My wife and I will be attending a formal black tie wedding reception at one of the mansions in Newport, Rhode Island this summer. It is not a Scottish wedding so I may very well be the only kilted gentleman in attendance.

I will be wearing my Modern Buchanan kilt with a black Argyle jacket (with a white shirt and black bow tie of course). I own an inexpensive 'formal' sporran - the stiff leather kind with a wisp of hide on the front which I dislike intensely. I am not fond of fur and don't really see myself wearing the many options in the furry sporran category. Over the years I have collected several handcrafted casual sporrans - soft leather pouches that expand as needed - with fine workmanship that I appreciate.

I decided I wanted a black sporran that I could cross over into a more formal look if possible. The last sporran I purchased was from Donnie at Wyvern Leatherworks so I contacted him by email with my tale of woe. What could I wear that would look formal to the uninitiated, that I could also wear in an informal setting, that would meet my taste in the unusual and practical?

Within five minutes he replied to my email and said that he had just completed a black sting ray skin sporran that he thought would fit the bill. He sent along a photo and I bought in on Saturday - it arrived at my house on Monday and I am thrilled with it.

I grant that the look isn't entirely traditional, but as all things like this are a matter of personal taste it was exactly what I was looking for. The shiny pebbly grain of the flap is amazing. The pearlescent white flash is a naturally occurring feature of sting ray skins and isn't done justice by the photos. But here is the look. Comments of all kinds will be accepted with good nature.

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