Best complementary hose colors for predominantly red & green kilts?

[Willie T]

I would love to hear some suggestions from the rabble for hose colors that would best complement predominantly red & green tartans in the modern palette. Both of my kilts (Mackintosh Clan Modern & Mackintosh Hunting Modern) are predominantly red & green. I'll upload images of the two tartans below. I would like to avoid white, cream, black, charcoal, modern red, or modern green hose. I think navy would be a good color but what are some other colors that would work?

[Willie T]

Mackintosh Clan Modern.jpgMackintosh Modern Clan

[Willie T]

Mackintosh Hunting ModernMackintosh Hunting Modern.jpg

[ThistleDown]

With mine I wear blue, green, charcoal, another green, two other blues, grey, -- well, pretty much what I feel like that day, I guess (except yellow). I'm fortunate in that my wife knits and every time she goes home to Switzerland for a few weeks of skiing I have a new pair. A glass of wine, good friends and family, and knitting needles -- she calls it apres ski . Love her to bits!

[Terry Searl]

I would love to hear some suggestions from the rabble for hose colors that would best complement predominantly red & green tartans in the modern palette. Both of my kilts (Mackintosh Clan Modern & Mackintosh Hunting Modern) are predominantly red & green. I'll upload images of the two tartans below. I would like to avoid white, cream, black, charcoal, modern red, or modern green hose. I think navy would be a good color but what are some other colors that would work?

In my opinion the colours of the kilt are irrelevant to the rest of the attire. I think the tartan can and should stand on it's own. If co-ordinating is your desire then, as I do, I try and co-ordinate my hose with my jacket, or shirt or tie or waist coat or all four but Like I say, I think just about any tartan can and should stand alone, so as not to have any colour of the kilt taken away or lessened......I hope this makes sense

[Tarheel]

I just found an old photo of OC Richard and another kilted gent. Richard is wearing bison colored hose from the House of Cheviot (advertisers with us here) and his Isle of Syke kilt. The gent, to the left side of the photo, has a kilt with colors similar to your posting. Do these look like hose colors that would work with your tastes?

[McMurdo]

Navy would work as would Lovat Blue and Lovat Green, Mustard works surprisingly well also.

[Manu]

I had the same questions as you just a few months ago. I browsed hundreds of pictures in this forum in both thr picture and traditional sections. From there I ended up developin my own style of hose styling. I personally like the look of ancient hose with modern tartan, I like the contrast and it the offset makes it not too match. I also like the hose to match a very minor color in the tartan, like a thin stripe in it. I think it helps bring out that color. Third, any color that compliments the tartan, and those are many in your case. For your particular red tartan, I'd do OD been, Loden green, bison, or ancient green to name a few.

[Nomad]

As a relative newbie to kilt wearing all I could add to the great advice above is that if you are wearing a lot of the same colour i.e. Green kilt, green jacket, jumper or indeed hoodie, then pick a contrasting colour. I don't mean a shocking contrast, just something different to break things up a little.

[The Wizard of BC]

One of the things I try to point out to newbies with this same sort of question is this -

When you think that just because you put a kilt on, should not necessarily mean that everything in your outfit must be based on the color of the kilt.

This would mean that you are limiting your choices of color to one part of the entire color spectrum.

The kilt is very capable of standing on its own. It is quite possible, and often preferable, to build a color coordinated outfit without matching the colors of the kilt.

There are so many options for good looking colors and good looking outfits that it would be a shame to limit your thinking to just one or two colors.

Let the kilt stand on its own.

If you think of a Scottish wedding, everyone will be in the same hose, shirt, coat & tie, yet all with their own kilt. And it works!

Experiment, look in a mirror and see what looks good or what looks bad based on the whole outfit. You may surprise yourself with the things already in your closet.