Choosing a Casual Kilt or Traditional 8 yard Kilt

Either style of kilt can be made in almost any material. You can have a Casual Kilt (aka Sports Kilt) made in your family tartan, or a traditional 8 yard kilt in (for example) denim, camouflage, or plain colours. The difference lies in the height of the waist line, and the amount of material used. Which you choose really depends on how and when you’ll be wearing your kilt.

The Traditional 8 yard Kilt sits high on the waist, a couple of inches above the waistband of most trousers, and uses about 8 yards of material on average (depending on your waist measurement). This looks more authentic for wear in settings where tradition is all-important; and the full length allows more and deeper pleating at the rear, which results in the impressive ‘swing‘, for example when dancing.

The Casual Kilt sits lower on the waist, like trousers, and uses less material. Some producers make these kilts with a little as 3-4 yards of fabric, but ours use about 6 yards on average unless you specify you’d prefer less. With less fabric comes lower cost, and the lighter garment is ideal for activities where the weight of a full traditional kilt might be tiring. You won’t get quite the same swing when dancing, but to the non-expert eye the Casual kilt can be hard to tell apart from the Traditional 8 yard version and for most occasions it can be a very acceptable alternative.