New Hose

[biblemonkey]

Ok, so I'm about to get my first pair of hose. I am thinking green or navy and wondered what the rabble here thinks of those colors with the Scotland the Brave tartan and the Muted Sutherland. I know, probably the green for the Scotland the Brave and the navy for the Sutherland but thought I'd ak anyway.

And if green would be the choice that would best accent those tartans(especially the Scotland the Brave), then which green? Lovat or bottle? And would Navy hose look "off" with black shoes? That combo always struck me as a fashion no-no because they are similarly dark but seem to clash.

Thanks,
Hugh

[Graham A. Robieson]

Greetings,

I think the Lovat Green would be a good choice, it brings balance to the black shoes rather than navy blue...dark hose is probably better for evening events etc.

EDIT: You could wear Ancient Blue Hose with Green Flashes...? as I saw worn with Bottle Green and Navy Blue in the Kilt.

Another note: I think, wear what feels right for YOU!...for my kilt I wear Bottle Green Hose with Bottle Green Flashes.

All the best,

Graham

[JSFMACLJR]

A mid blue (lovat?) would like nice with either tartan, as would shades of green, red, grey, and even purple for the "Scotland the Brave" tartan. Navy would look rather somber, IMHO.

BTW, what's wrong with navy socks and black shoes? It is sort of a fashion basic for men, no?

[biblemonkey]

I'm trying to steer away from Lovat blue as it is just too light a blue for my taste for hose. And I guess I always thought navy and black was a no-no because of seeing guys in navy slacks w/ jet-black suit coats and remember it looking a bit odd. The Lovat is looking more attractive for now for the Scotland the Brave and at a later date I'll get something else for the Sutherland. Hmm...these are the types of problems you WANT to have, am I right? I think a grey argyll would look good for semi-dress with the Scotland the Brave and the Lovat green hose too. Maybe I'll try to get one of those as well. A little hard sometimes given my light-mocha complexion.

Hugh

[auld argonian]

Navy Blue with black shoes isn't a no-no. Isn't the US Navy dress uniform Navy Blue and worn with black oxfords? If I had a Navy Blue suit, I'd certainly wear it with black leather instead of brown.

The more I see of dark hose (and I do wear black and Navy Blue with kilts), the more I start to lean toward middle and lighter grey shades...Lovat Green is a sort of a light grey/green mix. Reckon that you can't go wrong with neutral greys, though. I always liked the dark colors but latley they're looking a little severe to me and if you have thin calves or ankles to begin with, they make them look even skinnier. (Most of the time we get the opposite complaint here: guys with mega-calves who can't find hose to fit!)

Consider a nice Charcoal Grey? Darker than a middle grey but not black...

Best

AA

[Tobus]

And I guess I always thought navy and black was a no-no because of seeing guys in navy slacks w/ jet-black suit coats and remember it looking a bit odd.

In Saxon style dress, it is a bit of a no-no to mix dark blue fabric with black fabric, because they're so close that they end up looking like you didn't have enough light in your closet when you got dressed! But still, that has no bearing on the black in your shoes or belt. Black leather is perfectly suitable with blue trousers (much better than brown, anyway!).

But you should toss Saxon rules out the window for Highland dress anyway... which I always find to be easier said than done. I actually kind of like the look of brown shoes with a lighter blue (like Lovat blue) hose. And black shoes go with anything.

If it were me in your shoes ...err, hose... I'd avoid black and dark blue hose, for the reasons auld argonian mentioned. To me, they start to look like the stereotypical old geezer at the nursing home who is wearing shorts with tall black dress socks.

And besides, the Highland tradition seems to be very well established toward middle-of-the-road color tones or even brightly colored hose. I could be wrong, but I can't think of any photos or portraits of Highlanders wearing dark hose until the last decade or two. Dark hose seem to me to be an attempt to incorporate Saxon dress socks into Highland style, and just throws everything out of proportion or off-balance. That said, I'm not a native Highlander or long-time kilt wearer or 'expert', and it's just my personal opinion. There's certainly nothing "wrong" with dark hose.

[davidlpope]

I think that most kilt-wearers would do well to have five pairs of hose in their closet:

Daywear:
Lovat Blue, Lovat Green, Bottle Green, and Dark Red/ Claret/Burgundy.

Evening:
Argyll or Diced Hose to complement the kilt you wear with formal attire.

I think the claret hose would look particularly nice with the muted Sutherland kilt.

David

[fluter]

I think the claret hose would look particularly nice with the muted Sutherland kilt.

I agree: good call, David. Claret would also look good in the evening, until you get those custom diced hose. I especially like the claret color in the Lewis hose, if you'd like to treat yourself.

In general (IMHO) lovat green looks good with everything.