Welsh Great Cilts (Kilts)

There is little evidence that the Welsh ever wore kilts (cilts) historically. Welsh tartans and Welsh cilts are modern inventions. Nevertheless, our Welsh tartans are still a very popular choice for those of Welsh descent who want to wear a Great Kilt, so we have made them available!

Its hard to beat a Great Kilt (Cilt). When you belt it on, well more than half of the fabric is above the belt. In warm weather this extra fabric can be bustled up behind you or pinned over the shoulder. In cool or rainy weather the extra fabric can be worn over both shoulders like a cloak, or (depending on how tall you are) up over the head like a hooded cloak.
A 4 yard great cilt will fit up to about a 34 inch waist, a 5 yard greatcilt will fit up to about a 44 inch waist, and a 6 yard great cilt will fit up to about a 50 inch waist. If you are larger than this please contact us for pricing on larger kilts. Also, If your waist size is close to one of these limits, consider the next size larger if you want deeper pleats or pleats closer together. For example:If you have a 34 inch waist, a 4yd greatkilt will have pleats 1.5 - 2 inches wide and 3-4 inches deep. A 5yd great cilt will have pleats approximately 1 inch wide and 3-4 inches deep or 1.5 - 2 inches wide and 6-8 inches deep. In this example a 6yd great cilt would be overkill with a 34 inch waist, but it would have pleats about 1 inch wide and 6-8 inches deep.Normally, you pleat the cilt each time you wear it, and the only thing that holds it together is your belt. Each cilt comes with instructions on how to pleat and wear your cilt. You can also download them here: How to Wear the Great Kilt (Adobe PDF format). As a convenient option though, we can sew the pleats in place for you - see below.

See our Great Kilt history page for more interesting information.

View our selection of Welsh Tartans

Great Cilt, Welsh Premium Wool
KGW13 – 4 yds, $335 (fits up to a 34in waist)
KGW13 – 5 yds, $415 (fits up to a 44in waist)
KGW13 – 6 yds, $495 (fits up to a 50in waist)
Made from medium weight 12/13oz premium wool Welsh tartan. NOTE – Welsh tartans are not woven with a kilting selvedge, so the top edge of the kilt will be fringed and the bottom edge will be hemmed. Also, welsh tartans are woven a little looser, and have a softer feel than you will be used to if you are already familiar with Scottish tartans. Pleating instructions are included with each kilt. Traditionally these kilts are pleated each time you wear them. If you would like us to pleat the kilt for you, please select Cheater Pleats™ (below) as an additional option.
Special order. Please allow 6-12 weeks for delivery.

Qty.

Cheater Pleats™ (Optional) ($50 extra)
This is a nice convenience option. Your kilt will still look like you pleated it yourself, but you can take it off and put it back on any time you want to without re-doing your pleats. (Depending on how concerned you are about the appearance, pleating your kilt can take you anywhere from a few minutes to a half hour each time you wear it.)
We'll pleat the kilt for you and stitch a waistband inside to hold it all together. There will be a row of stitches visible on the outside of the kilt, but these will be covered by your belt (a belt will still be necessary to hold your kilt on).

Pleat to sett – each pleat is positioned so that the pattern (sett) appears to continue through the pleated portion of the kilt.
Pleat to stripe – we choose a prominent stripe in the pattern and center the stripe down the middle of each pleat. This is a traditional military style, and can look very nice. Some tartans just don't look good pleated to stripe however. If you choose this option we will let you know if it can't (or shouldn't) be done.
Box pleats – another traditional military style. Every other pleat is reversed. This creates pleats twice as wide (3 to 4 inches wide depending on the sett width of the tartan you choose) with tartan folded under both edges of each pleat. Incidentally, box pleating uses less tartan, so you can actually get by with a 4 yard kilt all the way up to about a 50 inch waist. NOTE – We will only use as much tartan as we need to, so if your waist size is less than 50, and you select box pleats, your kilt will most likely be constructed of less than 4 yards of fabric. The other pleating methods will use approximately the whole 4, 5, or 6 yards accordingly. If your waist size is larger than 50 inches, and you would like box pleats, select a 5 yard kilt.

How To Measure
1) Measure the waist size at your actual waist, where you usually wear your pants.
2) Measure your hip at the fullest point, usually 6-8 inches below the waist.
3) Measure the length from your waist to about the middle of the knee. Have someone help you. If you bend even a little while trying to do it yourself, the measurement will change.

Subscribe to our Email Newsletter!

Would you like to be notified of new products, sales, and special offers?
Click the link below to go to our subscription form.