For me, argyll hose are formal wear. It's just the way I was brought up. If others like to wear them with tweed jackets, I won't get fussed about it. I like to pull mine on when I'm in formal rig, or, like Jock says, with a BBSB jacket for formal day wear. They are special to me and I don't like to wear them for non-formal occasions. But then, I'm the one who doesn't pull out the fine china very often, either.