Argyle hose and day wear?

[OC Richard]

As always I take the long view of things, that is, looking at what is as only the most recent representative of a long continuum.

We can well be aware that self-coloured/solid hose are a somewhat recent innovation, in other words, it seems that ALL hose were patterned originally.

True that when Highland Dress became systematised/compartmentalised/categorised in the early decades of the 20th century, the rigid categories of Evening Dress and Outdoor Dress each having specialised shoes, hose, sporran, and jacket, that patterned hose (tartan and diced) were reserved for Evening Dress.

You see things like this over and over









and so forth. It's this system which has come down to us as "traditional Highland Dress".

But throughout the 19th century these categories weren't strictly observed and you will see numerous examples of patterned hose being worn with grey or brown tweed jackets, jackets which by the 1920s would be considered Outdoor/Day jackets.













So nowadays it would look a bit odd, but heck, why not wear what you want?