Kilt Hose - Colour advice requested

[Jock Scot]

In past discussions, many forum members expressed sentiments of dislike for wearing white hose. Is there also a movement afoot to discredit the wearing of black hose as well or is it simply a matter of personal tastes?

Well, my personal taste is not to wear black hose, even to a funeral. What others choose to do, is entirely down to them.

[HeathBar]

For day wear, I prefer lovat blue or lovat green. Claret is also a good choice during the day. For evening, if you don't have the diced or tartan hose, bottle green is a good option.

The problem with black is that not all hose are created equal. If they are a thinner hose and your legs are particularly white, then your skin shows through the hose. This can be very obvious in photos. The same goes for navy blue.

[The Monk]

I used to not like black or white hose. But I chanced to try black hose with a black shirt and red tie with a Maxwell tartan and it drew favorable comments, and then I did cream hose with a white shirt with a Heritage of Scotland tartan (everyone should have a Gold Bros kilt) and that also worked well.

So if it works, go for it.

[Highlander31]

Like Matt and Jock, I do not wear black hose with a kilt. I prefer to wear a color (colour for those of you on the other side of the pond) that picks up one of the colors in my kilt. To borrow a line from Jock;

What others choose to do, is entirely down to them.

[davidg]

I prefer to wear a color (colour for those of you on the other side of the pond) that picks up one of the colors in my kilt

But if you were wearing a black shadow kilt then your options would be limited <g>

Like Father Bill I tend to wear black hose with a black clerical shirt but in reality I think they look too drab. However, they do seem to have become quite fashionable. The same as cream hose were very fashionable 25 years ago

It's all down to personal preference at the end of the day

[AFS1970]

I like black hose, I bought my first pair because I was trying for something more uniform of a look when adapting an existing uniform into a kilted variant. THey worked OK. I no longer wear that uniform but I did end up replacing my black hose with a much nicer pair. I also have a ancient blue pair and my new favorite of lovat green with argyle tops, which were specifically bought to match the kilt in a way. Both the blue and the green match the kilt more than any shirt/jacket, the black contrasts the kilt but being black does tend to get lost in the shoe. I personally only wear the black for informal events or if wearing in a uniform with spats (something I no longer do).

[pascs]

The white hose distaste seems to have come from the fact that white hose are often seen as part of a kilt hire package......so somehow lowly?

However I think that white / cream hose can enhance the look of a kilt outfit depending on the occasion. It is strange because the majority of Scots that I see in kilts wear cream, black, grey, lovat blue or green hose............I dont think I've seen any diced, yellow or other bright colours recently

[mookien]

Serves me right.

[Mike_Oettle]

It might be that I am a fool rushing in where angels fear to tread, but I have a pair of black hose that I wear quite regularly with my Mighty Men kilt.
I have a black shirt that I wear with them, and to set the black off, I wear a red tie and red flashes.
On the subject of white hose, if I had a presentable Aran jersey and hose that matched, I would probably wear them together. I see nothing wrong with unbleached wool worn at both ends.
But any other shade of white is out.
I also have pairs in claret, air force blue, a medium green, a pale grass green and in a pale buff.
The buff I wear with blue flashes and my Botswana kilt, which is mostly blue. The air force blue I wear with yellow flashes and the same kilt.
For a variation on Sunday, I wore the blue kilt with air force blue hose, white tie, white flashes and my semi-formal sporran, which is white.
I have not yet tried the claret with the blue kilt, but with the right acessories it could perhaps work.
With the claret hose I have so far worn a shirt of the same colour, white tie and white flashes, with my Mighty Men kilt.
With the medium green I always wear red flashes, and the pale green, dark green flashes – both outfits with the Mighty Men kilt.
For my daughter’s wedding I was given a purple tie to wear. I have also worn that with the Mighty Men kilt, black shirt and hose, and purple flashes.
I should possibly expand my collection of hose, but I doubt that I can afford Argyle or diced hose.
I might try yellow with the Botswana kilt, but that might be pushing it. The tartan has buff (or “gold”) stripes, which tone well with the yellow flashes, but yellow hose might be a bit too much.
Regards,
Mike