(trad) kilt length vs body type

[Whidbey78]

As already stated by others, you look alright in that picture, but if you feel it would look more balanced worn lower that is how you should wear it.

I have a similar body-proportion and fitment problem, but in a different area. Because my arms are nearly an inch and a half longer than they should be, plus I'm pretty large around the chest and shoulders with a big butt and thighs--basically I have a gorilla torso and orangutan arms-- I have a heck of a time finding shirts and jackets that actually fit me and an even harder time making clothing look balanced on me. To make everything look right I wear the top of my kilt right at the bottom of my navel and swing my sporran about 1 1/2 to 2 inches lower than most folks, and do a ton of other little tricks to make it look right.

[CMcG]

<snip>
For ME, it is too long (24.5"). I was measured from my real waist to the top of my knee, but because I have a short torso it looks like I have it up almost to my armpits. And my knees still don't show enough in my opinion (and my wife's).

I think it should be 2-3" shorter (and then worn slightly lower). That would make the buckle the midpoint between the bottom of the hem and the top of the shirt.

...

So,
1: Should I specify a shorter length next time?
2: Do most of us wear our kilts too long (not show enough knee?)

I agree with what others have said and your kilt looks to be in order, from a traditional perspective. If you would prefer it to fit differently, that is your prerogative.

As for the "kilt in the armpits look," I sometimes feel that way too. But then I put on a vest and I'm good to go The straps need to sit on something, which is usually either the hip bones at your natural waist or the swell of your bottom at the pants waist. Seeing as the title of this thread specifically asks about trad length, I can't recommend wearing your kilt lower...

So to answer your questions,
1) You could get this kilt hemmed if you would like it shorter... why wait for next time?
2) Many people (outside this forum of course ) seem to wear their kilts too low and don't show enough knee. I believe this is often from erroneously wearing a traditional kilt at the pants waist.

[seanachie]

My first wool kilt was sewn by John Hart (Keltoi) and I thought it appeared too high when I first put it on but am now quite pleased with it. His measuring info on his website says this: "Made-to-Measure with 5 cm (2") Rise The kilt will be made to your measurements: length, waist, and hips. Rise is the portion that extends above your natural waist and allows the kilt to remain secure." So a 2" rise above the natural waist is fine, and it does look good on you.

[Dale Seago]

I agree with others here, it actually does look fine on you though it may FEEL a bit weird. If you wanted to make any changes I'd leave the length down to the knees alone -- that looks absolutely right -- and go for a shorter rise on the next kilt, perhaps an inch above the navel instead of 2.

[madmacs]

Looks right to me too... the guide i was given when ordering my first kilt many years agi was the top should be 3 fingers below the ribs... which pretty much is the same as 3 fingers above the navel... at least in my case.

I do seem to recall the distance from the top to the hip being measured too, which would make sense to me in case you're not a generic body type...

If you think it's too high then you might want to try one of the casual kilts which are designed to fit with a much lower jeans waist... less traditional, looking, but still nice and available in all the traditional fabrics etc.

I'm not sure if matt's box pleat haa a lower waist, but from memory it strikes me as having one

[Jock Scot]

Just wear the damn thing and enjoy it. I looks absolutely fine!

[MacMillans son]

It looks ok to me too, but if the traditional base line measuring points don't work for you, Rocky uses a towel method on his website for getting the fit that you want.

Use a regular bath towel and fold it in half lengthwise. Wrap it around your waist and raise/lower it to where you want the kilt to hang relative to your knees. Then continue to fold or unfold the top of towel to get it to where you want the kilt to sit at the waist area. Mark that position literally(with a pen) or figuratively (two fingers above my navel) and take the towel off and measure its overall length.

Measure your waist where you marked it (snug)
Measure your hips at the widest part of your rear end (take this measurement loosely)
Recall the measurement of the overall length of the towel that you took a minute ago.

Try it a few times to be sure.

Now you're set!

It worked well for me.

Best of luck!

[Oddern]

IMHO you wear your kilt just right. And I think that many wears the traditional kilt too low. Wearing it too low causes a problem espesially for us Gentlemen Of Substance as the kilt will slide down under our "beergut" and that dosen't always look good. If we GOS wears the kilt proudly on our natural waist, the "beergut" actually helps us keeping the kilt in place.
Skål!

[Ryan Ross]

I think part of your concern over the appearence of the bottom of your kilt as overlapping your knees too much may be an artifact of the angle of the picture (typically taken from 5.5-6 feet) while your kilt hem is at about 18-22 inches from the ground. Add to that the exaggeration of that angle by the effect of the beergut that so many of us (myself most definitely included) have spent years cultivating, which pushes the front apron out even further rom your knees, making them appear even more "covered". (Sorry I am a photographer who figures these kinds of angles innately). I agree with the general consensus that your kilt looks fine in its upper position and relation of the bottom of the kilt to your knees.

jeff

I don't think you could be more right, Jeff.

To illustrate Jeff's point about the relation of build and camera angle while kilting, please view the two pictures below.

They are about the same size, were taken from about the same angle by the same person, and show the same person, belt, sporran, and hose; there have been some alterations to a few of the things pictured, between when the first and second were taken, but , and I can't stress this enough, the kilt is still the exact same length and being worn at the same place in both pictures (and I haven't gotten any taller, either). The bottoms of the knee caps are marked:



As you can see, the camera angle can make you see things that aren't there, under the right circumstances.

EDIT: Credit for the kilt fitting well in the second picture goes to Matt Newsome. If any of you are wondering about his tailoring skills, wonder no more.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

The fit/length looks fine. If you were to drop about three stone it would hang better (ie closer to your legs), and you would appear to have a longer torso.