waist are more difficult to keep up, unless the trousers are custom made. This is not a problem with braces.

[skauwt]

after having a wee read of this topic i thought id look through some images i have of my grandfather and great grandfather to check the length of the kilt and to be honest i cant really see much of a difference ..

heres a wee pic i did to show folks what i mean about not much change
my great grandfather auld jock Bruce is from Kirkhill invernesshire (certainly not a lowlander) my grandfather stanley chisholm from the central belt like myself and of course myself with my new kilt another central belter at least now i know i need to pull those hose up some more though
Ive added dates to the image also....but hey i now know where my sparra legs come from

[David Dalglish]

I think that a kilt 1 1/2 ins above the knee looks like a skirt