More from Ralph

[Oldsarge]

 

[fred johnson]

Are pleats really back?

 

[Oldsarge]

Are pleats really back?

Have been for a couple of years.

 

[Old Road Dog]

That was their 1970's featured trouser. Looks like the model skipped running the waistband extension tab through the keeper loop before buttoning it. I loved that trouser in gray woolen flannel.

 

[SG_67]

Ralph Lauren, at least through the RLPL line, has bee offering forward pleats for quite some time.

 

[Andy]

Are pleats really back?

Fred:
Are you joking. Pleats never left us. It's engineered in trousers so you can SIT DOWN!

 

[drpeter]

Fred:
Are you joking. Pleats never left us. It's engineered in trousers so you can SIT DOWN!

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!

 

[Mr. B. Scott Robinson]

The “

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!

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.

5 Yard or 8 Yard Kilt?

What's the difference between a 5 yard and an 8 yard kilt? It's a question we're often asked, especially by those ordering their first custom-made kilt. The key difference between the 5 yard and the 8 yard kilt is, naturally, the amount of fabric used. This affects different features of your...

kiltsociety.com

My 2 kilts are 8 yards and extremely heavy.

Cheers,

BSR

 

[drpeter]

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.

5 Yard or 8 Yard Kilt?

What's the difference between a 5 yard and an 8 yard kilt? It's a question we're often asked, especially by those ordering their first custom-made kilt. The key difference between the 5 yard and the 8 yard kilt is, naturally, the amount of fabric used. This affects different features of your...

kiltsociety.com

My 2 kilts are 8 yards and extremely heavy.

Cheers,

BSR

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?

 

[Andy]

More about pleats. They are not a fashion item!

Pleats have been with us since 1825 and are also practical. They automatically widen at the hips when you sit down giving you more room.

Pleats let you put more stuff in your front pockets (including your hands) without disturbing the drape. Pleats are classic and the combination of pleats and cuffs on trousers are a great look.

Really do these flat front trousers make you look thinner?

 

[Mr. B. Scott Robinson]

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 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

 

[Oldsarge]

Really do these flat front trousers make you look thinner?

I don't think anything would make me look thinner . . .

 

[Oldsarge]

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

In my case female attention would never be unwanted . . .

 

[drpeter]

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!

 

[Mr. B. Scott Robinson]

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!

There is a saying, I think it goes “A man in a kilt is a man and a half”

I don’t think a man can don a kilt and not exude confidence. It takes a bit of fortitude to wear the Scottish skirt and be a physical representation of all the blood and history behind it.

I am an American citizen and Scottish, English, and German by heritage. My name is Scott, yet I have been directly challenged on a few occasions by drunken Scots for sporting the kilt, but I haven’t met a man yet with the balls to try to take it from me. Maybe it is the knife in the sock?

Cheers,

BSR

 

[fishertw]

Have been for a couple of years.

they never left for me!

 

[fishertw]

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.

5 Yard or 8 Yard Kilt?

What's the difference between a 5 yard and an 8 yard kilt? It's a question we're often asked, especially by those ordering their first custom-made kilt. The key difference between the 5 yard and the 8 yard kilt is, naturally, the amount of fabric used. This affects different features of your...

kiltsociety.com

My 2 kilts are 8 yards and extremely heavy.

Cheers,

BSR

My Anderson Kilt is an 8 yard and heavy as well.

 

[Color 8]

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.

5 Yard or 8 Yard Kilt?

What's the difference between a 5 yard and an 8 yard kilt? It's a question we're often asked, especially by those ordering their first custom-made kilt. The key difference between the 5 yard and the 8 yard kilt is, naturally, the amount of fabric used. This affects different features of your...

kiltsociety.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.
This is how I was always measured.

 

[FiscalDean]

Are pleats really back?

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.

 

[Mr. B. Scott Robinson]

I

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.

I have been measured twice by Scottish kilt makers, but it was 20 years so I can remember their method. Your suggestion makes sense.

Cheers,

BSR