Where/ how to buy a kilt

[whoseafraidofnaomiwolf]

... for my son. He's asked for a kilt, and I've agreed to get him one as his main Christmas present. We've had a search toady not the internet, but I am a wee bit horrified at the price - it's coming it at more than > £1000!!

Is this usual? We want one that is a reasonable quality, but doesn't need to be top of the range. Happy to buy 'off the peg' if they have one available in the clan tartan for our name.

We are in London - where can we get a kilt for him that isn't ££££?
Any recommendations and/ or advice gratefully received.

Are there kilt shops in London? (IDK, serious question)

There's a knack to measuring for a kilt - waist, hips, 'seat', length. If you find a friendly one get him measured then search for second hand in clan tartan. (modern, hunting, ancient)

I mean friendly shop. Sorry, I am getting tea.

Measuring for your kilt is really important, here's our guide (geoffreykilts.co.uk) here's a random pick for a guide to measuring yourselves.

Kilts made of decent wool are expensiveKilt hire shops will knock one up cheaper. They make the more unusual names out of a lighter weight wool and are often willing to sell them to you. They won’t have longevity though.

Id try for pre loved first though

They are expensive!

A kilt outfit is a traditional 18th or 21st birthday gift for sons/grandsons. They are £££.

A quick Google search shows a fair number of kilt outfitters in London. If you contact a few they should be able to identify your Clan tartan etc prior to measuring and fitting.

They are hand made with yards of heavyweight fabric but will last decades and can be adjusted as you ' expand' a little. An investment for life. Hope you find somewhere.

Kilts are like any other type of clothing - you can pay £30-40 or £1000. If you want a custom fit in a family tartan it's obviously far more expensive than a generic tweed in a standard size

Would you consider second hand?
Quite often the hire shops sell off cheaper as long as you know his measurements.

Also you can pick up nice tweed jacket and waistcoats rather then the dinner jacket

A proper kilt is 8m of wool hand sewn and will take even an experienced kilt maker around 20 hours to make.

I'd agree with everyone else. When we got married my husband's parents bought him a kilt in their tartan. It cost more than my wedding dress! However it will last a lifetime. I'd say if he doesn't want a rarer tartan then definitely look at either ex hire or second hand. If he does want a rarer tartan I'd be tempted to say you'll put £x towards it and he can save for the rest - a good quality kilt will mean he has a "dressed" outfit forever (at least up here it will - perfectly acceptable for weddings/formal events etc - it might be slightly more unusual in London)

There's a MacGregor and MacDuff in London according to Google, they get a reasonable name. Looks like they do ex-hire too. But lol - yes they are expensive! Most Scottish men get one for their wedding, so a special purchase. We hired DH's to save some cash

All the men in DH's family got their kilts from Geoffrey's in Edinburgh (linked above on the measuring guide) - they do fitting days down in London, which is where DS was measured up and kitted out for his. It's expensive, with the jacket and sporran and all the bits, but he's worn it for every black tie event or wedding ever since, and probably will for the rest of his life, thanks to the adjustable straps. So on a pay per wear basis, it's not too bad, and as he's quickly found out, is a very helpful icebreaker...

My parents bought my brother his kilt when he got married. It cost more than my SIL wedding dress. Granted they bought not only the sporran but a plaid, socks & shoes but it was made to measure & a specific tartan which all makes it expensive. Having said that, over 20 years later it's still getting worn and looks good

Thank you so much everyone. Reading all your replies has made me think more deeply about this. Unfortunately our clan tartan is not one of the more common ones and so, although I have no qualms about a second hand kilt (and indeed will search for one) I think it's highly unlikely that we would find one.

I hear what lots of you say about longevity, and seeing it as an investment. I have perhaps gone into this a bit gun-ho with a 'lets pop to the shop and buy you kilt' attitude - not realising that a proper kilt is £££ for a good reason and is perhaps meant to last many decades or a lifetime. My son is a young man and I will talk to him about this. I would like him to have a good kilt (and the accessories) - I was planning a trip with him as a delayed 21st birthday present, but perhaps he would prefer this instead? Otherwise he might have to wait until his wedding!

Thank you very much Mumsnetters x

I'm in Scotland a kilt is a huge but great investment. I bought my son one for his 21st whole outfit about £1000 he's worn it a lot(now 28) if he wears it 10 times that's £100 a time whereas we ladies often need a new dress for every wedding or dance so over the years will cost more! (I have a daughter too 🤣) my daughter's wedding dress was £1000 for one wear whereas her husband has worn his kilt he got for the wedding last year several times already.

My first husband got one at 18 and still wore it in late 40s. My current husband at 65 is still wearing the one he got when he was in his 20s.

As PP have mentioned, it is quite a traditional present in Scotland for an 18th/21st as it can then be worn for graduation and all the weddings through 20s and 30s! Perhaps other family members could chip in for some of the accessories as a sporran can also be quite expensive? Although they are expensive, its definitely an investment, my DH has worn his a lot and it still usually gets an annual outing.

Thank you again for all your comments and information. We've had a chat and made an appointment for a fitting at MacGregor and MacDuff. It really is a whole world that I had no idea about and I feel quite excited for my son having a 'proper' kilt to wear.

I have said that he might have to wait for all the accessories to be gathered over subsequent birthdays and Christmases for the next few years though!

I am so pleased!

My son's Bonnie Prince Charlie came from ebay, we paid maybe £50 for it and got it dry cleaned.

He is 26 now and worn his kilt and BPC and all the accoutrements to every wedding he has attended since age 18. Definitely worth the splurge (eyewatering as made to measure but still!)

OK, I'm going to expose my absolute ignorance here... but what is a "BPC"?

Bonnie Prince Charlie jacket.

Ex-Hire Scottish Wool Prince Charlie Kilt Jacket - Timeless Elegance | eBay this style.

A BPC or Jacobite Jacket is a style of jacket worn with a kilt.
My dad used to wear a BPC with a 70s style shirt ruffle - looked like he stepped out of a shortbread tin. We bought DH his kilt and a Ghillie shirt when we got engaged and I gave him a sporran as a wedding present. My Grannie knitted his hose for him.
As DH is the same height as my grandfather was, he also has that kilt so at the last wedding we went to with my parents he wore that one to match my Dad - our wee boy was under 1 so I made him a baby kilt attached to a shirt-style onesie. They looked lovely the three of them together.

The bits to wear with a kilt can double the cost. It depends when and where your son wants to wear his. For rugby matches can wear with everyday stuff but for more formal occasions you want belt, sporran, socks (with flashes), shoes, jacket (tweed or Bonnie Prince Charlie), sgian dubh (knife to stick in sock), kilt pin, possibly waistcoat and plaid with brooch. Jackets, shoes and socks can be hired separately, or bought secondhand.

What a fascinating thread!

I’ve never had occasion to think about the sourcing and buying of men’s kilts - so wasn’t aware of the traditional gift aspect.

For myself I’m looking forward to the day I can order one from here:

Acme Atelier

Suspect it will be a long wait.

DS wears the kilt DH who is now too fat had for our wedding over 20 years ago and even wore it to prom night. It was made to measure in a less well known tartan and cost £500 even then.