Need help with hose color choice for a solid brown kilt

[Geoff Withnell]

Live a little! A rich deep burgundy pair of hose would look great. And frankly, I don't worry about whether my footwear matches the rest of my gear. And from pictures readily found on this forum, neither does Prince Charles when he is kilted, so I'm in august company.

[DyerStraits]

Live a little! A rich deep burgundy pair of hose would look great. And frankly, I don't worry about whether my footwear matches the rest of my gear. And from pictures readily found on this forum, neither does Prince Charles when he is kilted, so I'm in august company.

I agree completely, Geoff. Contrast can work just as well--if not better than--matchy-matchy. Breaking the accessories "rules"--once you've mastered them-- is permitted and can be highly effective. Whether it's the Highland or the Saxon corner of your wardrobe, if everything you wear works with virtually everything else you wear, then, like the Duke Of Rothesay, you're definitely doing something right. Put It On, Out The Door.

[McRoy]

I'd consider a diced pair of hose say Red/Black which would IMHO contrast nicely with the neutral tone of the utilikilt. (of course if it were me and I ever considered wearing a utilikilt, I'd pair it with a nice set of tan spats Lol) I would not shy away from brown or tan hose either as tone on tone would work very well also. Given the kilt is neutral, feel free to explore color as well. Have fun me Lad, have Fun!!

[KSmedic]

I am equally new to the kilt, so take my reply with a large grain of salt. One of the articles I've read about proper attire said that the easiest thing to do when starting out is to consider your kilt on equal footing with a pair of trousers in the same color. If the hose you pick are a color you'd wear with a pair of brown trousers, go ahead and wear them. Now, having said that, I personally would stick with the earth tones. (I tend towards those colors anyway, so it's not a radical change.) I have a tan 5.11 kilt that I normally wear hiking boots with, and have worn white, tan, and OD green socks, depending on what's clean and easily accessible in the drawer. I have not worn "traditional" kilt hose with it. It's a non-traditional kilt, so I kinda felt that the rules don't really apply. treat the Utilikilt the same way. Wear what you want. That's the whole point of wearing a kilt anyway, isn't it?

[OC Richard]

I like contrast! Brown is a 'warm' colour so I'd go 'cool' and try various shades of blue first, and green. Also try going warmer yet with red, claret, or yellow.

If I had a plain kilt I'd probably go with patterned hose, such as the Shooting Socks with the wonderful patterned tops.

[OC Richard]

One of the articles I've read about proper attire said that the easiest thing to do when starting out is to consider your kilt on equal footing with a pair of trousers

I couldn't disagree more, if the article is suggesting treating kilt hose colour as you would trouser socks colour. This is completely contrary to the traditions of Highland Dress.

With trousers the aim usually appears to be to try to make the socks as blended and unobtrusive as possible. Kiltwearing has never been like that!

The true analogy with a Saxon suit is to treat kilt hose colour as you would shirt and necktie colour. If you had a brown suit would you wear a matching brown shirt and matching brown tie? Rather, most men would choose contrasting things which coordinated, which had light/dark warm/cool etc contrasts. It's this sort of contrast and coordination which have long been a hallmark of Highland Dress.

[KSmedic]

I couldn't disagree more, if the article is suggesting treating kilt hose colour as you would trouser socks colour. This is completely contrary to the traditions of Highland Dress.

With trousers the aim usually appears to be to try to make the socks as blended and unobtrusive as possible. Kiltwearing has never been like that!

The true analogy with a Saxon suit is to treat kilt hose colour as you would shirt and necktie colour. If you had a brown suit would you wear a matching brown shirt and matching brown tie? Rather, most men would choose contrasting things which coordinated, which had light/dark warm/cool etc contrasts. It's this sort of contrast and coordination which have long been a hallmark of Highland Dress.

I would tend to agree. If I remember correctly, which is definitely not a given, the article in question (One of MANY lately.) was referring specifically to modern utility style kilts. I know that I personally prefer a contrasting color when choosing a shirt and/or tie. With a tartan kilt, I think a contrasting color looks far better, but I think that a solid colored, modern kilt looks best with coordinating colors. Just my opinion, of course. Ultimately, everyone should wear what he feels looks best.