Flashes!!! Garters!!! Let's discuss!

[TheOfficialBren]

I don't own flashes. I do own hose. I am considering purchasing some flashes but I have a couple of questions.

1) How often do you folks wear flashes or garters?
2) MUST they match my kilt? I saw a member recently post a photo with some very smart-looking solid red flashes and there was no red in his tartan. Any thoughts on this?
3) What about tied garters? Any thoughts?

Thank you, in advance, for your advice.

[John_Carrick]

I always wear flashes and for decades wore the matching tartan but I have recently bought some lovat blue plain flashes, which seem to go very well with ancient tartans, and some bright red ones which go well with modern tartans and liven up a grey tartan.

I personally still like a matching tartan, but these can be a bit much when you wear more colourful hose.

John

[TheOfficialBren]

Hmm...thank you, John.

[Jordan]

I have red Garter's that I tie myself and black flashes that I don't. When ever I wear my Hose pulled up I have one of the two on. no matter the tartan or Hose Im wearing at the time.

[brewerpaul]

I don't own flashes. I do own hose. I am considering purchasing some flashes but I have a couple of questions.

1) How often do you folks wear flashes or garters?
2) MUST they match my kilt? I saw a member recently post a photo with some very smart-looking solid red flashes and there was no red in his tartan. Any thoughts on this?
3) What about tied garters? Any thoughts?

Thank you, in advance, for your advice.

Here is my two cents on your above questions in order

1) I dont wear flashes when I walk to work daily. I wear either a Blackwatch or Black Stewart kilt and either charcoal gray or burgundy kilt hose. I just use some elastic/velcro to keep them up. No need to over do it when I plan to change into scrubs at work. Otherwise I do wear ties or flashes.

2) They dont need to match your kilt, or anything for that matter. I may find some thread of clothing to match to such as a blue tie to match a blue color in my garter ties. Perhaps my shirt might be maroon like a color in my ties. I have matching flashes that I will wear at times but that isnt required. I have one pair of navy blue flashes that can go with most anything.

3) I prefer garter ties and make my own. They can look quite nice and colorful. Again here you can have a color in the ties that may match a color in your kilt or shirt of anything/nothing at all. I have a pair that are green,burgundy and saffron so they go with a forest green shirt, burgundy tie, my saffron kilt... The possibilities are endless.

Photo of garter ties and saffron kilt

[sailortats]

I wear both flashes and garter ties. It just depends on my mood at the time I put on the kilt. I wear whichever I think looks best with the hose I am wearing and do not worry so much about co-ordinating with my kilt. I have one pair of flashes that match my Stewart Hunting ancient tartan, but I also have solid yellow and solid red flashes. The red seems to get worn more than the others as it goes with every kilt I own and most of my hose. My garter ties are yellow/red, yellow/green and solid lovat green. While I like the look of the garter ties I do not like the look of the bump the knot causes under the fold-down.

[OC Richard]

1) How often do you folks wear flashes or garters?
2) MUST they match my kilt? I saw a member recently post a photo with some very smart-looking solid red flashes and there was no red in his tartan. Any thoughts on this?
3) What about tied garters? Any thoughts?

1) flashes are more or less universally worn nowadays with ordinary "traditional Highland Dress", but it wasn't always so! In The Highlanders of Scotland (56 portraits of men in Highland Dress painted in the 1860s) few of the men are wearing flashes.

2) tartan flashes which match the kilt are a quite recent thing, and to my eye look awful. Traditionally flashes were a solid/plain colour, nearly always red, but less often green. Occasionally one would see striped flashes too. But not tartan! Because flashes weren't cut out of fabric and sewn, but rather were made from wool tape/ribbon woven especially for the making of flashes. Traditionally this wool tape/ribbon was woven in a herringbone pattern.

3) tied garters are of course the oldest sort, and are usually seen worn with castellated hose (which have no turnover cuff). In the early and mid 19th century it was common to wear garters with large elaborate bows and long ribbons hanging down; I don't know if these were actually tied, or if these elaborate bows were permanently sewn.

Let's take a look-see!

Our earliest portrait showing Highland Dress, 1660, clearly shows the garters



In the Army in 1852



Civilians in the 1860s wearing no flashes



The traditional dress of The Atholl Highlanders continuing the old use of elaborate bows

[Chas]

I wear both, but am moving towards flashes. Here in the UK, you can buy a thing called 'woven woollen tape'. One inch wide, very open plain bias weave. Costs about 50 to 75 pence a metre. Three metres will easily do two garters, for a cost of just over a couple of £. The only problem is the limited range of colours. Black, ugly grey, very bright turquoise and bright yellow. Not the world's best palette. Most of the time I wore the black or a black and yellow mix.

I never really took to the tartan flashes. I have two pairs, but have never worn them - too matchey, matchey - maybe, I don't know.

I then moved over to flashes. For quickness, I use flashes made by a company called Bisley Country Products.

Their label -



And this is the actual garter -



Easily adjustable, but once you know your size they stay fixed.

Bisley make two sets of flashes. These, they call bright -



The red should be a bit more scarlet.

And these, they call muted -



As you can see they are made from the same woven woollen tape, just cut, folded over and sewn.

With the black that I already have, I have most outfits covered.

Regards

Chas

[TheOfficialBren]

Jordan, is this typical of THCD in Scotland?

I have red Garter's that I tie myself and black flashes that I don't. When ever I wear my Hose pulled up I have one of the two on. no matter the tartan or Hose Im wearing at the time.

[TheOfficialBren]

BrewerPaul,

Those garters are really sharp! I would love to learn how to make something like that. Very impressive work.

Here is my two cents on your above questions in order

1) I dont wear flashes when I walk to work daily. I wear either a Blackwatch or Black Stewart kilt and either charcoal gray or burgundy kilt hose. I just use some elastic/velcro to keep them up. No need to over do it when I plan to change into scrubs at work. Otherwise I do wear ties or flashes.

2) They dont need to match your kilt, or anything for that matter. I may find some thread of clothing to match to such as a blue tie to match a blue color in my garter ties. Perhaps my shirt might be maroon like a color in my ties. I have matching flashes that I will wear at times but that isnt required. I have one pair of navy blue flashes that can go with most anything.

3) I prefer garter ties and make my own. They can look quite nice and colorful. Again here you can have a color in the ties that may match a color in your kilt or shirt of anything/nothing at all. I have a pair that are green,burgundy and saffron so they go with a forest green shirt, burgundy tie, my saffron kilt... The possibilities are endless.

Photo of garter ties and saffron kilt

Sailortats, thank you for your insight. Your posts are always helpful and you wear your kilts with distinction, sir.

OCRichard, thank you for sharing your knowledge and the pictures. I had mo idea that something as simple as garters could be so elaborate!

Chas, thanks for the heads-up. I really dig the "muted" colours.