Universal hose color?

[Guinness>water]

Thanks for the recommendations. I have been doing as Steve suggested and matching my hose with my shirt. That idea has worked so far, but then you need to buy several colors of garter flashes. I'm all about simpleness, one color of hose to go with every tartan and every color of shirt.

I like the oatmeal/bison thought. Should be a every cloths matching sock.

Thanks again.

[Father Bill]

Yup. I'ts been commented on that black is also becoming cliche - that's why the garters can really break the mold. Obviously (or not) in my profession, I wear a lot of black shirts, so the black hose match the shirt and jacket and even pick up the black in my clergy tartan. I'm going out this afternoon to pick up some black garter ties to go with blue socks, but you know, maybe I'll get a pair of reds too if John has them in stock!

[AFS1970]

Yup. I'ts been commented on that black is also becoming cliche - that's why the garters can really break the mold. Obviously (or not) in my profession, I wear a lot of black shirts, so the black hose match the shirt and jacket and even pick up the black in my clergy tartan. I'm going out this afternoon to pick up some black garter ties to go with blue socks, but you know, maybe I'll get a pair of reds too if John has them in stock!

OK at the risk of making a bad joke, if you were going to match your shirt and hose, wouldn't white flashes be appropriate? In a way they would be like the rarely seen anymore preaching tabs.

[OC Richard]

About "coordinating" shirt and hose, if you mean contrasting colours that coordinate, yes indeed.

Matching shirt and hose, on the other hand, sometimes works well and sometimes doesn't. Seems to me that usually it's a stronger overall effect if the jacket, shirt, hose, and kilt are all different colours, but somehow coordinate.

Having the hose and shirt match looks especially bad in pipe bands wearing waistcoats without jackets, longsleeved white shirts, and white hose. When on the march all the swinging long white arms and swinging long white legs really jump out at the eye and look like a chaotic mess. It's one of the reasons pipe bands wearing white hose look so much better in blue shirts.

In the photos I posted above, I think the Army uniform and my Isle of Skye outfit are stronger for having nothing match. In the bottom photo the grey hose and shirt make the Roxburgh kilt look more dull than it is- the danger of wearing hose too close in colour to one of the tartan's main colours.

Note that the Burgundy hose, not matching anything in the Isle of Skye tartan, allow the tartan's colours to shine out.

[Father Bill]

OK at the risk of making a bad joke, if you were going to match your shirt and hose, wouldn't white flashes be appropriate? In a way they would be like the rarely seen anymore preaching tabs.

Yes they would indeed... but although they'd look interesting, I don't think I'll do that.

[xman]

For dressing I'd choose Lovat Green edging over Lovat Blue like many others.

For casual, Oatmeal has been said and Loden Green is another great choice, but I would have a hard time choosing between those and Bison or Natural. (undyed)