Box pleated kilts made from four yards of cloth, in the style of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How old is the kilt?

The earliest form of any garment that we can call a "kilt" was the belted plaid, feilidh-mhor (great wrap) or breacan-feilidh (tartan wrap) in Gaelic.  This is commonly called a "great kilt" today.  The first evidence we have of this garment being worn comes in a 1594 document describing Hebridean soldiers.  Click here for an article on the Early Kilt, or see my book, Early Highland Dress.  This was basically a length of tartan cloth, anywhere from three to maybe six yards long, and 50" to 60" wide.  Four yards seems to have been the average.  This was made from two widths of hand woven cloth, 25" to 30" wide, sewn together to make a single length of double width cloth.  The cloth was gathered into folds and belted about the waist, the excess beign draped over the shoulders.

The next evolution of the kilt was the feilidh-beag, or "little wrap," often Anglicized as philabeg.  This was merely the lower portion of the belted plaid.  Typically about four yards long and 25" wide, it was gathered into folds and belted at the waist, the top few inches overlapping the belt to secure it into place.  We do not know when this development first took place, but it was sometime between the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.

The first tailored kilt came into existence at the end of the eighteenth century.  The earliest surviving tailored kilt we know of is a Gordon Highlanders regimental kilt, dating to 1796.  It contains four yards of cloth, and is box pleated to the stripe.  Throughout the nineteenth century, the four-yard box pleated kilt remained the norm.  Knife pleating was not used in any Highland Regiment until the Gordons adopted it in 1854.  Civilians did not start to wear knife pleated kilts until later in the nineteenth century.  In 1901, when the Hon. Stuart Ruadri Erskine wrote The Kilt and How to Wear It, he was still referring to knife pleating as a recent innovation.

Are your kilts exact copies of the original tailored kilts?

No.  My kilts are like the original tailored kilts in that they contain, on average, four yards of cloth, and are box pleated.  Some modern conveniences are used for the sake of... well, convenience!  My kilts have a silk lining on the inside.  The earliest tailored kilts did not.  My kilts are tapered from the waist to the hips to allow for a better fit.  The earliest tailored kilts were not.  My kilts are fastened with a leather strap and buckle.  The earliest tailored kilts were simply held on with the belt, or with pins (some had buttons or ribbon ties).  That being said, if you want a kilt with no lining, no tapering, and no fastenings, I can certainly accommodate you.

Another thing that my kilts have that the earliest tailored kilts did not is a waist band.  This is because the earliest tailored kilts were made out of hand woven cloth, typically about 25" wide, and were made selvedge -to-selvedge (with no consideration to the height of the wearer!) so that there was no cut end of the cloth.  Tartan cloth today is typically woven 54" wide, and even the single width cloth is 28" wide.  Therefore it has to be cut down to size.  The bottom of your kilt will be the selvedge edge, and the top will have a waist band, just as any modern kilt.

To what occasions can you wear a four-yard, box pleated kilt?

To any at all!  Many kilt making firms today offer a four-yard knife pleated kilt, typically machine sewn, under the name "Casual kilt" or "Economy kilt" or "Fun Kilt."  This gives the impression that a four-yard kilt is somehow less formal than an eight-yard, knife pleated kilt.  But this is simply untrue.  What makes a kilt formal or casual is how you accessorize it.  I wore a four-yard box pleated kilt to my wedding!  You can wear them anywhere.  And just because it is a historic style of kilt does not mean you have to wear it with "historic" dress.  Wear it and accessorize it as you would any modern kilt.

What tartans do you have available?

Any tartan you want.  This includes not only the Scottish clan tartans, but also district tartans for Scotland and abroad, including Canadian and American tartans, and the Irish county tartans.  Newer tartans, like the "Dark Isle" and other themed tartans are available.  And if the tartan you want is not available, I can have it woven for you!  Tell me what tartan you want, and I'll let you know what color schemes and weights it is available in, and how much your kilt will be.  (As a side note, I think The House of Edgar's "muted" colors, Lochcarron's "heirloom" tartans, and Strathmore's new line of tartans in Wilsons of Bannockburn colors are very fitting for this nineteenth century style of kilt).  Of course, some restricted tartans may not be available without permission, such as certain copyrighted corporate tartans.

Does my kilt have to be in a tartan?

No, of course not.  Solid color kilts have been worn since the seventeenth century, at least.  We have portraits of men wearing solid color kilts as early as 1635.  And tweed kilts were all the fashion in the nineteenth century.  Kilts are available in saffron, light green, dark green, light blue, navy blue, and black.  We also can make kilts from Lochcarron's Ettrick tweed range of lovat grey, lovat blue, lovat green, and charcoal.  The House of Edgar also now is offering a range of Glen Tilt tweeds in a kilt weight with a range of complimentary solid colors, including lemon yellow, terracotta, and some very lovely shades of blue and green.  Ask what solid colors are available!  And don't forget our selection of Harris Tweed -- a great cloth for a country kilt!

Can I have my kilt pleated to stripe or sett?

Just about every kilt I make will be pleated to stripe.  This means the same line will be centered on each pleat in your kilt.  The original tailored military kilts of the late eighteenth century were all pleated to stripe.  The first tailored civilian kilts were pleated to nothing ― that is, to no particular pattern at all.  As we move into the nineteenth century, civilian kilts also began to be pleated to the stripe.  Pleating to the sett, where the pattern of the tartan is reproduced in the pleats, did not start until the end of the nineteenth century, and usually requires more than four yards of cloth.  Only certain tartans can be pleated to the sett in a four-yard kilt.  Let me know your wishes and I will try to accommodate, but most of the time your kilt will be pleated to stripe. 

Do you also offer an eight-yard knife pleated kilt?

No, not at this time.  If you want a standard eight-yard knife pleated kilt, one can be ordered from the Scottish Tartans Museum gift shop, and your purchase will go to help support the museum.  All your kilt accessories can also be ordered through that gift shop.

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