kilts, hose and flashes

**McMurdo** · 18th May 17, 07:35 PM

If it were me I would wear the green hose. I have several pair of hose my first pair were off white, I simply don't wear them any longer. Taking a look at the tartan I don't think the flashes will be lost against the green hose.

**OC Richard** · 19th May 17, 06:34 AM

Originally Posted by rveaks73

I have a blair modern kilt and flashes, do you think it would be better to wear green hose or white

I don't know what Blair Modern looks like, but I wonder why your choice is limited to green or white hose.

Building a Highland outfit isn't so dissimilar to building an outfit based on a suit.

If the suit is dark blue, would you wear a matching dark blue shirt, and matching dark blue tie?

Ordinarily you would not match, but co-ordinate. So, one might see a dark blue suit, white shirt, and red tie.

Is there any white in the fabric of the suit? Any red? Not at all. You're not matching the suit.

Highland Dress is the same. The colours of a kilt are like the blue of the suit: not to be matched, but to be co-ordinated with.

Highland Dress is more complicated of course. You have the kilt, which usually has a number of colours. Then you have the jacket. And the hose. The jacket/kilt/hose are the three main colour-blocks one sees first. The details are the shirt, tie, and flashes.

There are various interesting effects that happen when you juxtapose certain colours.

One is that if the jacket and/or hose are the same as, or similar to, one of the main colours of the kilt, that colour is drained out of the kilt, which lessens the effectiveness of the tartan.

In general, colourful tartans have their full visual effect when they're not surrounded by similar colours to the tartan's main colours, or to a mid-grey, which tends to dull many tartans.

Obviously black and white, not being colours, interfere with tartans the least, and there was a big fad back in the 1980s and 1990s (for pipe bands anyhow) to remove all colour from their kit, the kilt being the only coloured thing, everything else being black or white. This still holds sway somewhat.

On the other hand, juxtaposing the right colours can amplify one or more colours in a tartan, and really make the tartan "zing" visually.

This?

I can see, with Day Dress, a moss green tweed jacket (not the green in the kilt) and hose in red, claret, Lovat green, Lovat blue, St Andrews Blue, yellow, or whatever. (Anything but dark green or dark blue.) The kilt would be dark, the jacket and hose lighter, for a nice contrast.

Here is what I mean, going lighter with jacket and hose with a dark blue/dark green based tartan (note the jacket and hose don't match each other, and neither matches the kilt)

Lest one think this is unusual, or new, here's a 1936 catalogue

For Evening Dress I suppose it would be the usual black jacket. Traditionally it would be matching tartan hose, but I can see diced hose in red & black, red & green, or red & white. For solid hose I could see red, claret, St Andrews Blue, or even yellow. (Any hose but dark green or dark blue.)

And tartan flashes are a recent thing, and my eye still hasn't got used to them. I much prefer traditional flashes.

**rveaks73** · 19th May 17, 05:35 PM

Took off belt and added green socks and dress shoes
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**McMurdo** · 20th May 17, 05:16 AM

Looks so much better without the belt. Another couple of thoughts of mine would be to ditch the fly plaid, they are normally worn for weddings by the groom and even then they can be looked as being over the top, and try a tie with the outfit you have on. For my part I purchased a Black Argyll jacket with silver buttons, for my nephew's wedding last September and have only worn it one time. Here is a photo from the day.

My nephew wore a Prince Charlie so I thought the black argyll was the best way to go.

**lewtherin** · 20th May 17, 04:16 PM

I have a question and I hope someone out there has had some experience with this. Basically I don't have a defined waistline. My pant waist size is a 37 inch. My kilt waist, 1 to 2 inches about the navel is also 37 inches. My problem is this, in order to make the kilt stay in position above the navel I have to pull the straps so tight they are very uncomfortable to the point of painful. I also have to pull my pants belt very tight also to keep my pants from falling down, I have worn this so many years it has become a way of life, and suspenders don't do the trick. To keep the kilt in its place to the kilt waist, I pin the kilt to my shirt to keep it from slipping down. Does anyone have a solution for this. Thank you

**Terry Searl** · 20th May 17, 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by lewtherin

I have a question and I hope someone out there has had some experience with this. Basically I don't have a defined waistline. My pant waist size is a 37 inch. My kilt waist, 1 to 2 inches about the navel is also 37 inches. My problem is this, in order to make the kilt stay in position above the navel I have to pull the straps so tight they are very uncomfortable to the point of painful. I also have to pull my pants belt very tight also to keep my pants from falling down, I have worn this so many years it has become a way of life, and suspenders don't do the trick. To keep the kilt in its place to the kilt waist, I pin the kilt to my shirt to keep it from slipping down. Does anyone have a solution for this. Thank you

I was going to suggest suspenders but you say they don't work.... I ALWAYS WEAR SUSPENDERS whether kilted or with pants and when it was suggested by the fellow who built my kilt that suspenders wouldn't be needed I told him Please put the buttons in place for my suspenders.......I always wear them and am uncomfortable with out them. With the buttons in place I have a choice to wear suspenders or not, and so far I am pleased that I can wear my suspenders.....the kilt straps are never uncomfortably tight and my kilt stays where I put it......This solution works very well for me ....I'm sorry it wouldn't work for you

**rveaks73** · 21st May 17, 04:52 AM

Tie just came in yesterday from Scotland, Blair tartans and accessories are hard to find.

**McMurdo** · 21st May 17, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by rveaks73

Tie just came in yesterday from Scotland, Blair tartans and accessories are hard to find.

I would simply go with a solid tie in one of the colours of the tartan, or perhaps a regimental tie that you are entitled to wear. my school did not have a tie so I went out and bought a tie for the Army Benvolent Fund

https://theforcesstore.co.uk/abf-the...arity-tie.html

**Mikilt** · 21st May 17, 02:29 PM

Originally Posted by lewtherin

I have a question and I hope someone out there has had some experience with this. Basically I don't have a defined waistline. My pant waist size is a 37 inch. My kilt waist, 1 to 2 inches about the navel is also 37 inches. My problem is this, in order to make the kilt stay in position above the navel I have to pull the straps so tight they are very uncomfortable to the point of painful. I also have to pull my pants belt very tight also to keep my pants from falling down, I have worn this so many years it has become a way of life, and suspenders don't do the trick. To keep the kilt in its place to the kilt waist, I pin the kilt to my shirt to keep it from slipping down. Does anyone have a solution for this. Thank you

Perhaps a PM to@The Wizard of BC. He's a slender guy himself and may have some insight.

**OC Richard** · 21st May 17, 07:32 PM

My body is shaped like a big cylinder- I have no waist. My kilts have the same "waist" and hip measurements.

Yet, I have never used suspenders/braces or a cinched belt to hold a kilt up. My kilts stay up just fine all by their lonesome. When I do wear a belt it's decorative, for show, and the belt is fairly loosely buckled over the kilt, with no supporting function.

I do wonder sometimes, when people say their kilts won't stay up, how their kilts are made.