Shooting Socks, Hiking Socks, Kilt Hose

[imbrius]

I have only a single pair of "kilt hose", labelled as such. They're off-white polyester without elastic and they came with the cheapo kilt. I don't like them and I've been wearing either black wool cable-knit knee-socks with the top turned over or thinner charcoal nylon high-rise dress socks with a fake cable-knit pattern, also with the top turned over. These look okay (not out of place with other kilt wearers) but not great.

I do intend to make some kilt hose purchases eventually, but given the high-maintenance nature of kilt hose and their price relative to the cheaper wool knee-socks that I can just toss in the washer on cold, is wearing not-really-kilt-hose socks that much a faux-pas? Am I really better off accelerating my acquisition of "official" kilt hose? Thanks!

[plaid preacher]

Dude! You need socks! I know, that's just my opinion, but I am not a fan of the kilt-no-socks look. I'm not sure where you are finding nylon/acrylic high socks. I think whether Shooting sock or kilt hose, I think you will find all that you can find will contain wool - and that is what makes the machine washing problematic. Water and agitation = shinkage. Plus, I have yet to find a pair of hose that don't cost $20 or more - so look at them as an investment. Purchase good hose that you love. They are going to cost you, so you might as well buy the ones that you really love; and then wash by hand.

It really only takes a couple of minutes to put a little water in the bathroom sink and rinse out your hose. After washing I usually take them and roll them in a towel to absorb most of the excess water. (Don't wring them out like you would a washcloth or they will stretch.) If you have a couple of pair, you can wash them together.

[Wareyin]

A lot of us wear socks/hose that are not specifically labeled as kilt hose. Sockdreams.com sells a nice diamond patterned one that is popular. As for using shooting socks, I have been told by House of Cheviot that their Kilt hose and their Shooting hose/socks are made to the same lengths and dimensions. As such, I don't see any issue with using shooting socks that look good, either.

[Tobus]

...is wearing not-really-kilt-hose socks that much a faux-pas? Am I really better off accelerating my acquisition of "official" kilt hose? Thanks!

Disclaimer: there are no "rules" or kilt police, yadda yadda yadda. Everything you read here will be personal opinion.

That said, I do think that wearing certain types of socks as a cheap stand-in for proper kilt hose can be a faux pas, depending on context. It will really come down to what you're wearing and what you're doing. If you're just out hiking in the woods, there's no reason to care whether your socks look like actual kilt hose. If you're going to a Highland Games or Scottish festival around other kilt-wearers, it may become embarrassingly obvious. Believe it or not, people do tend to pay attention to your socks. I have a pair of hand-knit cabled hose that are really thick, and I get tons of compliments on them every time I wear them. I couldn't have imagined that so many people looked at my socks or felt the need to mentally process the quality of socks, but they do.

There's something that just looks "right" about kilt hose with a proper turnover/cuff, and it really isn't able to be faked by just turning over the tops of regular socks. Especially thin dress socks. When it comes to kilt hose, thickness matters and the pattern matters. For instance the Sockdreams cotton cabled socks sort of give a kilt hose look from a distance, but up close you can see that turning over the top makes them look inside-out, since the pattern wasn't meant to be seen on that side. It may be fine for certain places, but it'll never fool anyone who knows how kilt hose should look.

So yes, I would personally recommend having some decent kilt hose. This doesn't mean you have to immediately invest in a bunch of pairs of $60 hose from House of Cheviot (although they are a great investment). There are less expensive hose makers that will do fine, so long as they are constructed well and meant to have a turnover.

Shooting socks can be used as kilt hose, yes, but they tend to be a bit too long since they are meant to be worn all the way up to the knee instead of below the knee like kilt hose (this may vary by manufacturer). Also, their turnover seems to be much wider than kilt hose. If you like the look, though, they will do fine.

[Allan Thomson]

You can get hiking socks with the proper turnover Tobus. As for the shooting socks I have a pair bought for me as kilt socks & I just do a double turnover (as I have to with normal kilt hoes)

[MNlad]

While only offered in one color, khaki, What Price Glory offers a reproduction of the socks worn by British troops in WWII that go great with a kilt on less formal occasions. Mine have held up well and the cost was very reasonable.

[DyerStraits]

A lot of us wear socks/hose that are not specifically labeled as kilt hose. Sockdreams.com sells a nice diamond patterned one that is popular. As for using shooting socks, I have been told by House of Cheviot that their Kilt hose and their Shooting hose/socks are made to the same lengths and dimensions. As such, I don't see any issue with using shooting socks that look good, either.

House of Cheviot is THE Excellent Choice for kilt hose, and there are others; the kilt-friendly offerings from Sockdreams.com are recommended also, as are those from Jack Pyke that regularly appear on eBay, and I have previously reminded X Markers about Bavarian Trachtenmode "Oatmeal" Socks as a (usually highly affordable) kilted option . My advice is to assemble a collection of both solid colour kilt hose and patterned shooting/"breeks" hose, which will allow you to accessorise for all occasions. This particular aspect is the Highland Dress equivalent of choosing the right neck tie, can easily make or break the outfit, and is part of the challenge and pleasure (not to mention pride) of Highland Dress.

[California Highlander]

House of Cheviot is THE Excellent Choice for kilt hose, and there are others; the kilt-friendly offerings from Sockdreams.com are recommended also, as are those from Jack Pyke that regularly appear on eBay, and I have previously reminded X Markers about Bavarian Trachtenmode "Oatmeal" Socks as a (usually highly affordable) kilted option . My advice is to assemble a collection of both solid colour kilt hose and patterned shooting/"breeks" hose, which will allow you to accessorise for all occasions. This particular aspect is the Highland Dress equivalent of choosing the right neck tie, can easily make or break the outfit, and is part of the challenge and pleasure (not to mention pride) of Highland Dress.

House of Cheviot has a Glencoe and a Glenmore, both under $25.

[imbrius]

...I have previously reminded X Markers about Bavarian Trachtenmode "Oatmeal" Socks as a (usually highly affordable) kilted option .

That would kill two birds with one stone as I'm about half German (mostly Bavarian and Black Forest) by descent and a full set of Tracht is on my list...

[FossilHunter]

House of Cheviot has a Glencoe and a Glenmore, both under $25.

They are also easy to care for. Cold wash, hang dry. Easy peasy.