One of the most common concerns we hear from customers buying a kilt online or over the phone is anxiety about getting the measurements right. In fact, the online diagrams and instructions we’ve published for years are so well-refined that provided the guidance is followed, we very rarely have errors. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t more we can do to help!

So here is our latest video - a simple step by step guide to taking your own measurements for a perfectly fitting traditional 8 Yard Kilt. We’ll soon be adding another for casual kilts, where the measurements are different.

Note that not all kiltmakers use exactly the same criteria. But since we’ve been doing this longer than any other company on earth, we think we know the best way to get it exactly right!

For anyone following the story of the proposed new official Scottish Register of Tartans, here’s some rather important news from the Scottish Parliament. A major milestone was reached yesterday:

The Presiding Officer: The fifth question is, that motion S3M-2072, in the name of Jamie McGrigor, on the Scottish Register of Tartans Bill, be agreed to.

Motion agreed to.

That the Parliament agrees to the general principles of the Scottish Register of Tartans Bill.

For more, please find here the link to the Official Report of 19 June 2008 (Debate on the Scottish Register of Tartans Bill: Stage 1)

Apologies to anyone who has been trying to access any Scotweb web sites since Saturday (including this blog) or contact the company by email etc. Due to a serious fire and explosion (thankfully no one hurt!) at one of our major data centres in the United States, all our internet services have been totally unavailable for a few days.

But through much hard work both there and here by our own tech team, I’m glad to say that we are now getting back on our feet. There may be some ongoing syptoms such as missing images for a few hours, but we’re hopeful that all services will be functioning fully later today. Sorry again for any nuisance.

If you enjoy looking at wonderful photography of guys in kilts, you’ve a treat in store. Our recent photoshoot at the incredibly gorgeous Lennoxlove House, half an hour South of Edinburgh (seriously, if you’re planning a wedding, check it out!) turned out fabulously. The images will be appearing on the Scotweb site over the coming weeks. But just to whet your appetite, he’s some video as a taster! More to follow soon, so watch this space!

Check out the videos…

A sample video: Classic Braemar Kilt Outfit

Mel Gibson sported one in Braveheart; Liam Neeson showed he’s man enough to wear one too. We’re talking about a kilt. It’s not just a skirt for guys — it’s rugged and handsome — and oh yeah, we get to see a little more of our favorite guys exposed. Here for your enjoyment, the 40 celebrities who would look great in kilts:

40. Keith Urban

This country crooner is way too handsome to leave off the list. It’s only fair that we get a peek at what Nicole Kidman’s looking at.

39. Clive Owen

He’s a phenomenal actor and he’s hot… uh… sorry, just daydreaming about seeing more of the fine Clive Owen.

38. Scott Speedman

The Felicity and Underworld star has the chiseled good looks that would look oh-so-fine with tartan clothing.

37. Dennis Quaid

As far as older guys go, Dennis Quaid has got it goin’ on. And we want more!

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Maybe once upon a time tartans were something your granny used for her knee-rug. But not today! Tartans are now the hippest most happening way to bring a dash of pizazz to anything and everything that grabs your brainbox. And if you don’t believe me, just check out this quick run-down of the funkiest funniest plaids on the planet!!

10. Duck Under My Kilt

My friend MacDuck here just quacks me up. Bathtime will never be the same again now that I can bring a touch of tartan into my world of suds. Doesn’t he just make those plain yellow versions so… yesterday! Photo by Roger.The.Dodger

Read the rest of the ten funniest things in tartan…

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So you’re desperate to identify the family plaid in Great Aunt Jessie’s portrait? Or you’re redecorating your den and need to find a tartan with just the right shades to recover your favourite old chair in… But there are literally thousands of tartans available, so how on earth do you find the right ones to look at?

Search Tartans by colour!My friend, help is at last here! Our boffins have been sweating blood day and night for many moons (and that’s less of an exaggeration than you’d think - it’s a surprisingly technical task). And now, for the first time ever in the history of western civilisation, an easy-peasy facility exists where you can find just the right tartan in seconds.

Check out our amazing Tartan & Material Finder and give it a go for yourself. For most colour combos you’ll probably get dozens of returns, arranged in order of the proportions of the colours you’re looking for (weighted for the order you entered). And what’s really unique about this is that it’s not just ‘theoretical’ recorded tartans, but it all links through to fabrics actually available in those setts from all the main mills - or affordably woven to order! Neat, huh?

For such a tiny wee nation (ouch! there I go again…) we are blessed with an incredible wealth of iconic symbols, that say ‘Scotland’ all over the world. And there’s surely none bigger than tartan. But I doubt more than a fraction of people realise just how much history and significance this seemingly simple criss-cross pattern really carries.

You are probably at least vaguely aware that different patterns (“setts”) are named after clans, families, and regiments etc. Think Buchanan, Royal Stewart, or Black Watch. But did you know that every single unique tartan (defined by its ‘thread count’: the sequence of colours woven) is painstakingly recorded for posterity - and any new one is a copyright design unless its designer explicity allows it to be used by anyone? The significance for not just families, but many huge organisations and businesses too, is huge.

So it’s all the more surprising that it is only in the last few years, with the birth of the industry-sponsored Scottish Tartans Authority, that anyone began to collect the data really systematically. And only now is the government waking up to the massive commercial value of this industry to Scotland (£350m per year, according to a recent study) and is taking steps to safeguard its status for posterity more securely, with a new official tartan records office that is intended to be open for business in 2008…

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