A Different take on White Kilt Hose

[Father Bill]

I recently ran into a Scot on a cruise. We were both kilted for a black tie evening - I with diced hose. He insisted that white hose and Gillies are what Scots wear for formal occasions - weddings, funerals, Sunday services, etc. When I commented that neither Rothesay nor the Clan Chiefs have been photographed with white but rather diced or Argyle, and rarely Gillies, he said "We don't care what Rothesay or the chiefs wear; we all wear white."

Not what I read here. Jock? Neloon? Alex? Others over there?

What's going on?

[Liam]

Did he disclose which part of Scotland he was from?

[Father Bill]

He's a Highlander.

[MacCathmhaoil]

Photo galleries for the Perth Ball and Royal Caledonian Ball may suggest otherwise. I'd expect if Jock is about he may be able to comment.

[Jimmy]

All I can say is that this chap that you met was talking nonsense. I get the feeling that he probably is not a regular kilt wearer and must be totally blind to kilt wearers in Scotland and what they wear

[Steve Ashton]

Perhaps he is talking about this look. This is a Scottish wedding, in Scotland, attended by Scots.

[Jimmy]

Really unusual to see a group of kiltwearers at a wedding all wearing white hose , any recent weddings I have attended or noticed, black hose seems to be the most popular colour

[Deil the Yin]

Hey, isn't that our member with the hostel/B&B in the borders? Dang, his name is just on the tip of my bowl (Robertson something?)! I was just wondering on him this past week. He used to post fab kilt night and Burns supper piccies, but haven't seen him around in awhile, not that I've been on here that much lately...

Perhaps he is talking about this look. This is a Scottish wedding, in Scotland, attended by Scots.

[FossilHunter]

Perhaps he is talking about this look. This is a Scottish wedding, in Scotland, attended by Scots.

I don’t usually see so many pirate shirts in kilted wedding photos. Lots of “chieftain vests” too.

[OC Richard]

Perhaps he is talking about this look. This is a Scottish wedding, in Scotland, attended by Scots.

Yes but I wonder when that photo was taken.

Because being in the Pipe Band world I was acutely aware of when offwhite/cream hose were all the rage in Scotland, for Day Dress, Evening Dress, and Pipe Band dress.

Then the pure white hose became the rage and suddenly if you wore cream hose you looked hopelessly outdated.

I would think that most kiltwearing Scots asked about white hose during that period could honestly say "white hose is what we wear". Only a tiny minority would go to the expense of getting tartan hose.

Then just in the last few years white hose have been going out and black, navy blue, and charcoal grey hose have come in. Rare is the successful competition pipe band who still wears white, and I see that Kilt Hire firms are going to black in droves. (They stay cleaner-looking for one thing!)

That makes me suspect that the photo above isn't brand-new. (I note the piper is wearing pure-white hose, while some of the other are wearing cream, which suggests a possible date.)

BTW these trends start in Scotland, and the Scots are the first to make the switch. The last people to get the memo are the people out in the diaspora. There are pipe bands in the USA wearing outfits that are 30 years out of date, that no band in the UK or NI or Canada would wear.

And of course this stuff is mere fashion, what makes you look fashionable to the community or not. Fashions are never "correct" or "incorrect" but they are "in" or "out".

Scottish weddings back in the day.