Dress sporran colour?

[Really a McQueen]

Given the red, black and yellow colours in the MacQueen tartan, what colour of fur dress sporran does the learned rabble feel would go well with this tartan? I am thinking that a black sporran may blend in too much for formal dress. Whereas gray, a light brown or perhaps an off-white would work better for formal wear with a black jacket and waistcoat.

[ccga3359]

Whatever animal you hit with your car! Sporran doesn't have match nor compliment your kilt. Choose your favourite (or least favourite animal). Hose and flashes should compliment your kilt, perhaps even shirt or tie. Your leathers should match (shoes and belt) and the general "rule" of thumb there is black for formal, brown for daywear. Sporran can speak for it's self. Admittedly for my Canadian tartans I did choose beaver but if you're still stuck on it I say - fox (just because I like fox).

[artificer]

Badger or one of the grey/blue/white fox species would be striking. But Grant is correct, fur is fur and doesn't need to match/coordinate with your kilt.

[Lyle1]

I have a sporran made from the summer pelt of an arctic fox. It is a smoky gray, and it looks good with my Stewart Black kilt.

[Laird_M]

Personal preference as always plays a part, but grays/tan/black&white are the general trend, from my admnittedly limited, experience.

You could probably get away with brown one as well.

[creagdhubh]

Any colour mate!

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Generally speaking, dress sporrans (as opposed to those worn with day wear Highland attire) are fur or hair. Both goat hair and horse hair sporrans are enjoying a revival, and seal skin (if you can find it in the USA) is always a good choice. What makes a dress sporran a dress sporran is the cantle-- silver or silver plated is the standard, with pewter also popular. Full mask sporrans are also a good choice, but one has to be careful that the full mask sporran isn't so large that it overpowers the rest of the outfit; with the exception of goat and horse hair sporrans, anything over six or seven inches in length is probably too long for formal wear.

[creagdhubh]

Generally speaking, dress sporrans (as opposed to those worn with day wear Highland attire) are fur or hair. Both goat hair and horse hair sporrans are enjoying a revival, and seal skin (if you can find it in the USA) is always a good choice. What makes a dress sporran a dress sporran is the cantle-- silver or silver plated is the standard, with pewter also popular. Full mask sporrans are also a good choice, but one has to be careful that the full mask sporran isn't so large that it overpowers the rest of the outfit; with the exception of goat and horse hair sporrans, anything over six or seven inches in length is probably too long for formal wear.

Good information - especially in regards to the size of full-mask sporrans. Sporran maker, Kate Macpherson, adheres to a very traditional (regimental manner - think Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders badger sporran) way of creating her bespoke, full-mask sporrans, with the majority of them not being the 'mammoth types' one often sees here in the States.

[Cygnus]

I was browsing some dress sporrans some time ago when my wife sneaked up behind me to see what I was doing.

"Black." was all she said.

Since we wear the same tartan, I thought I'd pass her sentiments along!

[OC Richard]

From at least the 1920s up till fairly recently, Evening Dress sporrans in Scotland were normally made from sealskin, in various shades of grey, or a somewhat yellowish near-white.

Here are catalogue images from the 1930s showing what was then the "norm".

White seal:



Grey seal:



The Evening sporran, on the upper left, is grey seal. The day sporran on the upper right is buckskin. At this time long hair sporrans, shown at bottom, were still being worn with Evening Dress.



And from the 1950s. It's all sealskin for these men in Evening Dress:



Note that the men's Evening sporrans, shown below at upper right, are all white, or mottled grey, seal. Note also that the full animal mask sporran is grouped with the Day sporrans.



Now why am I showing these things? Simply because the standard sort of Highland Dress worn from the 1930s through the 1960s is what I grew up with and it's what looks "right" to me for that reason. So, with your kilt or any other kilt, a classic white or grey sealskin Evening Sporran is what looks "old school" or traditional.

Now here's a somewhat earlier catalogue, from the 1920s, when long hair sporrans, goathair and horsehair (usually white) were still being worn regularly with Evening Dress:



Interesting to see a brown Evening Dress sporran there.

Bottom line, any sort of Evening Dress sporran would look fine with your kilt, be the fur white, grey, brown, or black.