Vintage Clothing Fur

Now that you have decided to finally make the decision to own your first modern kilt, there are many factors to consider. What type of fabric should you choose? What should I look for in fabrics, and how can fabrics affect how the kilt looks and feels after a few washes? Do you want the modern convenience of pockets or would you rather use the more traditional sporran? What kinds of accessories will you need? And most importantly, how much should you spend on your first purchase? Let’s address these questions one by one.

There are a lot of fabric choices, but I’ll try to cover the most important options. Cotton is a very comfortable choice. It breathes well but does have a tendency to wrinkle at the first opportunity. Polyester wears well and doesn’t wrinkle easily, but it does not breathe as well as cotton and may become uncomfortable in warmer weather. Poly-cotton blends are the best of both worlds; it breathes well and holds a good crease, while resisting wrinkling. Leather kilts are great but can be a very warm and special care must be taken when cleaning and oiling the leather. Poly-viscose kilts are machine washable and have a wool feel to them and can come in many different tartans, but unfortunately they do not hold up well to time and the fabric tends to stretch and distort with wear. So there are many options when it comes to fabric choice and it always boils down to personal preference.

After choosing your fabric of choice the next option you will want to consider is whether you want pockets or a sporran. This is where most people would define how modern or traditional a kilt is. If you want a more traditional look the sporran might be exactly what you want. There are many kinds; leather, fur, or full animal mask, but the latter two are usually worn with traditional kilt outfits. For everyday wear, you are more than likely going to want a “day sporran” which is a basic leather sporran. The other option for modern kilt wearers is the addition of the modern pocket. Such options include side cargo pockets, front slash pockets, and rear wallet pockets. Pocket choice is based on what you’re comfortable with and what works best for your lifestyle. If you plan to wear your kilt in an office setting, slash pockets would be a good choice. If you plan on wearing your kilt to casual events some people prefer cargo pockets.

The most important thing you’ll want to consider when buying a modern kilt is how it’s constructed. It’s important to check to make sure your kilt vendor has sewn down the pleats, both inside and out. This increases the ease when pressing or steaming a kilt to remove wrinkles.

The size of the belt loops is also important. The normal kilt belt can range from two to three inches wide, and you’ll want to make sure the loops can accommodate your belt. There are many styles of pleats to consider. Box pleats, kingussie pleats, reverse pleats, and traditional pleats are some of the choices. Each has pros and cons and there are great manufacturers who make each kind. More information on pleating options can easily be found on wikipedia.

So there are many options to consider when searching for your first modern kilt and there is a wealth of information available on many forums and websites. A kilt can cost from fifty to six hundred dollars, so make sure you are an informed consumer because there is nothing worse than spending hard earned money on something that ends up not meeting your expectations. My advice for a novice kilt shopper is to make of list of the options you want and then contact several modern kilt companies to get information about what they offer.