Hose for Black Watch kilt (Not White?)

[Presidential33]

I am just about to order my first Kilt ever from Stillwater. It is a Black Watch Tartan and I would like to wear it to work (an office). Therefore I would wear it with a dress shirt and a tie, and possibly a sweater vest, a black button-up vest or a black sports coat.

Since most of my dress shirts probably wouldn't match with the kilt, I would most likely be wearing a simple white dress shirt.

I have read that the hose (socks) should match the shirt, so this would mean using white hose (socks), as even the cream, off-white or oatmeal coloured socks would not match the simple white colour of my dress shirt. But I read another rule that white, off-white and cream hoses should never be worn unless you are in a pipe band or renting the outfit. Is this true?

So what do I do?

Some have said that black hose are nice, and they would indeed match with my black sports coat or vests, but then that would make for a very dark outfit.

Others have mentioned green hose (from lovat to dark green) or navy blue hose. How important is it to match the green in the hose with the green in the Kilt? Is there a particular place I should buy hose from to make sure they match the kilt? Is Lovat Green better than dark or forest green?

Or should I just go with the white hose afterall so that it will match the white shirt and brighten the outfit a little?

I cant believe light coloured hose (socks) seem to go best with the Black Watch Tartan but there is a rule against white hose...

[Tobus]

I have read that the hose (socks) should match the shirt

That's not a rule for Highland attire. There's no reason to bother trying to match them.

Personally, I don't like stark white shirts with a kilt (on me, anyway). It just doesn't look right. I like to stay in the blue and green hues, sometimes going all the way to browns. And as long as my shirt, kilt, and hose all complement each other, without necessarily matching, it's all good.

You might also try a tattersal shirt, which is a very traditional and attractive way to go, especially since Blackwatch is a fairly 'quiet' tartan.

[Paul Henry]

I am just about to order my first Kilt ever from Stillwater.
snip
I cant believe light coloured hose (socks) seem to go best with the Black Watch Tartan but there is a rule against white hose...

Firstly welcome , and well done for getting your first kilt.

Secondly, there are no rules of what you can wear with a kilt

Of course there are things that work better , and some things that most people wouldn't put together ( and white hose is one of those),
What would you wear if you were wearing trousers instead of a kilt,sometimes it's worth thinking that way instead of making a special choice to go with a kilt.

It is your choice after all and going for something that complements rather than matching is often the best way.Try out a few and find out what you feel comfortable in,and take it from there...

[Chas]

One simple rule I learnt as a child - The only thing your hose have to match is each other. Wearing two different hose is a statement, but not a fashion statement and in truth does say something about an individual.

Once you have the kilt, the fun begins. Collecting all the accessories is what kilt wearing is all about. And remember, if you are the only kilt wearer in your office, then you are the expert - the rest know nothing. So if you make a fashion mistake - it isn't, because no one will know.

Just don't wear white hose.

Regards

Chas

[Jock Scot]

Best avoid the white hose and I would not get too wound up about all this matching up nonsense, if I were you.

[Spc. Scott]

edit: Thought my post disappeared but this is a new thread.

I need coffee...

[D.A. Guertin]

My 'out and about' outfit last weekend was in a kilt with similar colours to the Black watch, but includes a maroon line. I went with a navy blue shirt, maroon tie, bottle green hose, black Argyll, and black comfortable shoes... Complementary and matching. Yes, it's a bit dark, but why should that matter? Get a Dress Stewart kilt if you want to brighten things up!

[piperdbh]

You can never go wrong with red hose.

Even though Jock says, "Don't do it", I think white hose can work, especially with a dark tartan such as the BW worn with a dark jacket and waistcoat. To me, the white of the shirt and the white of the hose combine to make a frame for the kilt. However, I still like me some red hose, especially if the necktie is red.

[Bill aka Mole]

::dead::

I too am a newbie. Worse still is that for over 30 years I was wearing a uniform of sorts, either military or at work. This year I have broke out of that mold and am doing all sorts of things. For Christmas, part of my present from my wife was kilt hose in Lovat Blue and Oatmeal. Yesterday I paired the Lovat blue with red garter flashes and wore that with my Stilwater Black Watch. When I showed the wife, she didn't say "Ewww," , , or :buttkick: so that means that it looked fine to her.
As Chas stated, you're the expert! Have Fun!

[OC Richard]

A Black Watch kilt looks nice with many hose colours.

You could match the kilt with navy blue or forest green/bottle green hose, but in general I think it looks better to co-ordinate or contrast rather than match.

Lovat Blue, Lovat Green, sage green, tartan green, sky blue, ancient blue, red, Burgundy, claret, charcoal grey, mid-grey all look very nice with Black Watch.

What I personally would avoid is white, black, and offwhite/cream. Why? Because they're sort of boring to me.

There's absolutely no "rule" about matching shirt and hose. While it can look good to do that, it can also look good not to do that. I personally dislike the white shirt + white hose look.