Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What tartan am I entitled to wear? 

A. The clan tartan associated with your name and Scottish family heritage, or the district tartan for the Scottish district or region with which you have an association.

Q. If I do not have a clan or district tartan, can I wear tartan?
A. Yes. There are 4 universal tartans:

• The Black Watch
• The Hunting Stewart
• The Caledonia
• The Jacobite

More recently non denominational tartans such as Scotland’s National, The Spirit of Scotland, and The Flower of Scotland have been designed. These are often used for kilt hire purposes.

Q. Which are the most popular tartans?
A. For general use probably Royal Stewart, Black Watch, Dress Gordon and Lindsay, but fashions do change.

Q. How much cloth is in a man's traditional kilt?
A. On average 7.3 metres / 8 yards of single width cloth 28" / 56 cms wide, though this varies according to the size and setting of the tartan.

Q. How much does a kilt cost?
A. This depends on the cloth weight and quality chosen. Kinloch Anderson offer the widest range of kilt options available and a Kinloch Anderson kilt lasts a lifetime!

Q. How long does it take to have a Kinloch Anderson kilt made?
A. It depends on our production capacity at the time of order. We do our best to accommodate urgent requests. Every product on our website has a delivery time estimate.

Q. How do I measure myself?
A. Kinloch Anderson has a Self Measurement Form. You should ask another person to take your measurements. Particular attention should be taken to follow the indicators on the size chart, particularly regarding the length. A kilt needs to be remade in order to shorten it!

You can see our measurement help here .

Q. Is the kilt worn above the knee, on the knee or below the knee?
A. The kilt is worn at the top of the knee cap, allowing some leg to be shown between the bottom of the kilt and the top of the kilt hose.

Q. Which Jacket should I wear for the following:

Wedding (afternoon)
A tweed jacket (dark grey tweed is also correct) or Argyll Jacket.

Ceilidh (informal)
Jacobite Shirt

Black Tie Dinner / Ball / Evening Wedding Reception
Coatee and Vest (often called the Prince Charlie Jacket), Argyll Jacket, Regulation Doublet, Montrose Doublet, Sheriffmuir Jacket or Kenmore Jacket.

White Tie Dinner
Coatee and Vest with black bow tie! Also the Regulation Doublet, Montrose Doublet, Sheriffmuir Jacket or Kenmore Jacket.

Q. When are kilts mostly worn?
A. The kilt can be worn on any occasion: Weddings, Dinners, Highland Games and sporting events are all very popular for kiltwear.

Q. Can ladies wear kilts?
A. The kilt is a man's garment and made to fit a man's frame. Some ladies do wear a ladies' equivalent kilted garment but most ladies prefer to wear a kilted skirt. These are available in all tartans.

Q. What do ladies wear for formal occasions?
A. A full tartan skirt, white jabot blouse and tartan sash is probably the most popular. Kinloch Anderson has a ladies Coatee Jacket which is also very smart.

The Ladies' Sash
The ladies' sash is worn over the right shoulder across the breast and is secured by a pin or small brooch on the right shoulder. There are however, special rules for wives of chieftains.

Q. Is there a casual kilted garment that is less expensive than the traditional kilt?
A. Yes, Kinloch Anderson has exclusively designed "The Breacan" for leisure and sporting occasions. It can be bought ready to wear in 5 sizes and 3 lengths and is available in a specific range of tartans.

Q. Can I wear "The Breacan" for formal occasions?
A. No. The Breacan is not a substitute for the traditional kilt; it is worn on the hips like a pair of trousers and is only suitable to wear casually with shirts and sweaters