Hose question...

[Micric]

Greetings chaps,

I have what may be a rather silly question, but here goes!;

Recently I purchased some new kilt hose on-line, and am V. pleased with them!........But when I pull 'em up smartly, the decorative tops, when turned down, are not in the right spot, but are part way down the leg.
I'm about average height, (5' 10")....so it's not like I'm a gnome or anything.

How does one adjust them so the decorative top is in the right place?
I can figure ways it Could be done, but is there a Right way for it to be done?

Thanks in advance!
Richard.

[NewEnglander]

Speaking as a gnome (5'7" if I stand up straight) I find that I sometimes need to fold the hose down and then back up again to create a decent looking top cuff. Not sure if this will do the trick for you. Perhaps if you could post a pic we could help sort it out for you.

[Tobus]

But when I pull 'em up smartly, the decorative tops, when turned down, are not in the right spot, but are part way down the leg.

What are you considering the "right spot"? You don't want them all the way up to your knees. They should be just over the widest part of your calf, a couple of inches below your knees.

I'm a gnome too, like NewEnglander... about 5'-7"-ish. So my problem is that they're generally too tall as well (and that's even with the "small" size hose!). I'd be surprised if you, being 5'-10", are finding hose to be too short. Which is why I'm wondering where you consider the "right spot" to be.

[Micric]

Thanks for replies chaps.

Tobus, I don't mean they're too short, but too long,..as in the decorative top is too far down over the undecorated area.

I do understand that the "right spot" is four finger-widths below the knee, but when turned down in this manner, the decorated top is so far down mi leg, with a band of undecorated hose showing above this.

Maybe the "turn 'em down, and back up" might be the best option!

Thanks again,

R.

[CMcG]

Here is another thread discussing a similar issue:
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...lt-hose-17030/

For myself, it's a question of balancing hose length, flashes length, and decorative top. I'm also 5'10" and for some of my hose, I would need to fold them down and back up in order to put the decorative bit at the top. The problem with this is that it leaves my flashes hanging out like flags!

I try to compensate by only folding them down once but doing so gently. I don't pull the hose up too high in the first place and then fold them over without really pulling on them. This helps to put the decorative part closer to the top without overexposing the flashes.

Some pics might help explain what I mean.


Decorated hose top in the top position but a little too much flashes and not enough knee for my taste:


A better balance of flashes and knees:


You'll notice HRH the Duke of Rothesay tends to leave only a little bit of flashes showing. I think this provides a very neat and tidy look:






Another solution might be to use hose toppers that cover the the whole problem up!

[Zardoz]

I'm 5'9 and what I found out early on is that if I order 'standard' hose by my shoe size, (10) the vendors are going to send size "medium" hose, and sometimes they would be a little tight and/or too short to get a nice cuff. I like the cuff to have a little body, so what I've been doing is ordering a size 11 or 12, which bumps the hose size up to 'large". They'll fit better, and I can do the "down and back up" fold to get a nice cuff.
One instance where this method breaks down is ordering "fancy" hose like Lewis hose, where the down and back up fold won't work, I will order a size 9 in those to make sure I get the "medium".
I also really like "piper hose" which are quite long and allow for a lot of 'adjustment' in the turn-over and a nice bulky cuff.

[piperdbh]

The double-fold method sounds like it will solve the problem.
For your next pair of hose, think about a pair of custom-made ones, created to fit your foot and leg perfectly. There are several of us here who make them.

[wildrover]

If they are wool, you might also consider a little targeted shrinking. It certainly helped the hose I have. I left the hose tops alone, and gave a little heat and agitation (in the sink, by hand) to the leg and foot, and then after removing most of the drip, wore them around for a couple hours. They fit great, now.

Just mind you don't felt them (I assume they are wool).

Oh yeah, and the water was filthy when I was done . Oh well.

As far as length and turnover...take a look in a long mirror, with your hose and kilt...you'll be able to identify what seems too low vs what's schoolgirlishly high, and pick a good medium. In all likelihood, you'll end up with the top of the turnover (and therefore the garter) around the region of the top of your calf muscle. How far down the turnover extends depends on either its knitted length (my one and only pair of hose has a popcorn top, and it's pretty obvious how much is meant to be turned down), or how far down it takes to look like a kilt sock, and not short pantyhose--you'll end up with the latter, if the turnover is too small and the ends of your garters (or flashes) are dangling in the wind.

This is one of my favorite examples showing "how it's done"...not because they're all Scottish and it's an old photo and I'm looking to be traditional or something, but rather because it looks good:


-Sean

[Micric]

Thanks all, for taking the time to reply, and add pics!

I think these hose are a bit long, but it will all be fine with your reccomendations.

Thank you again!

Richard.