If they are wool, you might also consider a little targeted shrinking. It certainly helped the hose I have. I left the hose tops alone, and gave a little heat and agitation (in the sink, by hand) to the leg and foot, and then after removing most of the drip, wore them around for a couple hours. They fit great, now.

Just mind you don't felt them (I assume they are wool).

Oh yeah, and the water was filthy when I was done . Oh well.

As far as length and turnover...take a look in a long mirror, with your hose and kilt...you'll be able to identify what seems too low vs what's schoolgirlishly high, and pick a good medium. In all likelihood, you'll end up with the top of the turnover (and therefore the garter) around the region of the top of your calf muscle. How far down the turnover extends depends on either its knitted length (my one and only pair of hose has a popcorn top, and it's pretty obvious how much is meant to be turned down), or how far down it takes to look like a kilt sock, and not short pantyhose--you'll end up with the latter, if the turnover is too small and the ends of your garters (or flashes) are dangling in the wind.

This is one of my favorite examples showing "how it's done"...not because they're all Scottish and it's an old photo and I'm looking to be traditional or something, but rather because it looks good:


-Sean