Hose

[McMurdo]

For Scottish Country Dancing in South Dorset ,as a tradition we all wore ivory Kilt hose with red or green garter tops. No red or white in my Kilt tartan. Most of the Kilties were Scottish Ex Patriots........... Roderick Powell

Roderick Powell

I am a Scottish Country Dancer, and yes some wear white kilt hose to practice. I have never danced SCD in anything but a kilt, when doing a demo of course I would defer to the uniform, however when out and about there is no reason for me to do so.

[Jock Scot]

You raise a very good point there Glen and one that many miss. What is worn as uniform and that might be the military, civilian pipe band, or a Scottish dance group is an entirely different kettle of fish to what a kilted civilian might choose for himself.

[Taskr]

And so, BigMacMcDaniel, the many suggestions but no real answer. There is no real answer, I will surmise, but we all appreciate the many suggestions that serve as a guide to our own decisions. Plus, I never would have believed that I would spend so much time figuring out what colour and style of sock I should buy and wear - my wife finds it mildly entertaining but also thinks I should be "matching" more.
I started with dark charcoal because that was all there was in the shop at the time - other than white. I'm up to six pair now. "my standards" if I might use that term. Claret, two greens, dk blue, charcoal, black. The MacDonald Clan Ranald ancient doesn't lend itself to some of the colours I've considered - but that is only one opinion. If I can finally get the Roach kilt, some of those other colours might find their way to reducing my bank account.

[OC Richard]

What is worn as uniform and that might be the military, civilian pipe band, or a Scottish dance group is an entirely different kettle of fish to what a kilted civilian might choose for himself.

Well for sure what the group chooses as a uniform might be different than any of the individuals' personal choice.

But there's an oft-heard suggestion that a divide exists between modern civilian Highland Dress and how modern civilian Pipe Bands dress, which in many cases isn't so, I don't think.

Take for example Queen City Pipe Band, seen at our Pleasanton Highland Games a couple weeks ago.

We have Lovat tweed waistcoats, lovely traditional 8-yard handsewn kilts in a Weathered/Reproduction tartan, plain leather sporrans (one drummer is wearing a non-band one), Lovat hose... I see nothing "military" or costume-like about any of that stuff.



Now, some might quibble with the Ghillie brogues, and Glengarries, though both have been regularly worn in ordinary civilian Highland Dress for well over 150 years.

[Father Bill]

I'd never quibble about Glengarries, but . . . baseball caps?

[FreddyBeachPete]

Baseball caps, Tilley hats, stetsons, pith helmets or sombreros all de rigeur during warm up. Glens for competitions!

[Jock Scot]

Well for sure what the group chooses as a uniform might be different than any of the individuals' personal choice.

But there's an oft-heard suggestion that a divide exists between modern civilian Highland Dress and how modern civilian Pipe Bands dress, which in many cases isn't so, I don't think.

Take for example Queen City Pipe Band, seen at our Pleasanton Highland Games a couple weeks ago.

We have Lovat tweed waistcoats, lovely traditional 8-yard handsewn kilts in a Weathered/Reproduction tartan, plain leather sporrans (one drummer is wearing a non-band one), Lovat hose... I see nothing "military" or costume-like about any of that stuff.



Now, some might quibble with the Ghillie brogues, and Glengarries, though both have been regularly worn in ordinary civilian Highland Dress for well over 150 years.

I do respectfully disagree with you OCR, a civilian pipe band is in a uniform, I did not say costume, it may not be as precise as a military bands attire, but a uniform a civilian pipe band most certainly wears and your example demonstrates that perfectly. The only exception that I can think of is when a scratch group of individual musicians meet up, almost by happenstance, dressed in their individual kilt attire to play together. So as far as I see it there is a marked difference between civilian band attire and individual civilian kilt attire choices.

For example take a clan gathering, there may be a hundred gentlemen present, they will all be wearing their kilts of MacOnion tartan, but the tartan will almost certainly not be the same sett, not from the same bolt of cloth, not the same hue, not from the same weaver, not the same pleating option and could easily be a completely different Clan(MacOnion) tartan altogether and there may be several Clan tartan options. That is before individual choice of foot wear, hose, flashes, sporran, shirt,tie, jacket style, jacket hue and bonnet style and colour is taken into account.For extra variety, some could easily be wearing tartan trews! So I am afraid, I do not agree with you.

[Grizzled Ian]

I agree with Jock and others about not deliberately attempting to match your hose with one of the colours in your kilt, but rather coordinating the colours in the rest of what you are wearing quite independently of the hues in your kilt. And if you can afford it, avoid whimping out with the "goes with anything" approach to the colour of your hose by choosing something from the white/beige/cream/ecru end of the spectrum. Go colourful! And don't ignore the potential for a vividly coloured pair of flashes or garter ties to make the major below-the-knees contribution to the palette of your outfit.

Baseball caps, Tilley hats, stetsons, pith helmets or sombreros all de rigeur during warm up. Glens for competitions!

... and might one assume they also hitch their kilts up around their waists before they march on?