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I just cannot find socks that stay up when I am walking, not even with garters or whatever they are called.

Proper kilt socks are a pain because they are wool and need hand washed. Plus they need garters to stay up and garters create a pinch point just below the knee which is bad for circulation.
I mostly wear Sondico soccer/rugby socks which are elasticated throughout and stay firmly in place.
As I have had a couple of deep vein thromboses I also have prescription surgical stockings which are nowadays supplied in black as an alternative to their traditional flesh or sand colour. These are nice and cool for a summer day but they ladder easily, also they need hand washed.

Soccer/rugby socks, good idea! As for surgical sockery, I now see a lot of adverts for diabetic socks, I wonder if they might stay up better, might be worth thinking about, I have been wondering what was so special about socks for diabetics, probably because so far my feet are neuropathy free as far as I can tell so I don't know what they (the socks) are supposed to accomplish.

Possibly consider - FLASHES - those elastic bands with a touch of velcro or metal clasp to anchor the closing -
if the flashes are not sewn or attached to the elastic band remove them and fold the top of the sox down over the band -
otherwise just wear the flashes extra even if not matching the tartan kilt.
Those elastic bands are usually flat about an inch in width and should not rack too much of a tourniquet effect.

And yes some sox lack enough tension to remain in place above the calf just below the knee -
Wearing sox over the knee and on the short side thru the thigh is odd - best consider tights leggings - - -

r.m.anderson wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 10:34 pm Possibly consider - FLASHES - those elastic bands with a touch of velcro or metal clasp to anchor the closing -
if the flashes are not sewn or attached to the elastic band remove them and fold the top of the sox down over the band -
otherwise just wear the flashes extra even if not matching the tartan kilt.
Those elastic bands are usually flat about an inch in width and should not rack too much of a tourniquet effect.

And yes some sox lack enough tension to remain in place above the calf just below the knee -
Wearing sox over the knee and on the short side thru the thigh is odd - best consider tights leggings - - -

I have tried flashes, tight to the point of the elastic eventually failing, still had the same problem with the kilt hose crawling down my legs. I am not going down the tights/leggings route, the main reason I wear skirts is for the feeling of the skirt moving against my legs, so I don't want to clad my legs above knee height, although I must admit in recent days some added insulation would have been nice when out on my walk!

If you haven't tried compression diabetic sox there is always hosiery braces - egads ! LOL !

So socks pulled way up is something that looks good to most here?

Ankle socks only in summer for me , otherwise tights of various deniers and colours according to mood or weather.
Sock suspenders for a "fetching" look, emmmm no.
Steve.

STEVIE wrote: ↑Thu Dec 22, 2022 5:55 am Ankle socks only in summer for me , otherwise tights of various deniers and colours according to mood or weather.
Sock suspenders for a "fetching" look, emmmm no.
Steve.

Oh dear, your picture instantly reminds me of a joyous BBC-2 TV series of long ago,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_of_Beachcomber
which was periodically interrupted by spoof commercials for Threadgolds' "Thoroughgrip" Garterettes:
http://www.edwards.eclipse.co.uk/JBM-grip.htm

In my case garters make kilt socks stay up. Otherwise, women's over knee socks will often do, and for some strange reason they stay up. Also women's knee high socks, if you can accept them.

Half of the year I'll wear short socks with kilts however.

GerdG wrote: ↑Wed Dec 21, 2022 7:33 am

familyman34 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 17, 2022 4:52 pm
What length should I aim for? Should I try to make them all the same length?

I generally like my other skirts to come 2 or 3 inches above my knees, and have shortened at least half of them from what they were initially. When I get skirts from charity shops, I often have to take in the waist too, on one occasion by 4 inches!

Familyman, If you have not yet had your kilts shortened, and considering their low price, I think you might experiment with the length. Why not have them in different lengths? If you like your other skirts to be 2 or 3 inches above your knees, you might want your kilts to be short as well. Make one of them the shortest "correct" length, up to one inch above your knees, one 2 inches above knees and the last one 3-4 inches above knees.

To purists a kilt that short shall be disgusting, but if you can wear a short skirt you can also wear a short tartan skirt or kilted skirt or kilt, of course.


A cheap kilt, ordered 20" short, which it barely is and worn high to really make it short. Stewart Black tartan.


A kilted skirt, 17 inches and worn as low as it could. MacGregor tartan.

I won't say that I wear these minis often, but when I feel like it, I do.

My Mountain Hardware kilts are about that length...maybe slightly longer ..I reckon yours look cool...

I've had good luck with these:

https://www.sockdreams.com/otk-tube-soc ... o-top-link

They used to be cheaper (free US shipping though), and I'm sure you can find something similar elsewhere. Point being, they are long enough to cuff under the knee, which for me at least, keeps them up. They used to have more colors, but black, navy, brown, and grey are all good options for going with kilts, depending on what colors are in the rest of your outfit.

If you don't have much calf muscle, you might not be able to keep any socks up at knee hight, no matter the style.

ScotL wrote: ↑Thu Dec 22, 2022 3:30 am So socks pulled way up is something that looks good to most here?

In my case, socks pulled up is for warmth when the weather is bad, either that or I wear long skirts. In good weather and when I don't need the warmth I am happy for socks to leave my legs alone and dedicate themselves to ankle lagging! A knee length skirt and socks works quite well as long as the socks stay up. I do like long skirts but find that as they brush against the tops of my shoes, some shoe laces are amazingly good at undoing themselves, even from a triple bow type affair. (Note to self- when buying laces, don't go for slippy ones!)

Big and Bashful wrote: ↑Thu Dec 29, 2022 10:02 am

ScotL wrote: ↑Thu Dec 22, 2022 3:30 am So socks pulled way up is something that looks good to most here?

In my case, socks pulled up is for warmth when the weather is bad, either that or I wear long skirts. In good weather and when I don't need the warmth I am happy for socks to leave my legs alone and dedicate themselves to ankle lagging! A knee length skirt and socks works quite well as long as the socks stay up. I do like long skirts but find that as they brush against the tops of my shoes, some shoe laces are amazingly good at undoing themselves, even from a triple bow type affair. (Note to self- when buying laces, don't go for slippy ones!)

Sure, warmth is important.

I guess when I wear my kilt, unless I’m going out formally, I’m not a big sock pulled all the way up kind of guy. But the knee length sicks reflects the kilt like feeling.

I wore a kilt the other day with socks but ankle length just out and about. Had three very positive male (surprisingly) encounters. Usually it’s women who comment but not that day.

I think one of my biggest detractors to wearing more is the “how to make it fit with my other clothing” routine.

Although I really appreciate jocks, actors and famous musicians wearing skirts to introduce the world to the idea, outside of what Brad Pitt wore, I can’t see donning any of them.

What I really need is some style that creates a look of how I typically dress but incorporates a skirt in a way that looks good, is functional and doesn’t scare people away. And from scaring them, I mean looking at me and posing the ignorant questions of is he transitioning or the egg on their face question of homosexuality as if somehow clothing is the factor that dictates the complicated nature of sexual orientation.

I’d really like a look of what I am. A cis hetero male who wear skirts because they’re comfortable.

ScotL wrote: ↑Thu Dec 29, 2022 1:29 pm What I really need is some style that creates a look of how I typically dress but incorporates a skirt in a way that looks good, is functional and doesn’t scare people away. And from scaring them, I mean looking at me and posing the ignorant questions of is he transitioning or the egg on their face question of homosexuality as if somehow clothing is the factor that dictates the complicated nature of sexual orientation.

I’d really like a look of what I am. A cis hetero male who wear skirts because they’re comfortable.

It's going to come down to MOSTLY mindset on your part. I haven't changed my style that much over the past few years, least I don't think so, and I seldom have those thoughts anymore. "Style" will make you comfortable - but only to a point. Ultimately, what people think is what they think and we have no control over that. I still ruminate a little bit on those fears, but lately it's been more about "do I look silly?". I've come to accept I'm neither of those things, but it doesn't matter if people think I am - what does it matter either way? As for the answer to the "silly" question - "no" but I might look different from the usual guy out there.