Where does this sporran fit?

[Nathan]

I love the look of this L&M sporran. It is in a chocolate brown seal fur with cream coloured seal tassels. It has a brown brogued targe, with brass studs, brass tassel bells and a silver plated cantle.

The brown leather and brass scream daywear but the the silver cantle and fur say evening wear. I think it's a lovely piece but I'm curious to know when it could be appropriately worn. Would you wear it? If so, with which order of dress?

Take a look:

Brown seal sporran.jpg

[OC Richard]

Personally I don't care for it because it's an unsuccessful mashup of three different sporran styles.

The narrow metal rim on the cantle is a traditional military sporran thing. Having three knobs as it does is also traditional military.

Then there's the targe area from a hunting sporran.

Last is the body and tassels from an evening dress sporran.

Like a mix of these:

[craigclan]

I cant see me ever wearing it . Way to busy . Too much stuff going on . I prefer the simple look

[McMurdo]

I would have to agree with the others this sporran is neither fish nor fowl. I probably would not wear it. If I were to wear it I think it would be best to wear it for a black tie event such as Burns Night.

[Nathan]

Personally I don't care for it because it's an unsuccessful mashup of three different sporran styles.

The narrow metal rim on the cantle is a traditional military sporran thing. Having three knobs as it does is also traditional military.

Then there's the targe area from a hunting sporran.

Last is the body and tassels from an evening dress sporran.

Like a mix of these:

It probably is a mix of these made with L&M's build your own sporran app. I like the mix though cause it doesn't look like every second sporran.

[ASinclair]

I wouldn't wear it. But if you simply must have it, wear it as evening dress. We can't have that silver cantle scaring off the deer!

[rlh2]

I like it.

[CMcG]

I saw this sporran with Nathan today and it is top quality, made by L&M in Nova Scotia. My guess is that it would be best suited to very dressy daywear or morning dress.

It is definitely a unique item. Has anyone ever seen anything quite like it?

[OC Richard]

Yes it doesn't get better than L&M! Their work is great.

The turn-off for me is that very narrow metal rim, usually only seen on certain army sporrans. Note the wide empty gap between the targe tooling and the metal rim, the space where stuff should be, either the cantle if it's an ordinary cantle, or leatherwork if it's an ordinary Hunting sporran.

Now switch to this cantle, the classic style with the ancient concentric circles, and I would love that sporran in the OP.



It's the classic "EW5" from the traditional 'canon' of sporran styles, being sold on the MacKenzie-Frain site.

Even better that concentric-circle cantle done up with three knobs, in brass, on the OP's sporran. (Ideally with the side knobs moved down all the way to either side, in the style of 18th century sporrans.) If I knew how to do Photoshop I'd post a pic of it.

[Nathan]

Yes it doesn't get better than L&M! Their work is great.

The turn-off for me is that very narrow metal rim, usually only seen on certain army sporrans.

I just ordered a brass MOD cantle, so the fact that a look was made popular by the military isn't a turn off for me. As I mentioned in the OP, my only issue with the sporran is that I think it would compliment smart day wear best because of the colour scheme but I fear it would be overly formal for that because of the fur. On it's own though, I think it's gorgeous and, as Colin mentioned, it's top quality.

Eye of the beholder I suppose.