Measurements

[imbrius]

I followed this guide from the kilt maker when I ordered my kilt:

Waist ___(the stomach at the navel which is the widest for men; narrowest for women. Where women wear their belts.)
Ledge of Hip Bone ___ (This is where men would wear a belt with a pair of pants)
Hips ___(The widest part around the seat)
Length ___(Taken from the ledge of hip bone to middle knee while standing straight; we add 2" to this measurement. Provide total lengths for below knee skirts, we will not add 2" to these type skirts.)
Trouser Inseam___
Your Height ___ (in feet and inches)
Total length of a kilt you currently own___

I don't have it yet - it's still being made.

I just noticed that one of the reasons that my current extreme budget kilt fits so poorly is that the hip circumference is pretty wide - the pleats splay out because the place they're sewn down doesn't fit me very tightly. I'm basically tube-shaped, with a 44" waist, hip ledge, and hips and those are the dimensions I gave to the kilt maker. My concern is that the new kilt will come out with the same poorly-fitting hip line.

Is this a valid concern?

[Karl R]

I just noticed that one of the reasons that my current extreme budget kilt fits so poorly is that the hip circumference is pretty wide - the pleats splay out because the place they're sewn down doesn't fit me very tightly. I'm basically tube-shaped, with a 44" waist, hip ledge, and hips and those are the dimensions I gave to the kilt maker. My concern is that the new kilt will come out with the same poorly-fitting hip line.

From what I've seen on off-the-rack kilts that list the measurements, the hips generally tend to be 4" larger than the waist. So your budget kilt is more likely to have a 44" waist and 48" hips. That leads me to believe that your custom-made kilt will not have the same hip line as your budget kilt.

[imbrius]

From what I've seen on off-the-rack kilts that list the measurements, the hips generally tend to be 4" larger than the waist. So your budget kilt is more likely to have a 44" waist and 48" hips. That leads me to believe that your custom-made kilt will not have the same hip line as your budget kilt.

Thanks! That's exactly what I was looking for.

[Steve Ashton]

A kilt made in the Iconic style will have a waist measurement taken at the anatomical waist. Not referencing the navel or the hip bones

The anatomical waist is right up under the ribs and is the smallest place on you body regardless of your shape.

The top strap in this photo.



The hip or breach measurement will be taken at the widest part of the hips or buttocks.

In the back your butt sticks out further than your waist so the is almost always a taper to the back.



In the front the aprons hang straight down from the belly.

There are two confusing lengths.
One is the more traditional method of measuring length, and is taken from the center of the top strap down to the selvedge. This is called "The drop"
To the drop is added an amount above the top strap called "The Rise'

If you add the drop and the rise you get the total length of the kilt from the top of the top band, down to the Selvedge.



In an iconic styled kilt, the back tapers from the hip into the waist and then flares back out in the rise to fit over the bottom of the ribs.



From the set of measurements asked of you I suspect that your kilt maker does not make kilts in the iconic style but something more modern. So you cannot use the iconic (what some call traditional) styling or fit to the kilt you would get with these measurements.

In this photo is an example of what I mean. The Gray kilt on the left is a full Traditional kilt from Barb T. made in accordance with "The Art of Kiltmaking". The Black Watch kilt on the right is an actual Royal Regt. of Scotland military kilt. The kilt in the center is a more modern kilt.

Yet all three kilts fit me perfectly.