Matching Kilt Hose

[Ivor]

Thanks for your suggestion, McMurdo, and I have already looked at this most interesting thread along with many others of a similar vein. The one over-riding impression I have gathered so far is that the majority here are happy to give helpful advice and it just needs some critical assessment to separate the wheat from the chaff.
I must say I do find some contributions rather imperious, almost to the extent of "do it my way or the highway" rather than simply suggesting "this is how I like to do it" but I suppose this is no more nor less than a common failing in humanity generally. So I will happily listen to all the advice given, ignore those who insist it must be done this way and no other and eventually sally forth obliviously with pleats firmly to the front, jabot akimbo, white socks, and a flat cap, doing it my way.

[Tobus]

Ivor, the simple fact is that the kilt is a distinct cultural garment from the Scottish Highlands. Understandably, some Scots hold it dear and will disapprove of anyone else wearing it, even their own Lowlander countrymen. But history being what it is, the diaspora of Highlanders has spread around the globe, taking their culture and traditions with them. The proverbial cat is out of the bag now, and with the kilt having evolved to become the national dress of Scotland as a whole (no longer just the Highlands), it is commonly accepted in western culture that wearing a tartan kilt is a sign of primarily Scottish heritage, or even just a sense of camaraderie with Scottish culture. Going even further, Welsh cilts and Irish kilts are somewhat understood as symbols of "pan-Celtic" identity, albeit with a lesser degree of historical provenance.

You'll find a broad range of opinions and reactions to the kilt when it is worn outside of Scotland, ranging from positive to negative. It is what it is, and we should all understand that going in. I believe the main driver of how someone reacts to a man in a kilt primarily comes down to how he presents himself. Is he wearing it well, or does he look sloppy, unkempt, and uncomfortable? Is his entire outfit put together with components that are appropriate with the kilt, or does he look like he's experimenting with his wardrobe? Does he look like he's steeped in the tradition of kilts, or does he look like he bought everything at the tat shop? Does he look like he's wearing it respectfully as a cultural garment, or is he wearing a costume and looking for attention? The devil is in the details here.

It's not that different, really, than wearing anything else. You see people all the time wearing a suit that look like they have never worn it before. They look awkward, their clothes are ill-fitting, they never learned how to properly tie their necktie, and they don't know how to coordinate things. Others wear suits with style, like they've been wearing them their whole lives. There are numerous forums on the internet for people to learn how to wear suits or other styles of clothing well. Wearing a kilt well demands the same level of attention, or actually more.

There are no kilt police, nor are there any official set of rules for wearing the kilt. But there are indeed a set of conventions for wearing it in a traditional manner that people should know, even if they choose not to follow them. It really just comes down to how you want to come across to others. Just keep in mind that no matter how well you wear it, there may be the occasional person who has something negative to say. We're kidding ourselves if we think this isn't true, and it takes a certain level of self-confidence to wear the kilt. You will definitely not blend in with a crowd when wearing the kilt. If you can't handle attention (both positive and negative), serious thought should be given to it before jumping in.

As for the tradition itself, there are many localised variations and opinions on what is correct and proper. You won't find consensus on that, even in the Highlands. The trick is to just read and listen to enough opinions to get a good sense of what is generally acceptable, and go from there. You can find published books on how to properly wear the kilt, but even those come with some serious caveats. It can be very confusing!

You're in the right place, though. This forum has a broad range of knowledge, and the more you read, the more you'll figure out whose input is worth paying attention to. You'll see recurring themes in photos and see a lot of mind-numbing conversations on the smallest of details, but after a while they will all make sense. Figuring it all out takes time. Just keep in mind that everybody has their own sense of what looks proper. Whatever questions you have, search the forum for past threads on it. If you're not satisfied, start a new discussion. It's a lot of fun to delve into all the details and analyse visual examples. And that leads to a lot more fun in shopping for just the right things you want to include in your own wardrobe.

[PatrickHughes123]

Ivor, the simple fact is that the kilt is a distinct cultural garment from the Scottish Highlands. Understandably, some Scots hold it dear and will disapprove of anyone else wearing it, even their own Lowlander countrymen. But history being what it is, the diaspora of Highlanders has spread around the globe, taking their culture and traditions with them. The proverbial cat is out of the bag now, and with the kilt having evolved to become the national dress of Scotland as a whole (no longer just the Highlands), it is commonly accepted in western culture that wearing a tartan kilt is a sign of primarily Scottish heritage, or even just a sense of camaraderie with Scottish culture. Going even further, Welsh cilts and Irish kilts are somewhat understood as symbols of "pan-Celtic" identity, albeit with a lesser degree of historical provenance.

You'll find a broad range of opinions and reactions to the kilt when it is worn outside of Scotland, ranging from positive to negative. It is what it is, and we should all understand that going in. I believe the main driver of how someone reacts to a man in a kilt primarily comes down to how he presents himself. Is he wearing it well, or does he look sloppy, unkempt, and uncomfortable? Is his entire outfit put together with components that are appropriate with the kilt, or does he look like he's experimenting with his wardrobe? Does he look like he's steeped in the tradition of kilts, or does he look like he bought everything at the tat shop? Does he look like he's wearing it respectfully as a cultural garment, or is he wearing a costume and looking for attention? The devil is in the details here.

It's not that different, really, than wearing anything else. You see people all the time wearing a suit that look like they have never worn it before. They look awkward, their clothes are ill-fitting, they never learned how to properly tie their necktie, and they don't know how to coordinate things. Others wear suits with style, like they've been wearing them their whole lives. There are numerous forums on the internet for people to learn how to wear suits or other styles of clothing well. Wearing a kilt well demands the same level of attention, or actually more.

There are no kilt police, nor are there any official set of rules for wearing the kilt. But there are indeed a set of conventions for wearing it in a traditional manner that people should know, even if they choose not to follow them. It really just comes down to how you want to come across to others. Just keep in mind that no matter how well you wear it, there may be the occasional person who has something negative to say. We're kidding ourselves if we think this isn't true, and it takes a certain level of self-confidence to wear the kilt. You will definitely not blend in with a crowd when wearing the kilt. If you can't handle attention (both positive and negative), serious thought should be given to it before jumping in.

As for the tradition itself, there are many localised variations and opinions on what is correct and proper. You won't find consensus on that, even in the Highlands. The trick is to just read and listen to enough opinions to get a good sense of what is generally acceptable, and go from there. You can find published books on how to properly wear the kilt, but even those come with some serious caveats. It can be very confusing!

You're in the right place, though. This forum has a broad range of knowledge, and the more you read, the more you'll figure out whose input is worth paying attention to. You'll see recurring themes in photos and see a lot of mind-numbing conversations on the smallest of details, but after a while they will all make sense. Figuring it all out takes time. Just keep in mind that everybody has their own sense of what looks proper. Whatever questions you have, search the forum for past threads on it. If you're not satisfied, start a new discussion. It's a lot of fun to delve into all the details and analyse visual examples. And that leads to a lot more fun in shopping for just the right things you want to include in your own wardrobe.

Yes Ivor, I agree with Tobus. As I said above as well, there are no rules to kilt wearing, but there are conventions. It's wise to stick to these conventions if you want to avoid controversy. But it's okay to have your own personal innovations, just not too big. I keep with conventions and traditions as best as I can but with my own personal innovation, though, that has sparked a lot of controversy.

That reminds me, and it's a nice way to bring the conversation back on topic, that's why I posted here about matching kilt hose. Because I thought it wasn't traditional and I thought it was wrong to do so, because some have said here on XMarks that the concept of matching clothes is a Saxon convention, to add to my initial confusion, I'd seen members post with matching kilt hose.

[FossilHunter]

That reminds me, and it's a nice way to bring the conversation back on topic, that's why I posted here about matching kilt hose. Because I thought it wasn't traditional and I thought it was wrong to do so, because some have said here on XMarks that the concept of matching clothes is a Saxon convention, to add to my initial confusion, I'd seen members post with matching kilt hose.

I think the point that jock tries to make on matching is along the lines of not trying too hard to match.

He often mentions grabbing the first thing that he finds in the closet and if it works in his eyes, going with it. A skill and practice he had developed from a lifetime of kilt wearing.

Whereas there have been many threads here over the years where people fret over matching.

[Jock Scot]

I think the point that jock tries to make on matching is along the lines of not trying too hard to match.

He often mentions grabbing the first thing that he finds in the closet and if it works in his eyes, going with it. A skill and practice he had developed from a lifetime of kilt wearing.

Whereas there have been many threads here over the years where people fret over matching.

Thats pretty much how I think I end up wearing what I do. I am not sure that the word "decide" even comes into the frame! However, there is another aspect to help with my experience and choices of aspects of my kilt attire and that is, my shirts, ties, hose, footwear and some, not all, of my headwear is interchangeable with saxon attire, sports jackets, shooting attire, general "country" attire and so on.

For example, this:
WGN_2676.jpg

Or this:
017 2.jpg

Contain many aspects of this:
Will watching the shooting.jpg

or this:
sorry picture won't download.

[OC Richard]

is it incorrect in modern kilt wearing to wear matched tartan hose? It used to be in the past that Highlanders didn't wear matching hose.

I think you're correct that in most of our earliest images of men in Highland Dress, late 17th and early 18th century paintings, the hose (which have a tartan or diced pattern) don't match the tartan of the rest of the outfit.



It's one of numerous form-follows-function issues that comes up in Highland Dress. Hose were made from different fabric than the belted plaid, why should the hose try to look as if they were cut from the same fabric?

But here the hose appear to match the belted plaid



And often at that time you'll see the belted plaid and waistcoat and jacket made from three different tartans, though usually the tartans have a similar palette and don't clash.

Then by mid-19th century hose knit to match the tartan of the kilt had become popular. Who knows why this change in fashion occurred. Sometimes fashion just changes.

And this approach, which can be seen in civilian (and sometimes in military) Highland Dress continued throughout the second half of the 19th century and up through the 20th century and is still with us today, part of the "traditional Highland Dress" that's come down to us.

Though throughout that period, especially in the military, non-matching diced hose have always been worn.

The Highlanders Of Scotland is likely our most extensive colour snapshot of any particular point in the evolution of Highland Dress prior to the last 50 years, and what we see there, in the late 1860s is:

1) diced hose are around three times more popular than tartan hose, and most of the diced hose match the colours of the kilt's tartan.

2) the tartan hose usually match the tartan of the kilt.

Here's examples of both matching tartan hose, and diced hose that follow the kilt's ground-colours



By the early 20th century matching tartan hose had become rather more popular than diced hose for Evening Dress though the military continued to mostly wear diced hose which did not match the colours of the kilt.

Here in the 1930s we see the Evening Dress hose offerings, tartan and diced; note the expectation that for Evening Dress hose would be patterned, not plain/selfcoloured



Even nowadays tartan hose haven't gone away entirely. Here's a group of men who have worn Highland Dress since their youths, some of the world's top pipers, gathered for a formal event. Note the sea of black which has replaced the coloured Evening Dress jackets seen in the 1930s above, and that only one gent is wearing shoe-buckles, which used to be de rigueur in Evening Dress.



As for myself, I have matching tartan hose and buckled shoes for formal dress



NB the above is addressing the wearing of tartan and diced hose, which covers Highland Dress in general until the mid-19th century, and more specifically Evening Dress from the mid-19th century up through today.

I realise that starting around the mid-19th century selfcoloured/plain hose became increasingly popular for outdoor/informal Highland dress, and that selfcoloured hose became de rigueur when modern Day Dress became codified in the early 20th century.

However the OP specifically addressed tartan hose.

[PatrickHughes123]

It's one of numerous form-follows-function issues that comes up in Highland Dress. Hose were made from different fabric than the belted plaid, why should the hose try to look as if they were cut from the same fabric?

OC Richard, thank you for this useful post.

Just so you know, I'm not saying you're wrong, but the Scottish Tartans Authority website has this to say about trews and hose!


"Before knitting was invented, hose was made from the tartan cloth that was woven for trews - the sett being smaller than that used in weaving for kilts. The cloth would be cut on the bias so that it had some elasticity and with being rotated through 90 degrees, the hose would display the telltale diamond pattern that we now call Argyle."

I just thought I'd inform you of this!

http://www.tartansauthority.com/high.../hose-history/

[OC Richard]

Yes in the old days hose were made from woven fabric, not knit, but it was usually different woven cloth than was used for the belted plaid.

John Taylor wrote in 1633:

"many of the Nobility and Gentry of the Kingdom for their pleasure do come into these Highland countries to hunt, where they conform themselves to the habit of the Highland men, who for the most part speak nothing but Irish...

Their habit is shoes with but one sole apiece, stockings (which they call short hose) made of a warm stuff of diverse colours which they call tartan. As for breeches many of them, nor their forefathers, never wore any, but a jerkin of the same stuff their hose is of... with a plaid about their shoulders, which is a mantle of diverse colours, much finer and lighter stuff than their hose..."

I have a pair of 18th century style hose that I made, following the pattern in Sketchbook 76. In keeping with Taylor's account I bought thicker fabric for the hose, almost like a travel rug, and thinner fabric for the belted plaid.