From: morna@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Morna J Findlay)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.celtic
Subject: Re: Kilt availability.
Date: 1 Oct 92 09:36:35 GMT
Reply-To: morna@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Morna J Findlay)
Organization: Laboratory for the Foundations of Computer Science, Edinburgh U

In article <1992Oct1.072715.23577@rdg.dec.com> cockburn@edieng.enet.dec.com (Craig Cockburn) writes:
>
>In article <BvExA4.JEB@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu>, worden@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (elizabeth worden) writes...
>
>>need to test reality by using your eyes carefully the next time you
>>see a pipe band.  For information, since you seem to not know about
>>these things, both genders even tend to wear the same thing under their
>>kilts... boxer shorts in wild prints!
>> 
>Do you understand the difference between a kilt and a piece of cloth worn
>around the waist with pleats and a tartan pattern on it? Just because
>an item fits into the latter category, does not necessarily mean it is a kilt.

I seem to have missed the original post - can't find it anywhere on our
news spool - so please excuse me if I've got the wrong end of the stick.


When I used to work in kilt shops ( in Glasgow and Edinburgh ), a
familar phrase which will cause regular readers of s.c.c to begin
stifling huge yawns, we sold kilts to men and women, and kilted
skirts to women.


A kilt, for those who care about such regulations, is supposed to be
made of one piece of cloth, 8 yards long. Some shops sell 7 yard kilts
to men and women because they're a bit cheaper. Some girl dancers wear 7
yard kilts if they're pretty small.

Some shops will take a 4 yard piece of 58"/56" wide cloth, split it in two,
sew the bits up together and make an 8 yard kit out of the joined piece.
This is taboo to the purists but is cheaper for the shops, as they don't
get left with an 8 yard bit of half-width cloth that nobody else might
want. This doesn't work with certain tartans which don't match if you
try this.. er.. Buchanan for example.

Only the heaviest weight ( 16oz worsted) comes in ready-woven 26" wide
pieces. This is very expensive, but of course is the best and comes in
the widest range of tartans. They'll even weave it for you to your
own design ( one Norwegian customer of ours had his own tartan designed)
as long as you buy 16 yards. Sigh..


A kilted skirt is usually made of 3 yards of cloth ( unless you have
very wide hips) and is *permanently pleated* as there's not enough cloth
in it to hold the pleats. These do not tend to have the set repeated
accurately on the back as there's not enough cloth again. The advantage
of these is that they're cheaper and they look good in long lengths.
Full kilts don't look good in longer lengths - they're too heavy and the
pleats fan out too much at the bottom. Lots of horrible kilt skirts
are sold with less than 3 yards of cloth, with the pleats no more than
tiny wrinkles. A proper kilt skirt is a lovely garment, and because it's
cheaper - you can have more than one!

For the pleats to stay in, you really need 5 yards minimum, though many
shops will sell a "half-kilt" made out of 4 yeards of cloth to women.
Personally I think that's a waste of money. You're better either
with the real thing or a kilt skirt.

Most places put two sets of buckles and straps on half-kilts and
kilt-skirts, one on the hip and one on the waist at either side.
Kilts only have one at the waist on either side usually.

I don't see, finally, how anyone, least of all Craig,  could confuse a 
kilt skirt with a kilt. They are two quite different garments.

And certainly, I have sold hundreds of both to women.



M

( posessor of kilt skirts in Lindsay and Mod Htg Ross and a kilt in
MacLean of Duart. Ambition is to have a fill kilt in 16oz Htg Stuart of
Atholl - old colours, which would cost me a PACKET)
--
Morna Findlay 					JANET:morna@uk.ac.ed.dcs 
	Thanksgiving For a National Victory (Robert Burns)
Ye hypocrites! are these your pranks? To murder men and give God thanks?
Desist, for shame! Proceed no further: God won't accept your thanks for murther.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.celtic