Question about hose

[GG]

I wear black, green, blue, grey, cream and white kilt hose. I like the variety provided by my kilts - and my kilt hose, whatever their color.


Greg

[JSFMACLJR]

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?

It certainly is a faux pas from the point of view of a "traditionalist"!

[JSFMACLJR]

Nicely said.

I don't understand why anyone cares what color hose anyone else wears, to begin with. If white hose look good with what you are wearing, wear them. Personally, I would lean to wearing white hose more for a formal occasion than an informal one, but that would be my choice. Even my wife, whose taste I value, has little to say about what I wear, once I make a decision.
?

Do you wear white hose with a dinner jacket? No? Why not?

[OC Richard]

It's interesting how, in threads like this, some people will go down either the like/don't like path, or the correct/incorrect (proper/improper) path.

Fashion is what it is. Things go in and out of style. Being "out of fashion" at a particular point in time doesn't mean "wrong". I myself try to find out the story of things, observe the comings and goings over the years, learning the context of things the best I can.

But can something simply look "wrong" to my eye? Sure. When one looks over as many available images of Highland Dress as one can, from the earliest up through the 19th century, and one sees an unbroken pattern in a certain thing, then when one sees somebody today wearing something that is outside of that traditional pattern it looks out of place. An example of this is when the kiltmaker makes flashes out of the little leftover bits of tartan and provides them with the kilt. This looks "wrong" to me on two grounds 1) garters were nearly always solid/selfcoloured, and when not, were striped and 2) garters were always made of material woven in the required width, not cut out of a large piece of fabric. (Likewise the modern bagpipe drone "ribbons" which are cut out of tartan fabric and sewn look "wrong" because drone ribbon were always made out of....ribbon.)

So anyhow I would never say "cream hose are wrong" but I can say with certainty that cream hose are currently out of fashion with Pipe Bands. Whenever one sees a band wearing them it jumps out as being a throwback to c1980, like a Miami Vice unconstructed blazer suit in white worn with a narrow teal necktie and pink shirt. But that's a band thing, I suppose. Pipe Bands are more aware of current styles and feel more pressure to follow them, I think, than many individuals. I think that's because Pipe Band music is constantly evolving and if a band is wearing stuff that went out of fashion 20 years ago the judges will strongly suspect that the band's playing will likewise not be up to current standards. (And, it's usually true.)

[Panache]

Do you were white hose with a dinner jacket? No? Why not?

Ah but Sandford formal highland attire is different than a dinner jacket is it not?

When we think of a tail coat or dinner jacket outfit immediately we think of a black and white color scheme. More often than not gentlemen wear their formal outfits with Prince Charlie coatee and kilt with this in mind. It can be a very elegant look and it certainly makes the bold tartan colors of the kilt stand out. It is a modern formal look where the kilt takes center stage and the rest of the outfit acts as a frame

Now if I may use yourself as an example of a proponent for an older style of highland formal wear, we see a different focus. You will wear a matching tartan doublet, waist coat, kilt, and hose. It is a very bold look that harkens back to a time where men wear not afraid to present themselves in a bold bright way in their manner of dress. The kilt in your formal rig is merely a component of the wonderful colorful tartan whole. It has a completely different fashion dynamic than a modern Prince Charlie coatee ensemble.

The choice of wearing a hose that ties into the coatee (black/white) or colored/diced/argyle to tie into the kilt is a personal one. The wearer has to ask himself is he framing his kilt or is he incorporating it with his attire.

When done well with the right elements I can appreciate both looks

Cheers

Jamie :ootd:

[Jack Daw]

Thankfully, the St. Thomas Episcopal School Pipe Band in Houston has given up white hose for gray.

I should replace my avatar photo with another as I gave up white hose a few years ago.

[KWD]

Well, I didn't want to cause a war amongst those fans of white hose, and those opposed. I was just reading some posts and saw lots of people bashing them, I was just wondering why.

Yes I indeed am one of those people that doesn't (at this current time) have the money to by a Kilt (when I do I want to do it right the first time) so I rented my Kilt outfit for my wedding, Luckily I found a place that actually had my "Clan Tartan" for me to rent, that was a HUGE plus. It did come with white hose, I wore them and think it looked great (see pic below). I also purchased my own shirt; I didn't like the tux shirt they sent with the rental.

So thank you all for your opinions and I have come to the conclusion that White hose look great in formal wear, and not to be tied down to just one color of hose, The world is colorful why shouldn't we be....


Here is a Pic of me at my wedding..

[CDNSushi]

I don't agree with the knee jerk "I hate white hose" crowd, but I resepct their opinion to not like them. I also keep listening and see that beyond the often poorly worded opposition to white hose there are also some valuable nuggets of information.

Jamie, that's very well put. I would not want to paint everyone with the same brush, and there are many reasonable arguments for liking and disliking white hose... Not all reasons are created equal, however, and I would say that some make more sense than others.

Disliking white hose because there are more colourful, or fancier, or more traditional options are all sound reasons (among others). Disliking them because "I spent a lot of money on this outfit, so heaven forbid should anyone mistake it for a rental" -- far less so. To me, that's rather like flashing expensive jewelry or showing off a wad of money just to impress someone and show how much rich you are. I am not accusing anyone here in particular of doing that, but it would be easy for people to interpret it that way.

I think the key is really in taking a step back and thinking about what sort of impression we are giving visitors to XMTS or new members who are just learning about Highland attire. Since I've joined the forum, I've definitely gotten the impression that white hose are a fashion faux-pas and that no one who knows anything about kilts would (or should) be caught wearing them, despite that quite clearly, there is a split between those who do and those who don't. There is far less of a clear-cut line in the sand than summary impressions would indicate and that is not very obvious at all by reading the "white hose threads" on XMTS.

[MacLowlife]

I understand the various arguments against white hose and I believe I am subtle enough to appreciate the difference between white athletic style hose and BEIGE / CREAM hose, which many lump in with the dreaded white ones. What I have to admit, for good or ill, is that I prefer white hose in any form over BLACK hose. Granted, I am pleased to have other choices, solid and patterned, but if I were faced with black hose or nothing else, I would chose trousers.

I understand and am willing to admit- this is only my own prejudice and opinion.

I believe in the end, we must all admit that our choice of hose, or, for that matter, of neckwear, sleeve length, sporran design, etc., is either a choice to honor someone else's opinion, or to disagree with it. Call that tradition or call it innovation, sooner or later, you can find someone else who has done the most outrageous thing before you and someone else who has refused to follow good sense. We stand on our own and we do so with our own charm and confidence to support us. After that, we are defenseless.

[Pleater]

In another life I go off doing English Folk music things, and I never quite understand why some women's dance teams or sides chose black or dark stockings as part of their outfits - simply because the dances were normally associated with holidays, and dark stockings with workdays.

I think that the wearing of dark stockings is a French fashion thing, and considered sophisticated.

I don't go around pointing it out as an error - though I have mentioned it to a couple of sides, in passing. They can look good, with the right costume.

I think Kyle (KWD) looks gorgeous, if slightly aprehensive in the wedding outfit. If pushed I could say that a bit more visible knee would not come amiss but that is just me - but the dark with white shirt and hose is always going to be a striking combination.

Spotless, chunky white hose really can look very apt - with the right outfit.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: