Confused About Measuring.

[Frank MacDuffy]

I should have some help tonight with measuring (of course, if any of the women on this forum want to show up at my place and give me a hand... Well...). I should have these measurements worked out tonight so I can order some kilts!

[freddie]

Getting the kilt length right really is tricky. I'm 6foot 1inch and I find that the perfect length for me is anywhere between 25 inches and 25 1/2 inches. This is wearing the top of my kilt just under my rib cage. I had my first kilt made to 26inches and it always looked too long in photos. Then I got myself a casual kilt with a stanard drop of 24inches and found that this came to just above the top of my knee. I tried wearing my longer kilt higher on my waist but first of all it showed ABOVE my prince charlie vest, and then no matter how tight I wore it it always droped slightly (due to my big tummy I suppose) and found it's own comfortable level. 25 inches is just to the top of my knee (where I prefer the kilt) and 251/2 inches is the absolute maximum length for me.

[Frank MacDuffy]

So for a traditional fit should I be measuring to just above the knee? I just want to make sure I get all of this right before I order anything!

[Macman]

I think most people agree on a traditional fit being at the top of the kneecap, Frank.

[freddie]

So for a traditional fit should I be measuring to just above the knee? I just want to make sure I get all of this right before I order anything!

It really is a matter of personal choice. Some like a longer kilt and some like a shorter kilt. I think it's worth quoting J. Charles Thompson in 'So You're Going To Wear The Kilt'. On kilt length he says 'In the time of Queen Victoria the kilt was supposed to come to the middle of the kneecap, this is now horribly out of date' (he describes it as "Trollopy"). 'At the very longest the kilt should reach only to the top of the kneecap.' However he does warn that 'An inch above the top of the kneecap is probably as short as you will want to go.' The other burning question is how high should a kilt be worn ? Years ago the kilt was always worn very high on the waist, but then again so were trousers. Thompson says 'It used to be the fashion to use a whole single width of tartan in the kilt. This meant that, particularly with a short man, the top of the kilt would come way up over the short ribs. Worn with a belt, there would be a considerable band of tartan showing above the belt. This is no longer the style.' (Remember my longer kilt showing above my prince charlie vest). The old military kilts were 'high waisted', and if you look at one there is quite a lot of kilt rising above the waist straps, whereas the waist straps on a modern civilian kilt are just about level with the top. In fact Thompson uses the waist straps as a guide to determining the length of the kilt. I quote: 'The critical measurement is the one from the lower edge of the kilt straps to the bottom of the kilt. It should be taken from the peak of the hip bone to the level of the top of the kneecap. The total length of the kilt must not be over two inches more that this measurement.' Using his advice I strap my kilt on and adjust it so that the lower edges of the straps sit just above the peak of my hips (the top of the kilt is about 2 inches above my belly button) and my kilt sits nicely, feels comfortable, and drops just to the top of my kneecaps. Hope all this helps.

[Nanook]

The question, beyond all the others, is where you fancy having the kilt reach. Traditional, high rise, heavyweight kilts I like at just above the knee (more than sufficient to fully expose the knee) but more casual, lower sitting and medium weight kilts even shorter. The "middle of the knee" look as often suggested is, I think, too long and especially unfitting for formal dress. If when knelt the kilt brushed the floor then it was too long.
The problem with all the measurements is that different people have quite different hip positions, ribs, torso etc. are not standardized. Loads of room for error if you really want to target the middle of the knee. Keeping things above the knee makes also life easier for the kiltmaker since a bit shorter is not a problem since 1 or 2 cm shorter above the knee is fine and dandy. The problem is, however, complicated by the current fashion of "wedding kilts" and the tendency for many rental kilts to sag or be worn a bit low. This creates the impression among some that kilts are supposed to even cover the knee like a parochial schoolgirl's uniform.
Historically kilts (or whatever these garments are) were short, literally to the middle of the thigh (mini-skirt length)--- if not, looking at some historical artifacts, even shorter than current modesty, ethics and laws might allow.