kilt hose for, um, shorter lads

[Mickey]

I'm 5'-7" too, and have the same problem. I was trying all kind of tricks to get the Lewis hose to do right for me, and I finally gave up and decided to just do the standard turnover, even though it seemed way too long. And I think it actually works out OK. Here they are below, and you can see I have them turned down all the way to where the seam is.



I really do wish, though, that they would make the length shorter when you order in smaller foot sizes. I don't know what makes them think that a guy who wears a small sock size would be 6' tall.

I have found that my best option is just to order custom made hose. They are pricy, but worth it because they fit perfectly.

I am 5'7" too, and my Lewis' come just below the knee when folded at the seam. I like that, but I also wear a size 7 shoe. I need to do some hot water treatments on them, at least up to mid calf. It takes a lot of work to keep wrinkles out of them right now.

[Silent Raven]

So I'm the first to admit that I'm not particularly vertically gifted, coming in at 5' 7" if I'm standing up VERY straight, and wearing a pair of boots.... but in order for them to fit properly I need to fold them down and then back up again, which inverts the lovely "Celtic cuff."
Does anyone have a recommendation for a pair of quality hose that fit those of us kilties that aren't toweringly huge?

if you fold them down and then instead of up fold them under, you would save the celtic cuff design of the hose, and most might not notice that they are folded under. i sometimes do this with my hose as i stand at a 'frightening' 5'3!!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I'm 5'-7" too, and have the same problem. I was trying all kind of tricks to get the Lewis hose to do right for me, and I finally gave up and decided to just do the standard turnover, even though it seemed way too long. And I think it actually works out OK. Here they are below, and you can see I have them turned down all the way to where the seam is.

That is actually exactly how the Lewis hose are supposed to look/fit. I'd say you are wearing them perfectly! Looking good!

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I'm also 5'7'' and I have to fold some of my hoses 3x times. But in a particular sequence.
Once down, then back up and down again.

That is just what I recommend to people who have to deal with too-long kilt hose. Fold down, up, then down again. That way you still are showing the "good face" of the knit pattern on the cuff. This is true of any brand of kilt hose, and a trick most shorter-legged kilt wearers end up learning sooner or later.

[Standard]

I'm a towering 5'9", but only wear a size 7.5 shoe which creates some interesting problems too with the heel of most socks coming up above my heel. I often have trouble finding a sock that will fit my foot and also be long enough to have a proper turn down at a good height.

[Tobus]

I am 5'7" too, and my Lewis' come just below the knee when folded at the seam. I like that, but I also wear a size 7 shoe. I need to do some hot water treatments on them, at least up to mid calf. It takes a lot of work to keep wrinkles out of them right now.

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who is short with little feet! My shoe size actually measures 6.5 US (6 UK), but I usually end up wearing a size 7 US because they just don't make men's shoes smaller than that. Heck, some don't even make them smaller than size 8.

So I'm pretty much stuck wearing "small" hose, and not even all hose-makers offer that size. It's usually only medium or large.

I have considered trying a hot water treatment on some of my cheaper hose that are way too long, to see if they'll shrink down to actually fit me. I just haven't worked up the nerve to do it yet, as I'm afraid I'll ruin them. But then again, I tend not to wear them anyway because they don't fit me, so I suppose it's no loss.

What's weird is that not all of us 5'-7" guys will be able to wear the same hose. I think my lower legs are probably the same length as someone who would be 5'-9" or 5'-10", and my vertical deficiency is more in my torso (which seems too short in proportion to the rest of me). Some of you other guys may have regular torsos, but short legs, in which case the hose will fit differently. And calf shape/size will have a lot to do with it too. I'm really starting to become a believer in the idea that hose need to be custom made just like kilts. There is no "one size fits all" category, and even the small-medium-large sizing simply doesn't work for some of us (or at least, not if we want them to fit well).

And yes, custom hose are amazing! (Except for the hand washing part.)

I hand-wash all my kilt hose anyway. I'd be afraid to put a nice pair of hose in the washing machine, even the commercially made ones like House of Cheviot.

That shows my issue exactly, Tobus. It's not as though I have extra small feet, adding insult to the injury of my short legs. I think the Lewis hose are of a great quality (better than the House of Edgar) but they just don't fit. And I don't have the chance to wear the kilt often enough right now to make custom hose financially feasible.
If nothing else, hopefully this thread turns up some possible vendors for us.

Believe it or not, you can have custom hose made for not much more than the House of Cheviot hose, if you get them from the right places (or find someone willing to hand-knit you a pair). I've had two pair made for me, hand-knitted to my measurements, and the cost was VERY reasonable. PM me if you want details. These are "chunky" hose, which I happen to like because I have skinny bird-legs and they help with the visual proportions:



That said, I have also been thinking that the Lewis hose could be made to work for short legs with a simple alteration. Since the cuff is stitched to the ribbed tube portion of the leg, I wonder if you could undo the stitching, trim the hose down an inch or so, and re-stitch the cuff. This would take some hand-work, or could even be done on a sewing machine (or "thread injector" as some guys like to call it). The aesthetics of the stitching don't matter, since ideally it would be hidden in the final product. Has anyone tried this? Is it do-able?

[creagdhubh]

I find that buying a size small works rather well for shorter guys - this way, the hose do not come up to high on the leg, and you can achieve a '3-finger' gap between the lower part of the knee and the top of the hose turnover. Even though I am a size 10.5 US and around 5' 10" tall, all of my hose, with the exception of bespoke evening hose, are a size small, and they work great!

Cheers,

[creagdhubh]

That is actually exactly how the Lewis hose are supposed to look/fit. I'd say you are wearing them perfectly! Looking good!

I agree! They look perfect, Tobus!

[Tobus]

Tobus -- Fantastic spats!!!!

BTW, the spats look great!!

Thanks guys! I actually took that picture for a different thread specifically on civilian spats. But it happened to be useful in this discussion too, for the hose themselves.

I'll be honest: I love playing with different hose and legwear looks (including garters, spats, and shoe combinations). Some people tend to buy lots of different kilts and don't pay much attention to the rest of the accessories. But I'm the kind of guy who only desires a couple of kilts, and prefers to be able to transform them into completely different looks by switching up the accessories. Kilt hose and jackets are what excite me. Sometimes it feels weird getting as excited as I do over a pair of socks, lol...

[Mickey]

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who is short with little feet! My shoe size actually measures 6.5 US (6 UK), but I usually end up wearing a size 7 US because they just don't make men's shoes smaller than that. Heck, some don't even make them smaller than size 8.

I have considered trying a hot water treatment on some of my cheaper hose that are way too long, to see if they'll shrink down to actually fit me. I just haven't worked up the nerve to do it yet, as I'm afraid I'll ruin them. But then again, I tend not to wear them anyway because they don't fit me, so I suppose it's no loss.

What's weird is that not all of us 5'-7" guys will be able to wear the same hose. I think my lower legs are probably the same length as someone who would be 5'-9" or 5'-10", and my vertical deficiency is more in my torso (which seems too short in proportion to the rest of me).

That said, I have also been thinking that the Lewis hose could be made to work for short legs with a simple alteration. Since the cuff is stitched to the ribbed tube portion of the leg, I wonder if you could undo the stitching, trim the hose down an inch or so, and re-stitch the cuff.

Sucks doesn't it? Terribly hard to find shoes that fit. Most of mine are 8 to 8.5. I've been wearing larger sizes for so long that they almost feel normal now. I was going to practice on a pair of white cheapos that I have too. I think your lower legs are longer than mine by a couple of inches, just by looking at where the tops of your hose come. Mine come to just under the knee.

The restitching idea is brilliant! I'm going to give that a try before the hot water and see what happens. I'll be sure to get some pics of it and let you know how it goes. Maybe tonight if I have the time. Can't believe the thought never crossed my mind!