Question about hose

[Kilt_Like_Objects]

In fairness, there is a use for white kilt hose other than rental...SNOW CAMO!!

It's 43 Celcius here right now. That image both gave me a laugh and reminded me that there are parts of the world where people's eyes aren't stinging with sweat.

Ian

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Here's a band in the glory days of the handknit offwhite Arran hose:

I really like how the female piper in this picture is not wearing hose at all (well, presumably she is in panty-hose) and is in appropriate feminine footwear. I note she's still in the band jacket and wearing shirt and tie, but I can still tell at a distance that she is a woman.

I understand the need for a standard "uniform" in a band, but I don't really care much for making female pipers all look like men. Something like in the above photograph looks much better to me.

[OC Richard]

I really like how the female piper in this picture is not wearing hose at all (well, presumably she is in panty-hose) and is in appropriate feminine footwear. I note she's still in the band jacket and wearing shirt and tie, but I can still tell at a distance that she is a woman.

I understand the need for a standard "uniform" in a band, but I don't really care much for making female pipers all look like men. Something like in the above photograph looks much better to me.

When I started playing in pipe bands in the 70's there were no women in most of the bands. In Scotland and Canada women were sort of expected to play in so-called "Ladies Pipe Bands". These wore outfits like this, which always struck me as looking a bit silly:





Here are the instructors of a piping school, c1981. Note the women wearing the odd special shoes worn in those Ladies Pipe Bands, the tartan hose, the lack of sporran. One is wearing tartan hose and a more feminine jacket style complete with lace.



During the 80's our pipe band, which had several women, followed the look in the Grantown District band above, in that the women wore nylons and women's shoes, no sporrans, and in our case different jackets from the men. The entire band went hatless. Judges at the competitions kept writing things on the scoresheets like "hats would be nice" and "hose and sporrans for the women would look better". Mind you, costume is supposedly not being judged at pipe band events.

So we bowed to the pressure and stuck our women in exactly the same uniform as the men, which is universal modern practice, it seems.

To kill two birds (so to speak) with one stone, here's our band now, showing the unisex uniform and also the dark grey hose getting more and more popular these days:



And finally, on the hose issue, here is a gathering of the world's top solo pipers in Evening Dress. Note the hose choices.

[OC Richard]

I have a couple pairs of "cream" hose but to my eye they just look white.

At least with the hose worn by Pipe Bands, the difference between the cream hose and the new pure white hose was very clear. When the top bands began showing up with the pure gleaming stark white hose it really stood out as looking sharp and crisp and all the cream hose suddenly looked dingy and dull. No band wants to look dingy and dull, so they all scrambled to get the new stark white hose.

About the hose being long, yes, the hose worn nowadays by most pipe bands, called "Piper Socks" by the maker, are very long, going halfway up your thigh, and are then folded over two or three times to get the bulky turnover cuffs that pipe bands like.

[Tobus]

I'll be brutally honest here. Before joining this site, I thought white or cream hose were traditional and proper (which I'm sure 99% of the non-kilted public thinks as well). It was only the general disdain for white/cream hose on this board that got me away from it. And now that I've gone to colored hose, I actually do like the colors better. A lot of it has to do with the shape of the wearer's legs and the overall outfit. You don't want to look like you're wearing your gym socks pulled up to your knee.

But I still think that a heavy knitted and decorative cream hose can look fantastic on the right person and with the right outfit. Rocky, for example, makes it look awesome in the first picture of this thread. I could not imagine colored hose looking any better than what he's gone on.

In fact, I also think hose that's too dark can be funny looking at times too. While you don't want to look like you're wearing gym socks, you also don't want to look like you're wearing regular dress socks. And that's what black kilt hose look like to me. Since black tends to make things look thinner, and you can't see the definition of the decoration on the turndown (or in the leg, for that matter), black hose from a distance just look like dress socks pulled up to the knee. And I would dare to say that black kilt hose are just as non-traditional as cream hose. I could be wrong there, but I don't recall seeing any traditional/historic photos of kilted men wearing black hose.

In the end, anything is appropriate as long as it looks good.

[fluter]

What say you all on hand knit (cable knit) cream hose?

To address Rocky's question: hand knit hose are always appropriate.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I don't recall seeing any traditional/historic photos of kilted men wearing black hose.

Hard to tell in a Black & White photo. I don't recall seeing anyone (other than clergy) in black hose much before 1980, sort of thirty-odd years ago.

[figheadair]

Please correct me if I'm wrong... historically speaking pure white was a difficult colour to obtain, wasn't it? That is to say, two hundred years ago it may have been cheaper to dye wool in various colours rather than bleach them. If that were the case, then white would also be a faux pas from a traditionalist standpoint?

Because they are quite nasty. Brings up images of Andy Stewart and the White Heather Club of the 1960s - yuk.

[Panache]

My personal thoughts on white hose


One, they should be of good quality, thin cheap white/cream hose bear a nasty resemblence to athletic socks. However the thick Aran handknit (i.e. expensive) looking ones are quite nice. The Lewis Hose line would work fine in white as well.

Two, they should be worn as a concious choice because that color (white/cream) looks good with a particular outfit and not because they are a default choice.

Three, wear them if you like the way they look with an outfit. Personal confidence in one's attire and appearance makes a huge difference in carrying off a look.

Four, take the opinions of those that dislike them with a grain of salt and a smile. Should someone ever mention how much they dislike your white hose in public simply smile and say "That's alright old chap, I like them enough for the both of us!"


Now personally I would only wear white/cream hose with my PC style black tie formal rig and my ghillie brogues. There is something that to me speaks of the elegant simplicity of the black and white dinner jacket in this type of outfit. However they aren't right (to me) with the older styled formal doublets and don't go at all with day wear .

Cheers

Jamie :ootd:

[denmcdough]

Not to upset anyone, but I must put my two cents worth in on this thread. I agree with many folks, here, why white might not be appropriate, due to keeping them clean. After that, I can't see the fuss. This is a matter of personal choice. I think too many folks get carried away with what THEY would do, and then try to get everyone else to think their way. If you only wear white to a tennis match or to the gym, good for you. There are many situations when white looks very stunning. Is there a law written that white should not be used???? If so, then all the manufacturers of kilt hose need to stop making them.

Oh, and not using them because they are cheap, like being used in hire??? Isn't that being a tad stuffy??????

I know some older gentlemen in my area who use only white hose, and they do look awfully dapper when in the full Scottish attire. Different strokes for different folks!! I don't like to be offensive here, but come on!!!