5.5-yard, 11 oz. wool kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Gallery Tartan kilts
Stewart Black tartan
The tartan
A family/clan tartan according to The Register of Scottish Tartans. However, it is one of the most used tartans for a lot of things, including off-the-peg kilts, ladies' kilted skirts, furniture decoration, etc.
The kilts
There are two different kilts in Stewart Black tartan on this page: a ready-made wool kilt from Irish O’Neil of Dublin and, from an American vendor, a cheap custom kilt PV kilt from an American vendor, probably sewn in Pakistan.
O'Neil of Dublin 23" kilt
The kilt is a 5.5-yard lightweight casual kilt in wool. O’Neil of Dublin is making kilts for men in four tartans, Black Stewart being one of them.
The Irish-made O'Neil of Dublin kilt, shown in 15 pictures above, is very nicely made, and the woollen tartan looks and feels good. Being only 5'9" high (176 cm), I very much appreciate this kilt being 23" long, instead of normally 24" for a ready-made kilt.
15 pictures in the gallery.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
Irish-made Kilt in Stewart Black tartan.
A 4-yard too short PV kilt
In 2014, I ordered the kilt from an American vendor who, by then, might have been one of the first to offer inexpensive kilts, probably made in Pakistan, in individual lengths. I wanted mine to be on the short side and ordered it 20" or 51 cm long. That I got.
On a kilt, every inch makes a visual difference, and with a length 2½-3 inches (6-7 cm) shorter than 'correct' and fastened at your natural waist, the kilt is SHORT. Most kilt wearers, no doubt, shall say that it is not only short, but too short. And they may be absolutely right, at least for most wearing situations. But as already quoted J. Charles Thompson
says: ”That may be all very well if you are going to have a kilt specially for outdoor sports, but for a general-purpose kilt…”
So, for hiking or walking out and about in the open, I think it is ok, but otherwise, yes, too short.
But, by having this short kilt sit as low as possible, you can, to some extent, compensate, which you can see in one or two of the pictures.
11 pictures in the gallery.
Inexpensive kilt, Stewart black tartan. From a distance, it might look ok, but when you get closer, it is obvious that it is of pretty poor quality.
Inexpensive kilt, Stewart black tartan. At the bottom, the colours fade out.
Inexpensive kilt, Stewart black tartan.
Inexpensive kilt, Stewart black tartan.
Straps are of bad quality.
Inexpensive kilt, Stewart black tartan.
Inexpensive kilt, Stewart black tartan.
Inexpensive kilt, Stewart black tartan.
Inexpensive kilt, Stewart black tartan.
Inexpensive kilt, Stewart black tartan.
Inexpensive kilt, Stewart black tartan.
Inexpensive kilt, Stewart black tartan.
However, the main problem with this kilt for ‘outdoor sports' is not the length but the overall quality. Sewing is fine, but the tartan does not look quite like Stewart Black. The texture of the fabric is loose and coarse, and there are spots where the different colours tend to end up black. This kilt will also peel more than average, so it is advisable not to wear a sporran with it.
One more thing: the straps are extremely bad. Again, an example where two higher-quality straps and buckles had been better than three mediocre ones.
I don’t, for sure, remember the vendor’s name, but I have an idea who it was, and he is not on the links pages. Hopefully, the quality of his kilts has improved since then.
