Looks and why they work.

[MacMillans son]

I chalk it up to either insecurity about showing a little bit of leg/knee or, more often than not, buying an off the rack kilt that doesn't fit the hips properly and sags down or is too long to start with.

... but I honestly hope we aren't seeing a trend towards "kilt saggerz" that are showing their boxer shorts at the top and have the kilt selvedge at mid-calf level....

I just posted a similar question on the thread about Keifer Sutherland et al..

Not unlike the kilt hire shop syndrome we deal with, when the unknowing frequently see the kilt worn the same way (white hose, gillie brogues, PC jacket, fly plaid) or in high profile situations by famous people (Dressed to Kilt), they assume what they see is the right way. The more it matches their own style of dress the more likely they are to emulate it. We see that part here, and I am completely guilty of it, with matching color leathers and not mixing different patterns of fabric.

Our ever shrinking sphere of influence

[CMcG]

Personally, I think a kilt looks better when you can see some leg because it emphasizes that one is unbirfurcated. This plays out in two ways.

The first situation is when a kilt is worn with hose or tall boots. In this case, I think it looks better to have the kilt fall somewhere just above the knee to as low as the middle of the knee. Any lower than that and no skin will show, which looks sloppy and timid. Any higher and it starts to look like a schoolgirl kilt-skirt.

The second situation is when a kilt is worn without hose (or rolled/folded/scrunched hose) and with lower-cut footwear. In this case, I think it looks better to have the kilt fall somewhere from the middle of the knee to as low as just below the knee. The reason for why this looks better to me is probably because it balances the look by pulling the eye down and covers a bit more of the top of the leg while the bottom is more exposed.

[CMcG]

Here's a couple examples from the Scottish Tartan's Authority.

Kilt too low (no knees):


Kilt at a good height (with knees):


And here is one example from a fashion blog of a Utilikilt worn with boots.

Just covering the knee but still showing some leg:

[MacMillans son]

Here's a few looks that I like with a USAkilts Casual in the MacMillan Black fashion tartan. They cover just about all of the looks that I wear with a kilt, except for winter wear with a sweater and collared shirt. Don't try this with a single pair of trousers!

Outdoor casual:



Office work casual:



Out to dinner/theater etc:



I don't wear this kilt for the second two examples anymore, as I have wool clan tartan kilts that I prefer for those activities. The middle look is the most versatile, and I regularly get compliments on it when I am out and about. I think because it's Scottish enough to make the point, without looking like a costume to my uninitiated fellow Americans.

[thescot]

Personally, a kilt lower than the top of the knee is too long. I try to keep my own at or a bit above the top of the knee cap, and that's where it shold be. Better above the knee than below.

and now that I have pontificated, that's all I have to say about that.

[MacMillans son]

If anyone can enlarge that middle photo it would be appreciated. I can't figure out what the heck I did wrong!

[Cowher]

Here is a picture of me and some of our xmarks brothers. I'm all the way to the left. My kilt was too low and my hose were a little scrunched but I fixed it after I noticed it. I like my casual look here because I think that the green sweater, Auld Scotland dble box pleated kilt and green hose with my brown leather accessories all flowed well. Even my flatcap fits in with my personal look. KWD who my fat butt blocked out was also very well dressed as was the chap to the left of myself and KWD. And others in that group have a nice casual style of kilt wearing that in my opinion looked really good. MacBean and his son (about middle) were dressed more traditional than I and they looked fantastic as well. I especially like the sweater vest along with the tweed jacket and kilt.

[chrisupyonder]

Travelling from Wick, Caithness, Scotland to a Scout jamboree near Crieff 1939.




This is almost modern as things have not changed that much. The sporran I have is identical.

[Whidbey78]

This one was taken last Saturday at my wife's school's prom. We opted out of chaperoning the dance this year, but popped in for the opening ceremonies and the King and Queen coronation. We were far from formal because we were still dressed from the staff banquet that afternoon and decided that it wasn't worth taking clothes with us and changing for 45 minutes at the dance.

I like the look--and think it works well for me--because it's fairly contemporary but with a bit of a traditional feel. The lighting is poor and it's hard to see, but the blue hose, blue-grey waistcoat and grey tweed all work well together and accentuate the colors in the tartan without being too matchy-matchy. It's a very versatile look as well. Of course, with Mini Me running around the place that night on his first kilted outing (and with his first badly skinned knee) we could have both worn trash bags and duct tape and nobody would have noticed!
Wee-Man's look works well too. By this time he had managed to mess up his sweater so we took that off, and his shirt is half untucked, but he looks like he's ready for the next Games. Do they have baby-size cabers?

[Grae]

I note from Chrisupyonder great photo from 1939 that the man in the middle is wearing a sports coat/ jkt from his contemporary wardrobe and looks perfectly ok and the chap on the left has a contemporary windcheater type zip jacket and looks perfectly AOK as well.