Argyle kilt hose - success!

[hospitaller]

I notice sometimes that in search of a less expensive alternative we sometimes end up spending as much, if not more, money over time than we would have if we had just saved up and bought the real thing to begin with.

True, but now he knows where to get perfectly good hose, and if he wants more than 1, he will still pay much less than a single pair of the expensive ones.

trade offs, remember, not everyone is loaded with hundreds of dollars to spend in a single pair of socks or a sporran.

So, we learn from other's experiences.

If I ever win the lottery, I will buy your stuff Matt, until you carry affordable stuff for those of us in a tight budget, no dice i'm affraid (no pun intended)

[duchessofnc]

True, but now he knows where to get perfectly good hose, and if he wants more than 1, he will still pay much less than a single pair of the expensive ones.

trade offs, remember, not everyone is loaded with hundreds of dollars to spend in a single pair of socks or a sporran.

So, we learn from other's experiences.

If I ever win the lottery, I will buy your stuff Matt, until you carry affordable stuff for those of us in a tight budget, no dice i'm affraid (no pun intended)

I've been to Matt Newsome's shop , live and in person because I am from his town and I found that his stuff has been reasonably priced. Because I am extremely into textiles, I have also had the greatest pleasure of examining the products at the Scottish Tartan Museum's shop and found it some of the highest quality around and in fact not only is worth what it is but he could probably get away with charging just a wee bit more from it because the products that are sold are products of the HIGHEST quality and will last years and years, where as something cheaper will get worn and faded for a few months.

I respectfully request that until you learn about quality vs. money that you don't be quite so critical of individuals such as Matt Newsome who has done nothing but share his extreme wisdom of Scottish attire to this board.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

If I ever win the lottery, I will buy your stuff Matt, until you carry affordable stuff for those of us in a tight budget, no dice i'm affraid (no pun intended)

I have noticed of late a certain attitude among some of "us poor guys" vs. "you rich guys," and I try not to let it bother me. If you look at my wardrobe, you'd probably assume me to be among "you rich guys," however my W2s certainly affirm that I am among "us poor guys" fairly squarely.

I strive to have quality items in our museum gift shop, both because I think it reflects well on our museum, and also because I am proud of the artisans, craftspeople, and busines folks that contribute their time and talents to Scottish heritage.

Sometimes this means our items are more expensive than others, yes. But it doesn't mean we cater only to the rich, and I rather resent the implication that someone "on a budget" could not find what he needs in our shop. We do try to carry products at a range of price points; but even with our less expensive offerings we try not to sacrifice quality.

So you will find, for example, we carry hose as inexpensive as $19.95. You can also spend $250 for a pair of custom-knit Argyles. We have a variety of hose at every price point in between, from $27.95 to $48 to $110 and so on. A sock for every budget!

Sporrans are another example. We have quality sporrans from as low as $59.95 to upwards of $400, and like with with hose, at pretty much every price point in between.

We have quality kilts made from tartan from the top Scottish mills from the mid-$300s up to over $700. And again, at every price point in between.

I like to showcase some of our nicer products here on the forum, and of course many of these tend to be in the higher price range. So maybe I have inadvertantly contributed to the impression that we cater only to the rich. If so, I apologize. No, we don't have a lot of the uber-cheap stuff. We have no desire to compete with sportkilt and the many and varieed ebay vendors. That's not what we are about. But a look through our gift shop pages should indicate that we strive to offer good quality Highland wear at a variety of price points.

[Jdot84]

I have noticed of late a certain attitude among some of "us poor guys" vs. "you rich guys," and I try not to let it bother me. If you look at my wardrobe, you'd probably assume me to be among "you rich guys," however my W2s certainly affirm that I am among "us poor guys" fairly squarely.

I strive to have quality items in our museum gift shop, both because I think it reflects well on our museum, and also because I am proud of the artisans,

Matt,
I agree with you and I am in the poboy catagory also. I would prefer to save my money and buy one quality product rather than have to buy several lower priced and usually lower quality item. It just makes better since to me. My Kilts and other Highland wear are an investment and they should and will last a lifetime.
Now that being said, I do shop around and hit ebay often.You can find real deals if you look, I found my pc and waist coat on ebay for $68 it sells on J. Higgins for $275.
So each to thier own but usually paying a little more for quality up front saves money in the long run.
Thats my $0.02

Thanks
J.

[Bugbear]

So for about $150 plus shipping (I'm estimating based on the cost of the socks listed on those pages) you got six plairs of poor quality socks that are of no use, and two pairs of "servicable" socks.

When for about the same amount of money you could have gotten a high quality pair of real Scottish-made full Argyle hose.
http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/hose_argyle.htm

I notice sometimes that in search of a less expensive alternative we sometimes end up spending as much, if not more, money over time than we would have if we had just saved up and bought the real thing to begin with.

What are those footless hose tops at that link?

Not thinking of the price, but the use over cotton socks for comfort, and shoes with tongues of course.

[DWFII]

I really shouldn't get into this not only because I respect James and thank him for his contributions but also because it seems very difficult to express a contrary opinion here without someone being offended.

But truth to tell, I don't think any of the hose I saw on the golf site would be a reasonable substitute for tartan hose. They're argyll knee highs, sure enough, but they aren't tartan hose.

I don't have $200-$300.00 for tartan hose either. So my wife made me a pair that are beautiful...far better than I had hoped for. It can be done. In fact, most of my accessories are hand/home made--two credible sporrans, two eminently credible sgian dubhs, bonnet, belts and, if I do say so myself, more than credible shoes.

But that said I've seen custom made tartan hose selling for less than $150.00 right here in the USA...custom-made to your size and tartan.

Sometimes...maybe not in this instance...you got to suck it up if you want to be credible. Otherwise you end up as an example of a "Don't." I bet that 75% of the Don'ts are because the person was "penny-wise and pound foolish." Which I think is one of Matt's points.

[macwilkin]

What are those footless hose tops at that link?

Not thinking of the price, but the use over cotton socks for comfort, and shoes with tongues of course.

Those are really only designed for military and pipe band use, Ted, as they are worn under spats/leggings.

T.

[Bugbear]

Those are really only designed for military and pipe band use, Ted, as they are worn under spats/leggings.

T.

Oh ok, Todd, thanks. I remember reading about those now.

[gilmore]

Those are really only designed for military and pipe band use, Ted, as they are worn under spats/leggings.

T.

I got a very good deal on some Morrison tartan hose tops, and am now looking for some civilian (non-white, not peaked at the back like pipers wear) spats to wear with them on ocassion. It may very well turn out that the spats are more expensive, and more troublesome to make or find, than the hose tops were.

[Bugbear]

Ya, I just forgot what that was all about with the spats etc.

They would probably ride up and show the socks.

It's not like I attend a black tie dinner each evening either.