My two cents on the hose issue is they should not be required, however, I support an HR policy that states "professional and neat appearance". This would cover you if you need to request somebody where them for whatever reason.

Personally, for me, it all depends on the shoe. Hose seems to prevent foot sweat from building up in the shoe (don't ask me how, that's just an observation). Some of the shoes I wear with a suit just start making noises if I don't wear hose. IMHO that is not professional and makes me self conscious and uncomfortable, so I wear hose with those particular shoes.