Cream/White Hose or NOT

[Jock Scot]

Thanks to JimB who posted, yesterday this article on kilts in The Scotsman, I read the following;

“Both Howie and Nick advise against white socks, which are popular with the kilt hire trade. Howie can't abide them, though Nick is a little more forgiving. "Cream or white hose still offend some traditionalists. But it is possibly time to accept that white is now more orthodox," he concedes.”

That was new to me. So what do you think are cream or ‘white’ socks tacky or acceptable? To the traditionalists who are offended by cream or white socks, why?

If you like them,then wear them.For me,I think there are far better choices of coloured hose to wear.

[Arlen]

You know, I kinda like cream hose. I think they look good with a formal outfit and match a nice white shirt.
It's whatever each individual wants to wear.

I can only imagine that back in the original kilting days people would have thought white hose pretty darn snazzy. I mean, you'd have to be pretty rich to keep them so white.

[kiltedsawyer]

IMHO the cream kilt hose work when the shirt matches a predominant color in the kilt, example; I wear cream kilt hose when wearing a dark blue shirt with my McLaren modern. To wear wear dark blue kilt hose, dark blue shirt, with a predominantly blue and green kilt makes one look too monochromatic. To my eye, it just looks better to match one, (shirt or hose,) with the kilt, but not both, and let the other be a neutral color, (cream, white, tan, khaki.) I know there are some that say "match the shirt and hose," and this looks good too but depends on the intensity of the color as it seems to come off better with the lighter colors, ie lovat blue, lovat green, etc. As always, wear what you feel good in, and you'll always be comfortable.

[Colin]

My first pair of hose were some cream ones from my local vendor. I think I wore them exclusively until I bought a pair of the coloured hose I just found the cream common and a bit boring. There is definitely a place for them and they look real sharp with a PC or with a doublet, but I onw a tweed argyle not a PC or doublet (yet).

Personally I prefer to wear my coloured hose to the white versions. I tend to use my lovat green and lovat blue for the day time and ususally use the black or charcoal hose for the evening events. Of course it all depends on my mood, the kilt I am wearing, and the rest of the ensemble.

To each their own.

[rollerboy_1979]

I personally don't see anything wrong with wearing white piper hose to match a bright white tuxedo shirt as shown in the picture posted by Big Mikey. I think it accentuates the flashes, and when I wear them I get gobs of compliments. That guy seems to have forgotten his bow tie and his flashes. To each his own.
RB

[Joe Gondek]

I,m not big on white unless you're a piper
I do have a pair of cream colored that I wear,depends on the kilt

As Robin said Oatmeal is a great light colored choice

[JimB]

I personlly don't own any pure white hose, although I do have a cream colored pair. I also have oatmeal, grey, green, and black. And I will be getting others.
I think it's just a matter of what looks good with the rest of the outfit. White can work just as well as other colors depending on what you're wearing.

[Nick the DSM]

i think that white socks are universal for most colors of kilts. they fit well with red, green and blue. i dont own any socks, yet. i need to get them since winter is coming in and i need to keep my legs warm.

[Alan H]

Is this a topic to get really upset about? I mean, we're talking about socks, here.

I have a pair of black kilt hose, quite nice. I hate them and never wear them. But that's just me and my personal bent. I have a couple of pairs of less expensive grey hose. I love them and wear them all the time and in fact hve worn out a pair, my first worn-though pair of kilt socks.. I have a couple of pairs of cream hose...one pair is wool, the others are cotton, but quite nice for all that. I wear them all the time.

I figure, wear what you want and what you think looks good, and don't get upset about little stuff like the color of another guys socks.

[turpin]

Well, we're not really what you'd call Metrosexuals here, but we do seem to spend an inordinate amount of time and energy discussing which shirt goes with these hose and whether this kilt makes me look fat, and anxiously waiting for SWK to come out with the leather man-purse, and swooning over the latest fashion tartan.


I guess that makes us Kiltrosexuals.