Basic kilt wearing questions:)

[Savage]

Hello Rabble...a few questions have come to mind as I wait for my kilt. Let me begin...


1) What is the proper way to sit down? A personal question yes, but an honest one. On the same subject, how do you not mess up the pleats when you sit down?
2) If you only had one kind of sporran, what would it be?
3) Sporran belt, hangers, chains? Does it depend on the sporran or are they universal?

Any other tidbits you have would be great. Also, any mistakes or regrets would be helpful too...Thank you fellas

Mark

[Mikilt]

Savage,
All good questions.
1) When sitting down, simply reach back and give your pleats a sweep forward so that they lay flat under your bottom and your legs.
2) Some might insist that a full mask sporran is good for daywear and evening wear. Personally, I am not a fan of wearing full mask sporrans. Where/when will you wear your kilt most? Will it be regularly at work, or for dressier occasions? Let the where and when of your kilt wearing determine whether you get a daywear or evening sporran.
3) A sporran chain can wear on your kilt after a while. Then again, so can a sporran belt if the edges are not rounded. I prefer the sporran belt. I have worn sporran hangers, but I felt like my sporran was bouncing around too much.

All of the above are just my preferences. YMMV

[Godot]

Regarding #2, sporrans are very personal and their will be many opinions. What I did to get started (and I would recommend as a way to get going without breaking the bank) was to purchase a basic daywear sporran and a reasonable formal sporran. I started out with a Fur Dress Sporran from Stillwater (one of our vendors here) and one of the brown leather sporrans from WhatPriceGlory online. I think many will agree with me, that if you wish to dress up for dinners and events or dress casual for pub nights or highland games then one sporran just won't quite do it.

[Father Bill]

One of our sponsors, USA Kilts (above) has a number of very short instructional videos that will answer some of your questions at http://www.usakilts.com/tech-sm/vide...education.html Although some members may have alternative approaches to some of the questions he answers, there doesn't seem to be a whole pile to quibble about.

Enjoy!

[RockyR]

How to sit in a kilt? Video:

http://vimeopro.com/usakilts/guides/video/73704224

What kind of sporran would I have if I could only have 1? Fur Hunting Sporran:


Sporran chain or hangers or Strap?
Sporran Chain in most circumstances. Some people say that it will wear on the front of your kilt. I have not experienced this on any of my kilts in the 11 years I've been wearing kilts daily.

For other tid bits and tips, if you have time to kill, check out our other videos on that link. The actor is a bit flighty though.

[Tomak]

I think you are being a bit tough on yourself Rocky. I found your videos a great help when I started doing the kilt thing last year. You should certainly give them a look Savage.

[TravisMcGuire]

Savage,
The best advice I ever got on sitting in a kilt was from a band playing at the Games in Arlington. The chorus of the song went: "Knees together, boys! Knees together!"

I do find it to be a function of the you're of chair, height of other people's eyes, and weight of your sporran.

[Nathan]

Notwithstanding the very nice sporran Rocky showed, I don't think one sporran is enough unless you're never going to dress formally with your kilt. I don't think a fur hunting sporran makes the grade for formal evening wear. As mentioned, while the full-mask sporran is appropriate for day or night, it's not a popular look among the PETA crowd or those they have influenced and is really only appreciated at Scottish events. I have one but am judicious about where I bust it out.

Warning: If you get a semi-dress sporran in the hopes that it will serve for day and evening wear, you'll eventually be disappointed because it's really not correct for either.

Honestly, save up and get two sporrans. A nice leather one in brown or black for day and a fur one with a metal cantle for the evening. It's better to buy a vintage one of high quality than a poor quality new one that looks cheap and will fall apart.

I prefer a leather strap for day wear and a chain for evening wear but opinions vary on this point.

Happy kilting and welcome!

[rondo]

2) If you only had one kind of sporran, what would it be?
3) Sporran belt, hangers, chains? Does it depend on the sporran or are they universal?

If I could have only one sporran a full mask would be the most versatile [but i'm not personally fond of fur]. I hang my sporran by a strap from a dirk belt. Just one of many ways.
P3100305.jpg
Rondo

[GG]

ad 1) Sitting down
Like MiKilt said: “When sitting down, simply reach back and give your pleats a sweep forward so that they lay flat under your bottom and your legs.”
Further when sitting, keep your legs together or be sure to press down the apron and sporran between your legs.

ad 2. Type of sporran
With sporrans it is difficult to advise you, not knowing in which connections you are primarily going to wear your kilt.
As my kilt wearing to 95% is “nice casual” my first choice is a day wear sporran. I have them in black and brown, as I have belts and shoes.
Mine are plain, i.e. without tassels. The reasons for this are: 1) I like good design, and that to me means simplicity (I’m a Dane). 2) I hate so sound like a drummer, when I move around.

I do have two semi dress sporrans, but I seldom wear them, not even always when they had been more appropriate than my day wear sporrans. Again design/look counts to me more than rules or tradition.

ad 3) Chain, strap or hanger
I always wear my day sporrans with leather straps. I know they are said to wear the kilt less than a chain, and good if so. Again my main reason, however, is the cleaner design of a strap compared to that of a sporran chain.



More on sporrans here

http://www.dress2kilt.eu/en0103_buying_accessories.htm

http://blog.dress2kilt.eu: post 65 and 66.

More on sitting in a kilt here

http://dress2kilt.eu/en0104_dress2kilt.htm