New kilt ordered - what do I wear with it?

[carlb]

Specifically, hose, but more general sartorial advice is always welcome.

So, I just ordered a USAKilts semi-traditional in the German Heritage Tartan:

Seemed like a nice way to honor my Scottish and German roots at the same time. Then I thought, hmmm...what color hose would I wear with this? And I had no good answer.

I will mostly be wearing this kilt in casual-ish environments - Highland Games, pub nights, etc. I expect that the highest level of formality I would undertake would be a long-sleeved dress shirt under a nice sweater. More typically would just be a solid color polo shirt or open-collared oxford.

Red hose would seem an "obvious" choice, but I wonder about there being too much red in the whole ensemble (and I'm trying to step away from the matchy-matchy thing). Black hose would seem too somber to me. Charcoal, maybe, with red or yellow flashes?

I did have my eye on some red and black diced hose at the Scottish Tartan Museum's store:

But I didn't know if they were suitable for the more casual dress I will be adopting (at least for the near future).

So, any help or suggestions for an appropriate color palate are quite welcome.

[ForresterModern]

Black with red flashes, charcoal with red flashes, red with black flashes, or the diced black and red with black flashes would look grand IMHO. Personally I would stay away froom the yellow hose and flashes myself, but I am sure others would say that they would be okay--just not my style.

[artificer]

The diced hose are generally considered dressy/formal wear. Although there are individuals who do wear diced/Argyll/tartan hose more casually.

You might want consider the Lewis hose, also from the STM.

Either St. Andrews blue or either Loden / Lovat green would be the way I'd go.

I'd also encourage you to look at Garter Ties, rather than the standard ribbon/elastic garters flashes.

They are WAY more comfortable, and look worlds nicer IMO.

I have pairs in brick red and mustard gold.

[1oldsarge]

I'd say cream-colored with red flashes.

[MacMillans son]

Congratulations on your new purchase!

Though it may sound off on first consideration, the Lewis Dark Naturals or Bisons would also be a nice choice for casual wear. I think the browns help to tone down the red a bit (think fall color palette) without clashing nor matching.

Have fun with it, there is really no wrong choice.....Ok, pink hose may be a wrong choice with that tartan

Good luck!

Brooke

[Zardoz]

Charcoal with red or yellow (or tartan?) flashes is my first impression, but brick red or yellow hose would certainly stand out. And of course stone/oatmeal hose go with everthing.

[artificer]

Congratulations on your new purchase!

Though it may sound off on first consideration, the Lewis Dark Naturals or Bisons would also be a nice choice for casual wear. I think the browns help to tone down the red a bit (think fall color palette) without clashing nor matching.

Have fun with it, there is really no wrong choice.....Ok, pink hose may be a wrong choice with that tartan

Good luck!

Brooke

Duke of Argyll

Nothing wrong with pink hose... not that I could pull off the look.

ith:

[Mike_Oettle]

Hi, Carl – nice tartan, nice hose.
As Jeff said, all sorts of combinations are possible. Personally (and being of German descent) I would quite fancy red hose with yellow flashes.
Yellow hose I don’t think I would try, but you could wear either black or red flashes with those. And black with yellow flashes would be pretty eye-catching.
Go for it!
Regards,
Mike

[English Bloke]

I am by no means a master of sartorial elegance or an expert on the proper form but I do wear the Kilt a lot as normal clothing and mainly in a casual stylee.

Some sock ideas here based around a predominantly red kilt (Bruce Modern). Not the same tartan obviously but similar enough in that it's RED, mainly...

See what you think.


Black Shirt, Red Kilt, Standard Bottle Green Hose, Red Flashes.


Bottle Green and ancient Red Flashes.


Black Jacket, forest green shooting socks with argyll tops, no flashes or ties. It was f-f-f-freezing too, hence the Bruce scarf.


No Flashes again. Smart casual.


Same socks but with green/red garter ties.


Better picture of garter ties... Oik casual.


Bit of an early stab at dressy. Black hose and tartan flashes. Not my favorite get-up now but you learn as you experiment.


I prefer this look for dressy now.

I think yellow or red hose with German Heritage would be a bit vivid but yellow or red flashes or wool ties with darker socks would work well.

Or you could always go blue... Chillin' at home,

...in crocodile shoes.

[Cygnus]

I say be bold and go with yellow - they'll really help bring out the thin yellow lines in the tartan. I can't wait for the pair of yellow Lewis hose from the Scottish Tartans Museum that I ordered recently.

As for flashes, I vote you go with a colour not in your tartan for some variety. If you must, match them to your shirt/sweater.

In the end, it really depends on what you (or your significant other ) like the look of!