Wearing your kilt isn’t as simple as strapping it on. We’ve got some style tips that will help you choose the right size and the right style. Be sure the pleats are worn in the back, and the flat straight panels overlap in the front.
For more information on how to put one on correctly, click here.
Let’s start from the top. Where on your body does the belt line go? I’m sure you’ve seen this:
But you’ve also seen this:
Let’s break that down.
We label our kilts as men’s or women’s so that they are easy to find for those assigned a particular gender at birth, or those looking for a product that fits a body resembling a particular base gender. We, a trans-female owned company, celebrate gender diversity every day. Realizing that not everyone fits the binary, we have a transcend-gender category to make your shopping experience the best we can.
Folks of the masculine persuasion: You can wear your kilt around your navel (true waist) for a traditional look. You’ll want a longer kilt for this and we’ll explain kilt length (also called drop length) down below. This style emulates Scottish traditional styles more closely. If you’re going for a more formal look, or if you tuck your shirt in, this is where you want to measure yourself for your kilt of choice. We might also note that your waist measurement here is going to change throughout the day (and whether you sit or stand). You will definitely want the adjustability of our Versatta kilt if you wear your kilt at this level, since it both stretches, and quickly adjusts girth without any difficult snaps or buttons.
Alternatively, if you’re going for the ModRen look, you will want to measure around your hips just above the swell of your booty to find your kilt size. Wearing your kilt lower like this works best with a longer shirt length or an untucked shirt (if you are the sort to wear a shirt at all, but hey let’s keep it classy).
It’s worth mentioning that a kilt belt is a good choice either way, but we love them for the hip line if you are tucking in your shirt. Kilt belts are 2.5” tall, unlike your standard 1-1.5” belt styles worn with pants.
Our men’s styles come 23” long typically, as this works for almost everyone between 5’6” and 6’1”. We carry a 25” Big and Tall cargo kilt series for those who may be taller, and 19” kilts found in Transcend Gender category for those who may be shorter than this range, but still looking for a masculine vibe.
Folks of the feminine persuasion: Human bodies grow in a variety of ways, and for that reason, we developed a curved waist for the kilts we sell in our women’s collection. We stock 15, 17, and 19” lengths (drops) with this curved waist panel built in.
Our women’s kilts are typically worn at the true waist (the narrowest part). If your waist doesn’t narrow at any certain point, we recommend wearing it just above the most prominent part of the hip bones for a look similar to low-rise pants, to elongate the torso. Wearing tall leather boots or socks can elongate the perception of your legs, compensating for the lower waist-line.
