Scrunched Hose

[javankrona]

A topic on this forum surfaces from time to time regarding kilt hose and wearing them scrunched.

This is why a lot of kilt wearers don’t like the kilt hose scrunched down. Sam looks like his pants are down around his ankles and he’s taking a dump.



-Slàinte

[OC Richard]

For me the scrunched hose is part of an overall look, some would call it a "fashion culture".



It's an internally consistent look, and all the various elements work together and look right together.

On the other hand there's the traditional look, which has been around since around 1920 and hasn't died out quite yet.

It too is internally consistent and all the elements work together.



To me what usually looks odd is when these two looks are mixed in various ways.

If I were to scrunch down my socks how odd it would look! Or if the man at top were to wear traditional Kilt Hose with flashes and Ghillies how odd that would look.

[David Dubh]

I think scrunched hose depends on the setting, I’m a fairly proper guy when it comes to dressing, I f do not leave the house in track/ sweat pants unless exercising. I’m a hose up and flashes kind of guy, the exception would be Highland games weekend in warm weather with hikers on then they’re scrunched down. To me that picture looks like 2 mates that have come in from “bagging a Munro” there tired having a dram and there hose have slipped down from the hiking where you don’t want that tightness round your calves. Much like when I was a lad playing football late in the game the shin pads came out and the socks were down around the ankles, I remember watching Scotland play Yugoslavia in 74 the field was littered with shin pads.
Anyway here’s an old painting and you’ll see the hose only come about two thirds of the way up the shin similar to Sam and Grahams hose in the picture
Cheers David
https://clancarrutherssociety.org/20...ommanders/amp/

[Father Bill]

David, I'm always a wee bit leery of paintings. They often show the memory or imagination of the painter rather than what actually happened.

But then, who knows!

[GrymJack]

Hailing from Texas I tend to roll hose down when it is hot. When it is cooler or when going more formal I wear them up.

[imbrius]

Until I got some lightweight cotton hose for hiking in summer, I used to roll the wool hose down in hot weather outdoor situations. Granted I usually wear a very light athletic T shirt and a pouch-style sporran with that - not a dress (or even safari) shirt. Anything other than ultra-casual gets proper height hose and garter elastic at the very least, if not flashes or garter ties.

[Father Bill]

I guess at my age I'm allowed to be more historical/ traditional/ formal/ whatever, but my preference for hot weather is to wear hose that look like normal ones, but with a very loose knit. Cool, comfortable, and in my own opinion, better looking.

[OC Richard]

It's true that in the old days, particularly in the Army, hose tended to be worn lower.

But they're not scrunched, they're worn at the correct height they're designed for.

For example this soldier from the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders. The hose-tops could be worn at any height, but they're worn at this height in the regiment due to having three full diamonds showing above the spats (centred, red/white/red diamonds). Pulling the hose-tops higher and they would not match the regiment's manner of wearing them.



And today, with the red & green hose-tops worn by the pipes & drums of 4SCOTS (The Highlanders), note that three full diamonds show to centre, red/green/red.

[tripleblessed]

I'll admit I haven't hit many hundred degree days in a kilt, but I've not considered scrunching when I have had them. No problems yet.
No untucked shirts, either. Just my personal feelings.

[kingandrew]

I'm not much for scrunching the socks. It just looks sloppy to me.

Most of my kilt wearing is at work, so it's traditional daywear with a tie. But I have certainly done my share of more casual kilting, and would feel perfectly comfortable wearing a t-shirt, leather jacket, and boots with my kilt. But I'd still have my kilt socks pulled up to their normal height.

I'm from Florida and now live in south China, outside Hong Kong. It gets brutally hot and sticky in both places for 9 months of the year. But I just wear a lighter-weight kilt and hose to match the weather. In hot weather, I do wear a pith helmet rather than a wool balmoral, but I still wear the socks up.

And I certainly have seen plenty of over-the-calf hiking socks in my time. I also wear those up where they were designed to go.

It is key to get socks that actually fit. I feel for those whose muscular calves make this more challenging. And I would also prefer scrunched socks to those "invisible" sock things, ugh!

I understand Richard's point with the pic of they guy in a Utilikilt. But I would probably still wear tall socks with a Utilikilt (if I had one), even if they were soccer or hiking socks, rather than trad kilt hose.

Andrew