Formal Hose--loads of questions

[Alan H]

BTW, I hate black kilt hose on myself and I gave away my only pair.

But the last thing I'm gonna do is tell someone else that they can't or shouldn't wear black kilt hose. I'll save that for someone who tries to match up neon rugby socks with their formal kit.

I mean, I DO have limits.

[BoldHighlander]

I'm not sure that my message got across.

I LIKE white hose with a kilt, my Eton/Spencer jacket, a white formal shirt and a black tie. I think it looks good and no amount of telling me that it's "incorrect" is going to change that.

And I for one would never seek to tell you what to wear.
My only personal comment about white hose was the following:

I'm not offended by white / off-white, its just not for me personally

But me?............ I'll stick with those really sharp-looking cream or brilliant white hose that I like just fine.
(*emphasis mine*)

And in the end that is the only thing that is really important, isn't it?

[Dukeof Kircaldy]

BTW, I hate black kilt hose on myself and I gave away my only pair.

But the last thing I'm gonna do is tell someone else that they can't or shouldn't wear black kilt hose. I'll save that for someone who tries to match up neon rugby socks with their formal kit.

I mean, I DO have limits.

You're missing the point, which is what are the proper hose to wear with a formal kilt outfit.

You can see from my picture on this post that I usually wear cream hose. As one person pointed out to me, kilt hose aren't really white, they are off white. In the picture with the claymore and montrose doublet, I am wearing navy hose.

Now, I am someone who used to wear hiking boots, timberland mocs, or patent leather dress shoes with my kilt when I was younger. I still use military surplus items in my outfit as well. I am not going to get too bent out of shape unless someone is wearing something REALLY inappropriate like regular men's dress socks or athletic socks. Or wearing formal evening wear, such as a montrose doublet outfit, at a highland game.

This is a whole different level of wearing the kilt, which as other posters have pointed out, requires splashing out a great deal of dosh for various accessories to look proper.

It ain't cheap, and if it requires 200 quid socks, then they are a necessity. On the other hand, I am a Scot and I am not going to drop 200 quid on a pair of socks unless it is absolutely necessary.

[Alan H]

You're missing the point, which is what are the proper hose to wear with a formal kilt outfit.

In part this whole discussion is running into a personal roadblock with me, and I hasten to add that this is just ME speaking.

Mixing the words "clothes" with words like

"correct " and
"proper" or
"approved"

....sets my teeth on edge, and I fully admit that logic soon shuts down in my brain. Again, this is just me! I figure if you're in the military or a club with a uniform, then those adjectives apply. Otherwise I figure, do what works, treat people well and fairly and respectfully, and carry on.

I think we should just politely agree that we have rather different perspectives on the importance of socks and clothes in general, wear our kilts, hoist a pint in our respective hometowns to celebrate the fact that we're not all the same, and move on!

[Alan H]

And in the end that is the only thing that is really important, isn't it? :

Yup!

[macwilkin]

Not, like....life or death, yanno? I can't stomach dropping $200 on a pair of SOCKS, no matter HOW long they are going to last me or how beautiful they are. I don't care...they're socks, guys....socks. Socks to wear once a year.

socks

Two hundred dollars for a pair of socks? Sorry, I just can't wrap my head around it. If you can, then that's great for you, and McMurdo's Isle of Skye socks look ruddy gorgeous, they do! Good for McMurdo! Wear them with pride and joy! But me?............ I'll stick with those really sharp-looking cream or brilliant white hose that I like just fine.

Alan,

I respect your right to wear whatever colour of hose you wish. I personally don't care for white hose, but I would never say "I just can't wrap my head around" why you'd wear them. Different horses for courses and all that.

But, the whole $200 thing is getting a bit old. I'm tired of the general insinuation that because someone chooses to invest in quality accessories, they are either wealthy spendthrifts or intolerant snobs. I can't speak for the other traditionalists here, but I know I am neither. And for the record, I didn't spend $200 on my hose -- they were a gift from my wife, and they were not $200.

Let's drop the whole "$200 for a pair of socks" line, please.

Regards,

Todd

[ForresterModern]

Being a newbie to the kilted world, along with the three new kilts I have recently purchased I have acquired a virtual rainbow of matching hose in solid colors, and even ordered a few patterned ones I am jonesing to arrive soon. But I must admit I really lust for those beautiful matching tartan hose and believe that they are really the classiest look with a colorful kilt. I did an exhaustive search (twice) and, besides the unbelievably low priced hose at Higgins, have found several other reasonable options without dropping $200+ for pair.

I am having trouble putting links into my post so if you want my source list just PM me.



j

[Jack Daw]

Jiminy, there sure are some strong opinions in here over a pair of knee sox! LOL! Have a beer, guys!

For formal wear, I do prefer to wear argyll or diced hose. But, I think white hose look rather smart, too. As a piper, I wear white hose sometimes and quite like them. You can see that I wore them in my avatar. But over time, white hose can begin to yellow or get dingy after several washings. Also, make sure you have removed all polish from your shoes/brogues before putting them on over the hose. The albino knee sox are, of course, cheaper in price than the argyll/tartan. These are things to consider before purchasing the white hose.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I'm not sure that my message got across.

I LIKE white hose with a kilt, my Eton/Spencer jacket, a white formal shirt and a black tie. I think it looks good and no amount of telling me that it's "incorrect" is going to change that.
[large snip]

Because guys....get real. We're talking about SOCKS, here.

socks. socks

Not, like....life or death, yanno? I can't stomach dropping $200 on a pair of SOCKS, no matter HOW long they are going to last me or how beautiful they are. I don't care...they're socks, guys....socks. Socks to wear once a year.

Alan,

Calm down a bit, my friend! I've been following this thread and I think you are the only one that seems to be getting stressed over this issue.

I don't think that we are going to solve the "great white sock debate" here on this forum. Everyone has their opinion, and regardless of whether you personally like white hose or not, I think we all can agree that they are rather common and frequently seen at both formal and informal kilted gatherings.

I think one issue that you've missed, though, is that the original question wasn't about socks in general, or even just socks for formal wear, but specifically what to wear with a Montrose or Sherrifmuir doublet.

You mentioned wearing white or ecru socks with your Eton jacket. This would be the equivalent of a Prince Charlie jacket, and constitutes black tie affair. And I think it can be agreed that ecru kilt hose (whether one personally likes them or not) have become standard fair for black tie events.

However, Montrose or Sherrifmuir doublets would be another level entirely, more akin to white tie. And different rules of fashion apply depending on if you are talking white tie or black tie, in Highland dress or otherwise.

Now, I'm not the kind of gent that gets invited to a lot of white tie affairs. If it were not for annual Burns Suppers I wouldn't even get invited to any black tie affairs! And that's why I don't own a Montrose or Sherrifmuir.

But the question was what type of hose would be most appropriate with these styles of formal doublet. And the answer is, traditionally, Argyle or diced hose. Are these the only options? No. Could other options look good? Sure. But I think that all the Highland attire "fashion experts" would agree that argyle or diced would be preferred. And that's all anyone here is really saying.

You also write:

Mixing the words "clothes" with words like

"correct " and
"proper" or
"approved"

....sets my teeth on edge, and I fully admit that logic soon shuts down in my brain. Again, this is just me! I figure if you're in the military or a club with a uniform, then those adjectives apply. Otherwise I figure, do what works, treat people well and fairly and respectfully, and carry on.

In general I agree with you that it makes little sense to think of Highland dress in terms of being "correct," etc, unless one is wearing it as a uniform. And I don't think we'd be even having this discussion if the topic were more casual dress.

But the thing to realize here is that, in a sense, very formal attire is like a kind of uniform, in that there are fashion rules that exist that simply are not there for more casual attire. Whether you choose to follow or flaunt those rules is another matter. But they are there nonetheless and one should at least be aware of them; even if only to flaunt them with panache!

Aye,
Matt

[Dukeof Kircaldy]

Wow! I really started something here!

I don't think that anyone will get terribly upset if one showed up wearing albino hose with some of the more formal outfits, especially since they are the easiest to come by.

On the other hand, wearing a montrose, sheriffmuir, or other doublet is another kettle of fish than just wearing an argyll or PC. First off, you are splashing out way more than you would for the less formal outfits (unless you win the thing on eBay or find it at a jumble sale for a steal). They are also much more elaborate outfits.

So, if you are going to that much effort, you should do it properly.