Hose color with MacKenzie modern

[416 Rigby]

Ok, maybe a silly question, but I just don't have an eye for this sort of thing, at least not yet. What color hose would go well with this tartan? I was thinking navy with red flashes? I really like the lovat blue color but would that clash? I want to order a kilt soon and would like to get one pair of hose to start. It will be my first tartan kilt and will be a USA casual and worn mostly with a polo shirt at work or out about town.

Thanks

[brewerpaul]

Really anything works well. Loden green go with most anything as well as a nice charcoal grey. Claret or burgundy kilt hose are my favorites with my MacKenzie modern. Bison or oatmeal also work well if you are wearing lots of brown in the way of shoes and sporran. Nice thing about this tartan is you can use quite a few colours and acent with garter ties or flashes.

[416 Rigby]

Thanks, Paul. Charcoal gray was another contender. My polos are hunter green or burgundy, and shoes and sporran will be black, if that helps. Claret sounds like it would look good.

[Tim Little]

Navy is an understandable first choice, but in time I've found myself to prefer bottle/tartan green instead. Green seems to be that much brighter/warmer and just works better with the tartan to my eye.

I'd second Brewerpaul's suggestions -- especially for a more casual outfit -- though I haven't personally tried them myself. Also, don't forget the option of patterned top hose (e.g., House of Cheviot's 'Bowmore' or 'Chessboard' http://www.scottishkilthose.com/pattern_tops.html).

[Arnot]

I have worn the colors already mentioned. I have also worn lovat blue, lovat green, mid gray, and red.

[The Wizard of BC]

If I can give you the same advice I give to my customers -

The idea of wearing Tartan is to have the Tartan shine.

If you use only the colors from your Tartan or you build your entire outfit around the colors of your Tartan, it is very easy to cause the Tartan itself to become sort of the background of the outfit instead of the crowning glory.

I would prefer to allow the Tartan to shine.

So what I do in the morning is pull a shirt from my closet. (I have more shirts than kilts)
I then go to my drawer and find a pair of hose that color coordinate with my shirt. Not the same color but one that looks nice.
Then I put my kilt on. I have found that if the rest of your outfit works well together it does not matter what Tartan I put on. It all still works.

I like to use the example of a Kilted wedding. All the guys will usually be wearing the same jacket, tie, hose and shoes. But each one will have his own Tartan. And it works!

Take this photo as an example of this sort of thinking -



This is much how I look every day here in the shop.

Notice that I am wearing the X Marks Tartan. There is no brown in this Tartan at all.
But the brown hose go well with the brown shirt and that holds the outfit together.

And the Tartan is not driven to the background.

You can of course try to pick up a minor color from your Tartan and use that as the basis for your shirt and hose. Or you could go totally monochrome.



But notice that I am not trying to "match my hose to my kilt". I prefer to look at the entire outfit, and if possible, let the Tartan be the star.

[davidlpope]

Lovat Green, Lovat Blue, Bottle Green, Claret/Dark Red.

[416 Rigby]

Thanks, gents, excellent points. Steve, your philosophy makes a lot of sense.

[MacMillans son]

Personally, I am not a fan of the Tartan Sandwich look wherein the shirt and hose essentially match and the kilt is sandwiched between them. I prefer to wear hose and shirt that compliment the kilt without necessarily matching it, and never match each other. For instance, if the kilt is a predominantly blue and green kilt, a yellow shirt would work quite nice (blue and yellow make green) if there is a red minor stripe in the kilt perhaps some claret hose would fit in. With the same blue and green kilt, hose in a shade of green or blue completely different from those shades in the kilt would also work well (eg. light sage green hose with a dark green base in the kilt).

Play around with it, and try and not get stuck in rules, or comparison to what may be right in non-kilt attire. You will be surprised how things that, when only thought about, seem totally out of the question but once paired together look great.

[Micric]

I'd say pull a pair of socks out, and as long as they are both the same colour, you are good to go.
No worries about matching anything.
This isn't everyone' s way of doing it though!

Best,
Richard.