flashes and their length

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I want to point out that the piper in the photo is wearing Argyle socks with a rather small turn over, so naturally more of his flashes will show. It actually looks like his hose may have shrunk a bit, or been made for a man with shorter legs. If you look just beneath the turn down of the hose, you will see a section of marled blue before the argyle pattern begins in the sock. This should not be there. Ordinarily, the tops of the hose would fold down enough so that the argyle pattern of the cuff lines up with the argyle pattern on the sock. This would mean that the hose we see here were in fact made with a larger cuff and so ordinarily not quite as much of the flashes would be showing.

You can see in the below picture how Argyle hose are normally worn -- no gap between the pattern of the cuff and the pattern of the sock leg.

[sailortats]

It actually looks like his hose may have shrunk a bit, or been made for a man with shorter legs. If you look just beneath the turn down of the hose, you will see a section of marled blue before the argyle pattern begins in the sock. This should not be there.

Thanks Mac. I wondered about that section of the hose. Your explanation explains it. I love the look of those hose except for that marled blue area.
\This does beg the question, as the piper major for Her Majesty, the queen, would not his uniform be supplied to him? Or as a member of the military would he be required to purchase it himself?

[MacMillans son]

To me, it looks like he has folded over the tops more than once, possibly creating the mismatched pattern effect. The roll appears very thick compared to the bulk of the hose. If he were to fold them over only once, as shown in Matt's photo, the pattern may line up better.

But, Jock's point is well taken. Although some things in Highland wear originated in the military, it may not be the best model for current civilian wear standards.

[Jock Scot]

It must be at least 50 years since I last wore argyll style hose, so I may well have forgotten the finer points in wearing them, but-------. I cannot ever remember getting specific instructions about "matching" the lines up, correct hose height was always the issue of concern. The Queens Piper seems to go along with this idea. Now, I wonder, are "we" going along a tidy minded and "matchy" North American way of looking at things here?

[ThistleDown]

The thing is that a military uniform is all about uniformity and civilian dress is all about traditional style. It seems to me that length and position of self-tied flashes is fashion; today it is peeking, whereas I recall a time when we wore them longer. I don't think that had anything to do with the cuff depth, just a fashion trend. Perhaps the rebellion of youth. Jock, I do recall once being told to straighten my seams, but that came from a relative I was always fearful of offending, a very powerful woman who loved to command and terrify little boys. My seams have been perfectly lined up ever since.

[Jock Scot]

The thing is that a military uniform is all about uniformity and civilian dress is all about traditional style. It seems to me that length and position of self-tied flashes is fashion; today it is peeking, whereas I recall a time when we wore them longer. I don't think that had anything to do with the cuff depth, just a fashion trend. Perhaps the rebellion of youth. Jock, I do recall once being told to straighten my seams, but that came from a relative I was always fearful of offending, a very powerful woman who loved to command and terrify little boys. My seams have been perfectly lined up ever since.

Ah yes the seams! More by accident than design, I seemed to have got that bit right. Almost everything else seemed to raise a comment more often than not though, from just about everyone. Happy days!

[ThistleDown]

Ah yes the seams! More by accident than design, I seemed to have got that bit right. Almost everything else seemed to raise a comment more often than not though, from just about everyone. Happy days!

Hmm yes, there were other things, too, I recall. She used to tug my tie into a tighter knot and tighter to my neck, too. Nasty old woman, but I wear my tie snugged now all these years later.

As for hose tops, Jock, just another of the things we do because we've always done them, I think. You brought it up so I checked mine. Both at the same height and that seems to be more than two fingers below that boney protrusion at the top of the tibia. That places them more than a hands-width below my kneecap itself. I know my father wore them lower, but I think that was his regiment's fashion.

[The farqcom]

Interesting topic. Since "upgrading" to more "traditional" garter ties vs the flat elastic-mounted ribbon/trimmed tartan variety, I tend to follow Matt's example and have just the fringed portion of the tie exposed. If I do wear the other style, I expose about half the length. Seems to work well, hose turn down length means a slight variation on the theme of course, along with personal preference. Listing to the on duty fashion adviser always proves sound

[imrichmond]

It appears to me that, surprisingly, the Balmoral piper is wearing hose that are simply too short for him, which explains the very narrow turnover and a large part of the excessive length of the flashes. The wide, unpatterned expanse between the top of the uppermost red diamond and the bottom of the cuff is a clear indication that these hose were made for someone considerably shorter. The white diamond of the turnover should be sitting just above the red diamond so that the pattern is continuous from the top of the cuff to the shoe.

[Jock Scot]

It appears to me that, surprisingly, the Balmoral piper is wearing hose that are simply too short for him, which explains the very narrow turnover and a large part of the excessive length of the flashes. The wide, unpatterned expanse between the top of the uppermost red diamond and the bottom of the cuff is a clear indication that these hose were made for someone considerably shorter. The white diamond of the turnover should be sitting just above the red diamond so that the pattern is continuous from the top of the cuff to the shoe.

I suspect the piper is doing his best with the hose that he was issued with. However, from my civilian Scots point of view his hose tops are at a perfect height. This idea that the hose tops should end at, or just a tad below the bottom of the knee cap seems to be a modern idea and to my mind looks dreadful. I wonder and I suspect that much of the modern kilt hose are made longer these days?