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Have been for a couple of years.Are pleats really back?
Fred:Are pleats really back?
I agree. I like trousers with pleats, especially forward (English) pleats like the one in the picture. There may have been a period in the fifties and sixties when pleats were rare but they started coming back by the mid-seventies. I believe the need to conserve cloth during the Second World War was instrumental in the disappearance of pleats during wartime and this trend continued into the fifties. The same reason is thought to be behind changes in the hemlines of women's skirts and dresses.Fred:
Are you joking. Pleats never left us. It's engineered in trousers so you can SIT DOWN!
The “proper” hemline of a kilt can be debated. I favor one inch over the knee for mine. Having a kilt that is too long looks sloppy. Having one too short looks like one is wearing his sisters school uniform.I agree. I like trousers with pleats, especially forward (English) pleats like the one in the picture. There may have been a period in the fifties and sixties when pleats were rare but they started coming back by the mid-seventies. I believe the need to conserve cloth during the Second World War was instrumental in the disappearance of pleats during wartime and this trend continued into the fifties. The same reason is thought to be behind changes in the hemlines of women's skirts and dresses.
Here's an intriguing question: Did the hemlines of Scotsmen's kilts go up during wartime? To conserve all that tartan, perhaps, so that there would be enough to supply kilts for regimental pipers (like the Black Watch or the Argyll & Sutherland regiment) marching into battle. It's the perfect topic for a PhD thesis at the University of Edinburgh...only joking, I hope the descendants of Scotland don't descend on me!
Fascinating! I had no idea that there were different yardages used in kilts. @bsr, do you wear your kilts often, or only for ceremonial occasions?The “
The “proper” hemline of a kilt can be debated. I favor on inch over the knee for mine. Having a kilt that is too long looks sloppy. Having one to short looks like one is wearing sisters school uniform.
Total yardage and not hemline is where the big savings in cloth is made in a kilt.
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The Blog
Traditional kilt outfits for the modern man. Designed in and inspired by Scotland. £60 Kilts | Tartan Trews | Wallet Friendly | Next Day Delivery | Scottish Kilt Company | Online Shop | Wedding Outfitskiltsociety.com
My 2 kilts are 8 yards and extremely heavy.
Cheers,
BSR
I have a formal Prince Charlie kilt rig as well as some less formal combinations.Fascinating! I had no idea that there were different yardages used in kilts. @bsr, do you wear your kilts often, or only for ceremonial occasions?
I don't think anything would make me look thinner . . .Really do these flat front trousers make you look thinner?
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In my case female attention would never be unwanted . . .I have a formal Prince Charlie kilt rig as well as some less formal combinations.
I used to wear my kilts quite regularly until my wife suggested that they garnered an excess of unwanted female attention. Now kilt wearing is limited and I rock the shawl collar tux, blending in with the other penguins.
Cheers,
BSR
Women seem to love the appearance of men wearing kilts. Here's an interesting twist in the tartan story: The Gurkha Regiments in India (and the Gurkha Brigade in Britain) have pipe-and-drum bands and the pipers wear ceremonial tartans, usually as a kind of piper's cloak, but occasionally they wear kilts too. They are usually in regimental colors woven into plaids. I like to think of this as a nice exchange between the Scots and the Gurkhas: The Scots got paisley from India (Kashmir, and before that Persia), and gave the Gurkhas tartan in return!I have a formal Prince Charlie kilt rig as well as some less formal combinations.
I used to wear my kilts quite regularly until my wife suggested that they garnered an excess of unwanted female attention. Now kilt wearing is limited and I rock the shawl collar tux, blending in with the other penguins.
Cheers,
BSR
There is a saying, I think it goes “A man in a kilt is a man and a half”Women seem to love the appearance of men wearing kilts. Here's an interesting twist in the tartan story: The Gurkha Regiments in India (and the Gurkha Brigade in Britain) have pipe-and-drum bands and the pipers wear ceremonial tartans, usually as a kind of piper's cloak, but occasionally they wear kilts too. They are usually in regimental colors woven into plaids. I like to think of this as a nice exchange between the Scots and the Gurkhas: The Scots got paisley from India (Kashmir, and before that Persia), and gave the Gurkhas tartan in return!
they never left for me!Have been for a couple of years.
My Anderson Kilt is an 8 yard and heavy as well.The “
The “proper” hemline of a kilt can be debated. I favor one inch over the knee for mine. Having a kilt that is too long looks sloppy. Having one too short looks like one is wearing his sisters school uniform.
Total yardage and not hemline is where the big savings in cloth is made in a kilt.
![]()
The Blog
Traditional kilt outfits for the modern man. Designed in and inspired by Scotland. £60 Kilts | Tartan Trews | Wallet Friendly | Next Day Delivery | Scottish Kilt Company | Online Shop | Wedding Outfitskiltsociety.com
My 2 kilts are 8 yards and extremely heavy.
Cheers,
BSR
To my knowledge, the rule of thumb is that the correct length for a kilt is such that the hem will just touch the ground when the wearer is kneeling with straight posture.The “
The “proper” hemline of a kilt can be debated. I favor one inch over the knee for mine. Having a kilt that is too long looks sloppy. Having one too short looks like one is wearing his sisters school uniform.
Total yardage and not hemline is where the big savings in cloth is made in a kilt.
![]()
The Blog
Traditional kilt outfits for the modern man. Designed in and inspired by Scotland. £60 Kilts | Tartan Trews | Wallet Friendly | Next Day Delivery | Scottish Kilt Company | Online Shop | Wedding Outfitskiltsociety.com
My 2 kilts are 8 yards and extremely heavy.
Cheers,
BSR
I've never worn trousers with pleats and never will. I just don't like the way they look on me and I really don't care what is "fashionable". Furthermore, I've never really had a problem with comfort while sitting.Are pleats really back?
I have been measured twice by Scottish kilt makers, but it was 20 years so I can remember their method. Your suggestion makes sense.To my knowledge, the rule of thumb is that the correct length for a kilt is such that the hem will just touch the ground when the wearer is kneeling with straight posture.
This is how I was always measured.