Hose Height / How much knee?

**kiltedtom** · 6th September 14, 10:37 AM

Ok. It almost seems like there is a rule for everything. My opinion, and only my opinion, is that however you want to wear your garments: kilts, hose, etc. included, and whatever makes you feel happy with yourself is the rule you should follow. Even kilts change with fashions and generations. Do not limit yourself to any specified guidelines, unless, of course, you like them.

Have a good day everyone.

Tom

**Jock Scot** · 6th September 14, 10:48 AM

Kiltedtom.

The person(OP) that started this thread ASKED for advice on hose height. Now, like many things in this world there is the right way and the wrong way to do things and actual rules do not exist, apart from military regulations that do not apply to civilians, as in this case. Should you decide to ignore the asked for advice and plough your own furrow, then no one will stop you and you certainly will not be put up against the wall and shot. Each to their own laddie and what you decide to do with your kilt attire is entirely your own choice.

**Grizzly** · 6th September 14, 12:07 PM

I agree with Jock, yes there is an accepted norm, and I know what it is. Do I get the tape measure out every time I put my hose on ? No I don't. In time you will know where you like to wear your hose. I have big calves 17 1/2 inches as a consequence I have to wear mine slightly higher otherwise my garters won't tie as I would like. Do I worry about that? Not a jot! Wear them slightly lower than football socks and leave a gap twixt the bottom of the kilt and the top of the hose. You won't be far out.

**kiltedtom** · 6th September 14, 03:36 PM

Jock, I agree that the original post was for advice. But it sure seemed that the more posts that were made, the less friendly some of fhe advice seemed to be. Between military regulations and historical pictures, there seemed, in my opinion again, too muchy emphasis on the correct and accepted way to do things. Get enough old painints and you will still find variations in hight of hose and length of kilts. So, unless a person is in the military, which dictates fashions or in a band or other group that looks for uniformity, a person should simply find what is comortable. That is the best advice and what I intended.

I love the pic put in by Chas. One with "official height." One with hose down around his ankles, and one without hose at all. They all work.

**OC Richard** · 7th September 14, 04:56 AM

Originally Posted by kiltedtom

Between military regulations and historical pictures, there seemed, in my opinion again, too muchy emphasis on the correct and accepted way to do things.

I should point out that I myself never put 'emphasis on the correct' but rather showed old images and let them speak for themselves. Time and again on this forum when people bring up a particular question I'll say "let's take a long look at that" to see (from primary sources) what's been done over the last couple hundred years. This approach, the descriptive approach, is to be distinguished from the prescriptive approach where I would say "this is how it should be done".

About 'military regulations' regarding hose height I just looked over this entire thread and I didn't see anyone mention any such. I've never encountered such. What I did say is that when diced hosetops are worn with spats, the amount of the hosetop which is seen is dictated by the number of diamonds showing; in other words the height itself isn't considered (nor is it under the wearer's control) just the appearance of the dicing.

In civilian pipe bands the hose height can vary quite a bit, most bands not having any sort of guidelines, as you can see in the photos I posted. In general however experienced players will wear their kit within a fairly narrow range of variation.