How to chose the right sporran

[Presidential33]

I have ordered a Black Watch Tartan Kilt.

I am just wondering if there are any considerations to be aware of when chosing a sporran.

I like the white rabbit fur ones, but somebody mentioned that rabbit fur does not look good and instead fox fur is better...

I find that white looks good against the dark black watch tartan, but maybe I should chose black to match the tartan? But then I would end up with a very dark ensemble. Maybe I should get a gold rabbit fur one to match the gold belt buckle and kilt Pin?

Should I be matching the sporran with the hose, the Kilt, or nothing at all (as in it does not matter and does not need to match)?

Thank you in advance for any help, suggestions or sporran etiquette!!

[YoungMan]

I'm sure the more knowledgable in such areas of advice will come along soon, but I'll get you started.

The two biggest classes of sporran are formal and daywear, obviously based on the occassion. For daywear, most go with either an all leather sporran usually brown, or some mixture of fur/hair/brass and leather.

More formal sporrans are usually done in black leather with pewter or silver. Seal skin used to the be the standard but is illegal now. Another option is a "full masK" sporran basically consisting of a dead animal head and fur (badger, fox, bobcat, etc).

Depending on when you expect to wear your kilt the most, I would look for a first sporran to fit the situation. It's hard to go wrong with a simple brown leather sporran for the day.

Unless it's your personal style, I would advise against anything too flashy. A gold dyed rabbit fur sporran will make you stand out, but probably not in the way you'd like. Don't worry so much about "matching". It's become an unfortunate preoccupation of we Americans.

[cavscout]

Rabbit fur is usually thought of as quite formal. If I recall, you are looking to put together an outfit suitable fro wear in the office, correct?

With Black Watch, I would suggest a simple black or brown leather sporran. Since your other metals (buckle, kilt pin,...) are brass colored, the brown would look really nice. Something like this
http://onlinemilitaria.net/shopexd.asp?id=1980&bc=no


Here are a good selection of sporrans suitable for business casual and a few levels above
http://stores.channeladvisor.com/Sti...ries/Sporrans/

http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/sporran.html

The Rob Roy style sporrans are very nice and practical/functional, check out Thorfinn Custom Sporrans in this niche.

[Presidential33]

Thank you for the quick reply!

I am indeed wanting to wear my kilt to the office, so a formal sporran might not be a bad tghing since it is a parliamentary office.

The reason I had mentioned gold rabbit fur is because I wish to get a gold kilt pin and gold belt buckle as opposed to brass or silver...

[JSFMACLJR]

You are still worrying too much about matching! I would suggest you put all those ideas out of your head and listen to the sound advice of a number of stalwarts of XMTS.

For day wear, I would recommend a leather sporran, either brown or black. Use a leather strap. Plain and simple, especially considering where you work. My second choice would be an animal mask sporran. One like the otter mask sporran I am wearing in my profile pic would be nice, although you might like to keep in mind that as an agent of HM Government a fur sporran might make a "statement" that some would find offensive.

[JSFMACLJR]

McRostie's of Glasgow makes excellent leather sporrans. You would be well advised to buy something nice like these sporrans!

https://www.said.net/secure/mcrostie/index-shop.asp

[HeathBar]

A simple black sporran similar to the one cavscout shows, would be best. It is a classic style and there will be many to choose from in varying price ranges. A formal sporran is something one would wear when attending a black tie function. Since the rest of your outfit is business dress a daywear sporran will be your best option. And the metal of your kilt pin does not have to match anything else. But I'm sure you've heard that already.

[Canuck]

I will concur to a plain leather sporran. Don't be tempted with a cheap Asian made unit. Expect to spend $125-250 Canadian for a well made sporran. L&M make wonderful sporrans (I do as well) and they are Canadian! Invest in a plain leather strap throw away the chain.
As for a jacket or suit coat, They are generally too long to wear with a kilt. You will need to find one that is cut to wear with a kilt or have one altered. There are plenty of threads here on altering jackets

[Jock Scot]

You are still worrying too much about matching! I would suggest you put all those ideas out of your head and listen to the sound advice of a number of stalwarts of XMTS.

For day wear, I would recommend a leather sporran, either brown or black. Use a leather strap. Plain and simple, especially considering where you work. My second choice would be an animal mask sporran. One like the otter mask sporran I am wearing in my profile pic would be nice, although you might like to keep in mind that as an agent of HM Government a fur sporran might make a "statement" that some would find offensive.

Absolutely! Beware of overdoing the bling for day wear sporrans, apart from the rare formal(morning coat equivalent) day event and avoid those dreadful semi-formal sporrans at all costs, as they are neither fish nor fowl.

[Pyper]

If you're not wearing evening wear (black tie or white tie), you don't generally want to wear a fur sporan, unless it's an animal mask sporan.

I have an L&M leather sporan which is nice. Something that sets it apart from cheaper sporans is how much will fit into it. It's like this:

http://www.landmhighland.com/default...&ptyp=1&pid=17

If you click that link you'll see they have categories of sporans on the left. Any sporan that looks similar to any they have in the "black leather" category would be appropriate (even if it was brown leather). Any of the ones they have in the "dress sporans" category would not be appropriate.