Flashes or no flashes?

[GreenDragon]

I was just wondering if one would look silly to wear hose without flashes.

[Paul Henry]

No it doesn't look silly, sometimes I wear flashes , sometimes I just use the elastic to keep the hose up. It's your choice , whatever you like!

[Bugbear]

Not wearing flashes is fine. As a citation, Jock Scot has stated that he sometimes wears the "elastic bits" with no flashes to hold up his hose when wearing the kilt.

I think some would even suggest not wearing the flashes rather than wearing certain..., commen types of flashes, or cheap looking flashes.

[McClef]

Not at all silly, flashes are a nice complimentary extra but not all situations require them.

One or two of my kilts do not have matching tartan flashes and I have a pair of plain green ones which may or may not go with each of them.

[Ryan Ross]

I have a pair of crocheted garters that my mom made for me years ago. They are very thin and comfortable, but have abmost nothing in the way of fringe or tassles on the end. As such, I just wrap them around, tuck in the ends, and fold the top of the hose over with nothing sticking out of the bottom. They are super comfortable, fast to put on (because you don't have to worry about positioning, getting the ends even, etc...), and get the job done well.

All that said, for everyday wear in a more casual setting, I actually prefer the look of having no visible garter ends/flashes. And aside from Jock's word (which counts for a good bit in my book), many went without flashes in the 19th and early 20th century. Take the famous John Brown, for example!


EDIT: Here's a few examples of what a lack of flashes looks like in a modern setting:







And finally, close-up w/sgian dubh and pens:


...yeah, I'm a big proponent of the sans-a-flash look! SPREAD THE GOOD WORD!!!

[bchunter]

I've tried wearing no flashes or garter ties, but when doing a lot of walking my hose sometimes ride down. Actually, since trying knitted garter ties I've not had a pair of usual flashes on and really don't want to use them again. As for the look, I like the look of knitted garter tie ends, and I also like the clean, casual look of no flashes/tie ends too. Do what you like and don't worry about what any of us thinks.

[wildrover]

The garters are to keep your hose up. The flashes are just a replacement for the ends of a tied garter hanging down...so...don't worry about it, as long as the end result looks good.

Great examples there, Ryan!

[Jock Scot]

No it doesn't look silly, sometimes I wear flashes , sometimes I just use the elastic to keep the hose up. It's your choice , whatever you like!

Absolutely.

[Graywolf]

I prefer flashes, but to each his own.

[davidlpope]

I was just wondering if one would look silly to wear hose without flashes.

No.