Traditional Garter Ties & Color Matching

[Riverkilt]

Does anyone ever match their traditional garter ties color to their kilt hose color?

I know flashes contrast by nature and I only remember seeing traditional garter ties worn in colors to contrast with kilt hose.

Was considering wearing some garter ties tomorrow that matched the kilt hose color....black on black.

Any thoughts?

Why not green on green, red on red, blue on blue etc.?

Would seem a bit of a more subtle look.

[McMurdo]

I do like to do that from time to time and I think it works well. Here is a photo to illustrate:

[Riverkilt]

Thanks cousin,

That does look sharp...now I'm convinced.

[McMurdo]

No problem, glad I could help. Merry Christmas Ron.

[OC Richard]

Does anyone ever match their traditional garter ties color to their kilt hose color?

If you go back and look at large numbers of 18th century and early to mid 19th century portraits you'll see that the ties were nearly always red, the hose nearly always red & white, red & black, or red & green in a simple tartan (the hose then being cut from woven cloth and sewn on the bias, not knitted).

This was true regardless of the kilt's colours. So it seems that the notion of matching flashes to kilt is a modern one.

For whatever reason, many/most pipe bands in the 1980's and 1990's went to black flashes, part of a general trend to remove all colour from the kit, making everything either black or white save for the kilt itself.

Nowadays it's the fashion to match the flashes to the kilt's colours, which looks very nice I must say. In fact nowadays it sort of jumps out at your eye when someone is wearing the traditional scarlet flashes with a kit which otherwise has no such colour presesnt.

What never looks right to me is tartan flashes... garters were always made of woven cloth made in the correct width, not cut down from tartan fabric, so I guess I could sort of accept garters made from woven tartan ribbon... but cut from kilt cloth? No.

By the way, striped garters are sometimes seen in old portraits and the pipers of The Highlanders regiment wore striped flashes.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

The general practice is to choose a contrasting color for the garter, but there is absolutely no reason why you can't wear the same color as the hose. As you said, it would give a much more subtle look.

I've done it before. Usually I do this when I'm wearing a hose with a fancy top. For example, charcoal garters on a charcoal hose (claret and black shepherd's check cuff).


Ancient blue garters on ancient blue hose (purple, yellow and cream honeycomb cuff).

[Paul]

I bought these sets. Theyre really good for matching to different tartans and hose on different occasions as you get a range of colours:

http://www.bestinthecountry.co.uk/Garter_Set_6252.aspx

[turpin]

I don't have pix up, but I wear yellow hose with yellow ties with my Gordon kilts, especially the RGU/Gordon Blue. A thread a while back showed the clan Chief wearing a similar look and I really liked it.

[dfmacliam]

I think it looks good, myself... I rather like to mix things up myself, but I wear a set simular to what Paul has posted. I, currently, only have lovat green hose with a colored dicing, and a sage pair. I imagine I will get a red pair of hose, eventually and will probably wear red garters with it.

[Riverkilt]

Is this a great board or what? A simple question and we get detailed history and contemporary trends.

Good thing I ain't married...how would I ever explain why after posting a garter tie question I suddenly have to buy a Blue Gordon tartan kilt, yellow kilt hose and yellow garter ties!