Now and then I'm asked how and where to buy a kilt.
   Here is my advice. It is based upon the assumption that you have no Scottish roots; the kilt shall be for casual wear and not part of a national dress.

This kilt is by Heritage of Scotland only 41 GBP + 14 GBP shipment.  MacLeod of Harris Ancient Tartan.
   A lot of value for money.  

How do I get my first kilt?

Take a flight to Edinburgh. It is a beautiful city. Or go on the Internet. There are so many options.

What about shipment cost, taxes and VAT?

If you are a EU-resident and your vendor is inside EU too, you’ll pay the VAT of the exporting country (should be included in the price, but be aware when comparing prices that some kiltmakers ask you to add it yourself. In UK it is 20%. No other taxes apply. In most cases you have to add shipment cost.

If you are a EU-resident and your vendor is outside EU (for example USA and Canada) is it different and less favourable.

To the price of the kilt you have to add shipment cost. If the sum exceeds the equal of approx. 150 EUR you have to pay 12% import tax of this total. VAT always applies (the rate of the importing country, calculated on kilt price plus shipment plus import tax, if there). Finally a minor handling fee might have to be added.

What kilt?

Basically there might be four segments:

1. The traditional kilt made of 8 yards of heavy weight (16 oz. or more) woolen tartan plaid. It is hand or machine-sewn and made to measure.

2. The semi-traditional or more casual kilt using less yardage and typically in a lighter wool tartan plaid (13 or 10 oz.), sometimes poly viscose. It will in most cases be machine-sewn. It can either be made to measure or is to buy off the rack in a standard length.

3. The affordable or budget casual kilt typically made in Pakistan. It comes in 4, 5 or even 8 yards and the fabric is light weight or heavy weight poly viscose/acrylic blend. It is always off the rack and comes in a standard length.  

4. The modern or contemporary kilt which by origin is American. It is solid coloured or in a camouflage pattern; it will have pockets and the fabric is denim or equivalent, allowing it to go into the washing machine. By design it has more or less resemblance with a semi-traditional kilt.

16 oz. heavy weight, 13 oz. medium weight  oder 10 oz. leight weight?

The fabric is determined by its weight in oz.

16 oz. is heavy weight and might not be the optimal choice on a hot summer day. To most purists 16 oz. or more is a must, however.

13 oz. is medium weight and probably the most universal and popular weight for kilts.

10 oz. is light weight and in general only recommended for kilts to be used in a hot climate. Most comfortable to wear, however, but might not be the optimal choice on a windy day.
   Ladies’ kilted skirts also come in this fabric weight, but these are still, due to the considerably less yardage, far away from a kilt the same fabric.  

In general,  a heavy weigth cloth is more expensive than a light weight one, but the price is also affected by the mill that delivers the plaid.

What kilt should I buy where?

For a non-Scot I should as first choice recommend either an affordable casual tartan kilt or a modern kilt.
   Later it is likely that you might go up the ladder and then invest in more expensive kilts.
   But the money you spend on your first budget kilt is never wasted

Der sehr preiswerte Kilt vom Heritage of Scotland

Douglas Green Modern Tartan.

Utilikilt Original. Sand

Utilikilt Original. Black

Alt.Kilts are many different designs, fabrics and colors. The photos are property of Alt.Kilt.com

1. Very much kilt for your money   
 „Skoda Superb“

For your first kilt I recommend Heritage of Scotland (Gold Brothers). For around £49 plus £14 for shipping you can in about one week’s time have a casual kilt delivered. If your order exceeds £75 (add some accessories or one more kilt) shipping is free.

This kilt does not quite feel like wool and no wonder because it is made of poly viscose/acrylic.
  It won’t last a life time but long. Before that it will stand up to a lot of battering and you don’t have to care much about it. It keeps its pleats extremely well.
   It is not for very formal events but neither is a pair of Hugo Boss or Tommy Hilfiger jeans.
   It is not made in Scotland but in Pakistan. But so it is with most of the clothing industry. Even high priced brands are today mass manufactured in countries where labor cost is low - like it or not. 

For walking along the coast, in the hills or mountains or in the woods, when driving to the DIY market on a Saturday morning, for going to the mall with your wife or sightseeing in a European capital or when mewing the lawn in your garden this type of kilt is just perfect.

Should it be ruined it is good to know that it is cheap and fast to replace. I shouldn’t be without one. The customer service of Heritage of Scotland is extremely good, too.

Another reason the cheap kilt is a good starting point is the sizing. How far is the kilt from being optimal in waist and length? A good and cheap way to feel more assure when you order your next and probably more expensive kilt.

Living in the US: Sportkilts and Stillwaterkilts may be worth looking at.

2. Up the scale and probably your second kilt
"Volkswagen Passat - Audi A4"

This is the kilt type of my choice and probably shall become yours too. Wool (13, 10 or 16 oz.). About 5 yards. Custom made to fit you, still machine-sewn but in Scotland. Many tartans available. Solid coloured too.
  Price level around £150. Pay £50 - £100 more and you have the same kilt in traditional eight yards. If you can live with 10 oz (not that big problem) prices are down to £115-125 for a good 5 yard kilt.

Heritage of Scotland is also a possibility within this segment.

Scotweb has a very good reputation and might be a good choice. I'm going to order from them some day.

Both vendors offer worldwide free shipping

In the US: USA Kilts

3. The traditional kilt. Best quality
"Audi A6 - A8"

Can be like a piece of art. Hand-sewn and with the greatest sense for detail. But do you really need it? From a logical point of view hardly, but...like art collecting, you know.
Prices easily exceed £400.

Hector Russell Kiltmaker
Geoffrey Tailor
Kinloch Anderson

In the US:
Hector Russell and Kinloch Anderson have branches in the US.

Wanting something special?
Matthew A.C. Newsome (USA) has specialized in box pleated kilts. He can also design your own tartan, should you wish so.

Lady Chrystel (France) makes double box pleated kilts.

Paul Henry Kilts (England) can not only make you a traditional tartan kilt but also kilts in tweed, linen, denim and cotton. 

4. The modern or contemporary kilt

The modern kilt was launched in 2000 by Steven Villegas, founder of Utilikilts in Seattle. Blue jeans transformed into a kilt, so to speak. It has pleats in the back and a front apron but otherwise it has little resemblance with the traditional Scottish kilt. No tartans, but solid coloured or camo.

Jeans functions
Due to built-in pockets no accessories are needed, except perhaps a wide belt. It goes into the washing machine. Despite no tartans it is also very popular with Scottish descendants living in North America.
Most modern kilts are produced in the US and in Canada.

Utilikilts (USA)
Freedom kilts (Canada)
R-Kilts (Canada)

Alt.Kilts
A very good alternative when we talk modern kilts might be Alt.Kilt.  The company was started in 2006 by an American lady, Regina Davan. Her business concept is unique, offering true custom design. On Flickr you can find a lot of examples. Also the story of the company is worth reading.

The photos are property of Alt.Kilt.com

Should I be in the market for another modern kilt, I should certainly pay the Alt.Kilt website a visit.

Business suit functions
Top quality reflected in price. No pockets. You need a sporran and other accessories from the tartan kilt.  
21st Century Kilts, Edinburgh
Paul Henry Kilts

What abou sizes?

For kilts yards and inches are used. Recalculation is simple: 1 in = 1 " = 2.54 cm.
1 ft. = 1 ' = 12 in = 30.48 cm.
1 yd. = 36 in = 3 ft. = 91.4 cm.

Waist size

For a kilt it is about navel, i.e. higher than trousers. A casual kilt can be worn lower, however. If you are between two sizes take the bigger one. As it is fastened by means of straps and buckles there is some flexibility.

Hip size

Where you are at the broadest. Take a lose measurement.
   For a ready-made kilt you are not asked.

Length

Off the peg kilts are 'standardized' 24” or 61 cm long (Exception: Sportkilts 22.5 in). Shall that fit you or not?
   Depending on how high or low you are going to wear your kilt there is some give and take regarding the effective length.

What is the correct length for a kilt?

From the middle of the knee cap to the top of the knee or even 1 inch (2.5 cm) above it. By no means should it cover your knees – even if it is not uncommon. 

For me personnaly better too short than too long.

How to determine the correct length of a kilt?

My advice: 

Use a towel and a belt. Place yourself right up in a gooddistance (2-3 meters) from a tall vertical mounted mirror. Start out to see if 24” could be appropriate, otherwise adjust the length of the towel from the top of your belt and measure out what is the ideal length.
   Remember that you shall probably use a belt one inch wider than you are accustomed to. That adds to the length.

I myself am 178 cm high = 5’10’’. Placed at navel a 24” kilt goes to the middle of my knee cap.
   In my case this length is the absolute maximum. A 21” kilt resting on my hips comes to about 1-1½ inch above my knee cap, thereby still just acceptable.    Fastened at navel it should look more like a mini kilt, however.
   The perfect length for my kilts is 22½-23” – in my opinion. This mentioned to indicate that there is some flexibility – come in mind we talk casual kilt, not national dress.

What tartan?

Considering that you might have no Scottish roots and accordingly no connection to a clan you should, in theory at least, only use so called universal tartans. Examples are Royal Stewart, Hunting Stewart, Black Stewart, Holyrood oder Black Watch.

However, no law forbids you to use any tartan you like, and I should say, go for any tartan you like.
   Very few Scotsmen should have anything against you wearing their tartan - as long as you do it in a proper way.    
   
Some tartans are more expensive than others. In general District tartans (universal) are more expensive than popular and wide spread clan tartans.
Not all tartans are available in 10, 13 and 16 oz.

More than 2000 tartans are registered.