Kilt hose observations

[Galician]

$2575 for shoes made from 200-year old leather??

Thanks for your words, Alan.

[beloitpiper]

The overwhelming majority (save those wearing ghille shoes which are always cheap and marching bands which tend to wear the piper's equivalent of training shoes) of those wearing a fine handsewn Scottish kilt bottom it off with cheap scuffed up ill-fitting shoes.

I wear all black Puma's (tennis shoes) with my pipe band. When marching, I have to take care of my feet, because during them summer I'm marching about 2 parades every weekend. If I wore anything else, I'd have blisters the size of Ben Lomond! Celtic feet, don't you know...

[Arlen]

Absolutely true, Greg. I've had some cheap hose that I sorely wish I'd never bought. They just don't look good at all.
You're right in saying they can bring down an otherwise wonderful outfit, and that's a shame.
Your grey hose from Freedom Kilts are great. They don't just look good, they look like they feel good to wear.


Admittedly, Diane's got me spoiled now so even the good hose I've bought pale a little.
I'd advise anyone who can save up their pennies to go to someone, ANYONE who can hand knit hose and get a pair for special occasions.
They're fitted just to you! Like a good kilt!

[McMurdo]

I'd advise anyone who can save up their pennies to go to someone, ANYONE who can hand knit hose and get a pair for special occasions.
They're fitted just to you! Like a good kilt!

How right you are Arlen, last night was the RSCDS Tartan Ball I wore my Isle of Skye and my PC with the Isle of Skye hose that Diane knit for me. The hose garnered all the compliments, also with somewhere around 300 people attending there were only 3 of us with Argyll hose, many of the gents seemed to fade into the background because they were wearing off white hose.

I will be posting pictures and a wee report of the evenings festivities once I a home from work.

In short a good quality pair of hose can make an outfit, if you do not want to go hand knit then I would suggest the Hawick sock company, I have 4 pair from them each one are a pleasure to wear and I find myself building an outfit around them.

[Nanook]

if you do not want to go hand knit then I would suggest the Hawick sock company

Harwick seems to be a mixed bag. I have some pairs of heavy cashmere/silk (50/50) hose and socks from them that are absolutely wold class. Most of the socks I've more recently seen in shops, by contrast, seem nice but common polywool (and vastly inferior to my "more common" hose from Hose of Edgar). At the other end , however, I've heard that they've taken to make some socks of out Vicuna wool-- not that I've ever buy a pair. Corgi is another company that have made some fine kilt hose over the years but today seems to offer a mixed bag (from high end to mass market).

[PiobBear]

There are times when I like cheap, thin hose. When it's 90 degrees out, they're much, much cooler.

[billmcc]

There are times when I like cheap, thin hose. When it's 90 degrees out, they're much, much cooler.

I feel your pain, Piobear. I will wear good quality wool hose for semi-formal to formal wear, since such affairs are usually indoors during the summer. However, I have just ordered two pairs of cotton hose for casual wear. It is way too hot and humid here in Florida much of the year to be comfortable in wool hose.

[fluter]

There are times when I like cheap, thin hose. When it's 90 degrees out, they're much, much cooler.

This comes down (in part) to personal preference. Some folks can't seem to stand anything on their calves when it's hot. I mind it less than some of my cousins. I also grew up in South Carolina.

I will state flatly that wool is good in summer for all of the same reasons that wool is good in the winter. It insulates wonderfully. It breathes, and it wicks extremely well. It has "loft" and does not compress under/around the feet.

In real hot weather, my feet will be most comfortable in fairly substantial wool socks. High quality synthetics can be good, but not too thin, please! or you'll give up some of their benefits. And speak to me not of cotton (yuck) socks, which hardly wick; but just get soggy and compressed.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled preconceptions about wool.

[Jack Daw]

In real hot weather, my feet will be most comfortable in fairly substantial wool socks.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled preconceptions about wool.

I can agree with you. I live in the worst of the heat and humidy of Houston, TX, and have not wavered in wearing my woolen hose. I do not find them uncomfortable at all.

[Chef]

I think what Nanook meant was that there are a lot of cheap ghillies out there and they seem to be what you see most often.