House of Cheviot/ Gaelic Themes color comparison?

[Dollander]

I'm planning to get a pair of Lewis hose for my dress outfit, and I think I've narrowed it down to mid grey or charcoal. Part of the reason I can't decide is because I'm worried that the grey will be too light or the charcoal too dark. Since the fabric for the kilt in question will be my most expensive to date (Murray of Tullibardine muted, from House of Edgar's "Old & Rare" line), I'm trying to minimize expenses with the rest of the outfit and would rather not have to purchase both.

The only place I can see them in person doesn't carry the charcoal, and it's well known that one can't rely upon online images for color accuracy. I have the Gaelic Themes hose in both colors, so I'm wondering if anyone has both types in either color and can tell me how they compare...or better yet, post a pic of them together so I can get an idea. Thanks in advance.

[Steve Ashton]

If the House of Cheviot does not answer by tomorrow, I'll pull some off my rack and take a photo for you.

[Dollander]

Thank you. Though, I'm not sure how House of Cheviot could help me...aaaaaand I just realized I didn't phrase my request very well.

What I'd like to see is not House of Cheviot's charcoal and mid grey side-by-side, but rather, House of Cheviot's charcoal with Gaelic Themes' charcoal and/or HOC's mid grey with GT's grey. That way I can determine how much lighter or darker the Lewis hose are than the hose I already own, if it all.

And if you did indeed interpret me correctly, then I apologize for my assumption.

[Steve Ashton]

OK, I'll put the four pair on a table next to each other and shoot a photo in the morning.

[Steve Ashton]

Here is the photo I promised.
The Gaelic Themes Pipers style on the left
And the House of Cheviot Lewis style on the right.
At the top is pure black for color comparison.

[Taskr]

That's what you call extremely helpful, right up there ^^^^^^^^

and, nice shoes Steve

[Dollander]

Awesome. Again, thank you so much.

Now I know that part of my suspicions are true. I was leaning toward charcoal anyway, and I can see that the mid grey is indeed too light for what I envisioned. But the charcoal, while slightly darker, isn't so dark that it'll blend in with my shoes. So, charcoal it is.

[Steve Ashton]

There is another part to this whole hose color question.

What color shirt are you going to wear? Jacket color, tie color, etc. In the UK they do not try to use matching colors at all. In fact it seems that they avoid trying to use the same color twice in any outfit.

If you look at this from a strictly artistic standpoint -- If the colors of the rest of your outfit are similar or the same as your kilt - The kilt sort of blends into the background of the whole outfit. We want our kilts to be the centerpiece of our outfit. We want the Tartan to shine.

I personally do not think of my kilt when I pick my hose color. I will go instead with the colors from the rest of my outfit.
This thinking is sort of proven if you have ever seen a Scottish wedding in Scotland. All the guys are in the same shoes, socks, flashes, shirt, jacket, tie. - Yet each will be wearing his own different Tartan. And it still works.

Then ask yourself - "What is the level of formality of the event you are attending?" It used to be that white or cream were the 'go-to" color for formal events. You still see the white hose on most rental fleets. Today we shy away from white due to the rental outfit stigma. Many guys today are wearing charcoal or black for formal following the old school idea that darker is more formal.

Then their are those who will insist that diced hose are the only color for formal.

I am currently wearing the mid-gray HOC Lewis hose with a gray patterned shirt. My Kilt has no gray in it. They are just what I pulled out of the closet this morning.

[Dollander]

I suppose I should first point out that I don't live in the UK, and I'm not trying to look like an Authentic Scotsman™. Nor do I have a lifestyle that finds me at truly formal events, just occasional family get-togethers and company dinners (i.e. the type that include us factory grunts). I really only have two modes: normal and dressy. All I want to do is assemble a dress outfit better than the makeshift ensemble which utilizes one of my everyday casual kilts and a mock day cravat (the shirt is the wrong collar size so I can't button it to wear an actual tie) that I currently have.

The kilt in question will be Murray of Tullibardine Muted from House of Edgar, a predominantly red tartan with variously narrow bands of blue, green, and black. I like it not only because of its affiliation with my surname, but because I happen to think I look good in darker shades of red, so HOE's muted pallet is perfect. All I have right now is the sample, but of the numerous hose colors I have (all the basic style from Gaelic Themes), I liked the two greys best. Meanwhile, I have a medium-light grey dress shirt (lighter than the grey GT hose), a somewhat satiny tie that's a similar hue to the muted green (albeit a slightly lighter shade), and my jacket (Argyll), shoes, belt and sporran are black.

Hmm, so maybe the charcoal would be too dark. But like I said, I don't wanna order a pair of hose only to hate the color and have to go to the trouble of returning them. I just want something nicer than my regular everyday hose, and I really like the style of the Lewis. But as I alluded to above, USA Kilts only carries half the colors, and they're they only place I know of where I could see them with my own eyes. What I'm picturing in my head seems like it'd look best with a medium shade. Is there something else you'd recommend...perhaps bison, or ancient green (again, the former of which USAK doesn't have)?

[Liam]

My advice is to develop your own style. And it will change with time!
Slainte