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Saturday, May 01, 2010

Royal Inspiration

When we were coming up with a name for our custom-knit top kilt hose, we decided on "Royal Cuffs." This was because the inspiration for this style was partly due to the patterned-top country hose commonly worn by Prince Charles with his kilt.



Well, lest anyone think this is a new or novel fashion for Highland wear, rest assured that fancy top hose such as this have been part of fine kilt fashion for generations. We have recently discovered this photograph of King George VI as a young man sporting similar hose.


It just goes to show that the best in Highland fashion is timeless!


The "Royal Cuff" hose offered by the Scottish Tartans Museum feature a custom hand knit cuff sewn to the highest quality merino wool blend sock. Here are just a few of the various styles our knitters have come up with.




Browse through the full range of options and order your custom Royal Cuff hose here:

http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/royal_cuffs.htm

If you like the style of fancy top hose but are looking for something at a lower price point, the museum also offers a range of "specialty hose" that feature patterned cuffs. These are machine knit, and are not customizable like the Royal Cuffs. But there is quite a range of attractive styles and colors so there is sure to be something that would work well with any tartan kilt.

http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/hose_specialty.htm

Not that there is anything wrong with wearing a good pair of solid color hose -- in fact I generally advocate for simplicity in Highland Dress, only because so much of it is overdone and exaggerated these days. However, I really have become a fan of patterned cuff hose such as these. I believe they add elegance and style without being gaudy, and allow one to really show a bit of individual flare. And if it is good enough for Royalty, it's good enough for me!

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