White Kilt Hose

[mookien]

John: I think your white hose look great in that picture. They contrast nicely with your black shoes and top. But, if you want the Loud MacLeod to really shout and focus attention, try black hose.

John

[OC Richard]

Hmm, I'm not so sure they're over. Waning, maybe, but not over. About half the pipe bands I see down here in Texas are still wearing white popcorn-top hose.

I suppose by the "white hose era" I mean the period when it was nearly unthinkable to wear anything else.

I have videos of the Worlds from the 90s where every single band in Grade One wore white. (Pure white popcorn top, not cream.)

Now, at many major competitions, less than half of the bands are wearing white, and I've seen competitions where not a single band was wearing white.

Black seems to be all the rage in Scotland, while here in the USA many bands have gone grey.

But, like any other fashion trend, there are places in the Pipe Band world that are slower to cast off their white hose. Few bands here in California still wear white hose, but back at the West Virginia Highland Games I think all of the bands did.

Heck, there's a band here that up until quite recently still wore typical c1980 band dress, Prince Charlies, Balmoral bonnets, huge bow ties, and heavy handknit Aran cream hose.

[creagdhubh]

I have always been fond of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band's colours - a nice Lovat blue coloured hose with the orangish/blue/green colours of their Fraser 'ancient' tartan. Very smart looking band indeed, with the incredible, P/M Jack Lee at the fore.

Cheers,

[guardsman]

if people are looking at your socks your kilt must be bloody awful HAHAHAHAHA

[Micric]

I think you're right Guardsman!

Also a nice kilt looks bloody awful in my eyes, if it's worn below the knees, and I notice That before the colour of the hose........ ( one sees the long kilt, and socks yunked up tight to the bottom of the knee-cap too much these days I think!....makes the wearer look like a 1950's old maid) (IMO!)
The first hose I ever had where white, but that was bacause they were "sea boot" socks I already owned!
(soon got some "coloured' hose though! and only wore the sea-boot socks the once...with the kilt) :-)

[piperdown]

I have always been fond of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band's colours - a nice Lovat blue coloured hose with the orangish/blue/green colours of their Fraser 'ancient' tartan. Very smart looking band indeed, with the incredible, P/M Jack Lee at the fore.

Cheers,

I agree with you...they do look smart. I believe they changed from the Fraser to their own tartan back in 2010. Very similar in colouring but just a bit more vibrant in the colours.

[EagleJCS]

I agree, SFU always does look sharp - in keeping with their playing ability.

BTW, Kyle, Terry Lee is the P/M. Jack is the P/S. Several other Lee family members are also in the band.

The bands in this region still tend to wear the white kilt hose. Partly because of the economics and partly because it's difficult to get enough colored hose in the same shade to outfit everyone in the band (also some people have allergies to wool, some people have to have a different/unusual size, etc.).

[Alan H]

There exists somewhere in this consciousness, the query...

..."Who the flop cares?"

Amen, brother.

Wear what you damn well want and get on with life.

[piperdown]

john: I think your white hose look great in that picture. They contrast nicely with your black shoes and top. But, if you want the loud macleod to really shout and focus attention, try black hose.

John

***+1+1

[chrisupyonder]

I think Black is the new White in many kilt hire shops in Scotland.

I don't like white myself but some look good in them. I have 1 pair of black and 2 navy blue which are almost black. I wear navy or black with my formal wear.

Chris.