Ordering off the internet can be frustrating. The objective of this page is to help you buy the right size Skilt first time. Luckily Skilts are highly adjustable at the waist so chances are you’ll do just fine. And if you don’t … no problem – just send it back and we’ll do our best to get you one that fits perfectly. That said, planning and preparation prevents piss poor performance; we shall consider:
- Where you will wear the kilt on your waist,
- Where you will wear your kilt on your knees,
- Measuring your waist size, and
- Measuring your ‘drop’ (the distance from the top of the waistband to the bottom of the kilt).
Traditional kilt style
Traditionally the kilt is worn high at the waist and knee. High on the waist as in ‘grandad high’ at the belly button. The traditional kilt should, apparently, terminate somewhere between the top and the middle of the kneecap. I’ve noticed that there seems to be a correlation between the level of inebriation of the kilt wearer and how far down his kilt has slipped.
Modern kilt style
Wearing a modern kilt is much more down to personal taste. The waistband tends to be worn lower – usually at the hips where your favorite pair of jeans would sit. The bottom of the kilt often sits a bit lower too … anywhere from the top to just below the bottom of the kneecap.
Trousers lie
Your Skilt size is not your trouser size. Most of my trousers are a 34″ waist. But when I get the tape measure out I’m actually a 38″. Sad but true.
The kneel down method
The idea with this method is that when you kneel down your kilt should just touch the floor. There are at least 2 problems with this method:
- You need to be wearing a kilt in the first place (tricky if you don’t have one yet),
- When you bend forwards to check if the kilt is touching the floor you … bend forwards and bring the kilt closer to the floor, and
- I’m not even convinced that when done correctly this does the job of getting a good length.
The Skilt towel method
This is the most reliable method I’ve found for measuring both your waist size and your Skilt drop.
You will need: a towel, a measuring device, and a full length mirror.
- Lay the towel out and make a fold along the long side. Adjust the width of this fold until the towel has the length of drop that you would like to check out. Skilts use a standard drop of 22.5″ so best start with that.
- Keeping the fold in place wrap the towel around you at your hips.
- Move to the other side of the room to the mirror and check out your reflection. Do you like where the drop sits on the knee? If not, adjust it and try again.
- When you are happy with the length notice where the two ends of the towel touch at your waist. Keep hold of that place by pinching it between your fingers as you lay the towel down on the floor.
- Keeping hold of the place use your measuring device along the long side to give you the good news about your waist size. Note it down.
- If you adjusted the drop from the standard 22.5″ then measure and note that too.
- Check the Skilt features and sizing page and order your Skilt.