matching your hose?

[OC Richard]

Okay, everybody has given good advice so far, but no one has mentioned that the cream/white hose really should be avoided (this being the "Traditional Highland Dress Forum" I feel I am on safe ground when I write this!). Diced hose, or tartan hose are the socks of choice for evening dress. Failing that--and they do tend to be a bit expensive-- go with solid colour hose: blues, greens, reds, greys are all good choices and will mark your man as having a discerning eye!

I put the "discerning eye" bit in bold because that, to me, is the crux of the issue.

Cream/offwhite hose aren't "wrong" but they ARE out of fashion currently.

We should keep in mind that Highland dress, like any sort of clothing, is a fashion and at any given time some things are "in" and some are "out".

Fashion is a funny thing: it advertises to those who are "in the loop" who are likewise in the loop, and those who are not.

At any point in time the majority of people will wear what's current, while a few will be on the cutting edge of the next trend, and a few will continue to wear what is out-of-date... a bell-shaped curve if you will.

This is a constant topic of debate in the Pipe Band world.

Anyhow, nowadays in the Pipe Band world at least, offwhite hose mark a band as being hopelessly out of date, because they were all the go in the 1980's but in the 1990's were replaced by pure white hose.

Currently, while many leading pipe bands still wear their 1990's pure white hose, many are going to dark hose, the most popular colours being black and an extremely dark blue. (Black goes with everything, so it's a no-brainer for pipe bands.)
Charcoal grey is also somewhat popular now, and compliments a wide variety of tartans.
Also Lovat blue and Lovat green hose, considered old-fashioned in the 1980's and 1990's, have been making a comeback.

The rallying cry seems to be "anything but white!" or "death to white popcorn hose!"

(Offwhite is considered completely beyond the pale and never even enters the conversation).

[Ruffles]

Too late! He's a member here, his username is Lovedby Ruffles. (aka Hunny)

He came up with his user name without my help, I'm just sayn!

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Hunny bought cream hose to wear with his Ancient McDonald kilt, and I've made him green flashings. Is it ok if his shirt is white and not cream, like the hose? I'm not sure about the rules...

Also, he hasn't a jacket, what else should he wear? It's for formal night on our cruise at the end of November.

Normally, he wears his kilt ultra casually- like with his Star Wars T-shirt! But we're trying to dress it up this time! LOL

Any advice? Hope this was the right place to post this!

also...

I've looked around at several pictures and am drawn to the red checked hose- what is the history of those?

It is rather difficult to offer advice since I don't know where you live. That said, I'd suggest you try the following:

1. Purchase a black Argyll jacket; this can be worn with a bow tie (formal) or a regular tie (as you would if wearing a suit to an informal event or dinner).

2. With the Argyll jacket purchase a black three button waistcoat (vest in the USA) as this will give the outfit a more traditional look.

Contact our advertisers for best price/availability. Most retailers can supply an off-the-rack size from stock, and delivery can usually be made within 48 hours via UPS, FedEx, etc.

I hope that helps--

enjoy your cruise!

[fluter]

OK i'm going to differ with a couple of our colleagues: the shirt should be white. The hose, most of us would say, should not be white. Cream hose are acceptable to some, not to others; it's a matter of taste influenced by custom and usage.

The whole jacket length issue is (1) you don't want the jacket to hide the pleats, (2) it would look a bit funny to most of us here. The cut in front is not crucial, but the length makes a difference.

You may have time to rent a Prince Charlie and the trimmings before going: check with Scottish Tartans Museum, Celtic Croft, et al. Hubby could see how he likes the PC, and it might inform any future purchase.

Above all, have fun!

If purchase is an option, several of our sponsors could also fit you out with the PC or black Argyll and 2 vests to mix'n'match with it. USA Kilts has a nice price going on Argyll and PC.

Now that I think of it, if anyone is in the market for a tux---music students, take note--- Jos. A. Bank has had a nice deal going on separates ($200 for jacket and trousers). If you're near one of their stores, they will honor the Web/catalog price, or they usually ship extremely quickly.

[thescot]

Why can't we still call him Hunny?

[Ruffles]

Why can't we still call him Hunny?

He's really gonna kill me for starting this "hunny" business! haha!!!

[thescot]

He's really gonna kill me for starting this "hunny" business! haha!!!

I just think Hunny is so cute.

[thescot]

Duplicate deleted

[Tobus]

The whole jacket length issue is (1) you don't want the jacket to hide the pleats, (2) it would look a bit funny to most of us here. The cut in front is not crucial, but the length makes a difference.

What is the proper length of a jacket? What's the lowest it should come to in the back?

[MacLowlife]

Tobus, The best answer is that it should stop where the sewn part of the pleats ends. Ideally, you would put on your kilt and get someone to measure, since you might wear your kilt differently. As a practical matter, I have just measured 7 or 8 kilt jackets in different styles, (Argyle and PC) both off the rack and home altered. They all seem to hover around 27 or 28 inches from the top of the collar. My Saxon sport coat I wore yesterday measures close to 32 inches. Those four or five inches make the difference.

The skirt of a kilt jacket seems to run about as long as its sleeves (maybe an inch more), while a saxon one comes to the cupped fingers.

Interestingly, I have found velvet sport coats on eBay, sold by ( and possibly for) Asians, that are tailored to kilt proportions. Unfortunately, they run very small, so that their XL fits about like a 40 reg, but the sleeves are fine.

Maybe there has been a gradual lengthening of the "short jacket" for saxon menswear over the years. Others have commented that group photos of Scotsmen from the mid century seem to include a number of "ordinary sport jackets" over kilts. My own experience has been that a sport coat ( or a suit coat) ought to cover one's seat and even the slightest deviation looks and feels awkward, but I am a Post-WWII product. Clearly someone somewhere likes that shorter look.

One last thought on this. Barbour, the makers of waxed cotton jackets, offer several styles, but two of the most popular are the Bedale, which is short, very like a kilt jacket, and the Beaufort, which is longer, just a touch longer than a suit coat. You see both with the kilt and both look fine, but they are not designed as dress coats.