At Heritage of Scotland, we are presented with many queries about our products and the stories behind them. Please see below, a list of Frequently Asked Questions with answers.

What is a Kilt?

A kilt is an traditional garment of Scotland, and by extension Celtic. The kilt exists in various modern forms and forms inspired by the historical garment, including:

1. the modern form of the Scottish garment ;
2. the historical form of this same Scottish garment ;
3. the Irish kilt ;
4. the contemporary kilt.

Traditionalists emphasise that the plural of "kilt" is "the kilt" rather than "kilts", though the latter term is used more often and continues to be acceptable in modern English. The modern traditional kilt is typically seen at modern-day Highland games events in Scotland and all over the world. Historical forms of the Scottish kilt have differed in several ways (some quite substantial) from the modern-day version. Specifically, organisations which sanction and grade the competitions in Highland dancing and bagpiping events all have rules and regulations governing acceptable attire for the competitors. These rules state that kilts must be worn (except for the national dances, where female competitors wear the Aboyne dress). The word kilt as used in this article refers to those garments as typically seen in such competitions.

Depending on the occasion, a kilt is normally worn with accessories such as a belt, jacket, sporran (a type of pouch), special footwear, and – optionally – underwear.

General definition of a kilt

The kilt as referred to above, is a tailored garment which is wrapped around the wearer's body at the waist, and hangs down encircling and covering the upper part of the legs just above the knees. The fabric is cut so that it is open along a line from the waist to the lower edge (the selvedge on a kilt), the opening being secured by means of straps and buckles.

The two ends of the kilt fabric overlap considerably to form what are called aprons. These aprons are positioned in front while the remaining length of the fabric (around the sides and at the back) is pleated. In addition, the kilt exhibits certain peculiarites of design, construction, and convention which differentiate it from other garments fitting the above description.

Kilt pleating

There are two different styles of pleating the kilt. Pleating to the stripe is a system of pleating a kilt in which a particular vertical stripe of the tartan pattern is selected and the pleats are arranged so that this chosen stripe runs down the center of each pleat. This is also sometimes referred to as military pleating.

Pleating to the sett is achieved where one full sett of the tartan pattern is taken up in each pleat, resulting in a reproduction of the pattern across the back of the kilt.