Plain Sporrans after 18:00

[Mathew MacKillop]

Greetings All.

I have read in various posts here that semi-dress sporrans are abominations. For myself, I am inclined to think the same for actual dress sporrans. I know that my saying so will rile a good number of folks here, I say it anyways, but it is of course just my opinion and my feeling towards them. My thought process is that I find they look like enormous fuzzy versions of a woman's change purse (alright, older woman's change purse) due to the style of the closure at the top. There is way too much shiny metal for my taste; They seem to be more of an aristocratic affectation that a practical, usable item of apparel. They may be more "ancient" and commonly used than they seem to me, but the impression I have is what it is.
I am also not in the least a fan of fur of any kind being worn (regardless of the person or the item, I find it looks gaudy), and I would never survive wearing any sort of obvious fur around a good many people I know. Fur is not worn commonly here, and those that do wear it get strange looks from the rest of us. I recognize by now that they are a common and expected part of traditional dress, and that many folks here own and wear them. To each their own, but I'd rather avoid it, myself. Strangely, this same anti-fur logic does not seem to apply to leather. For myself, it is merely aesthetic and I truly do not like the look of fur, but for others it is somehow ethical, and yet leather is exempted from their criticism. Humans are so odd!
Which leads to my actual question: Can a plain leather sporran serve as an all-purpose sporran? I will not be attending any black or white tie events; likely nothing fancier than daytime weddings and office Christmas parties (evening into late night). There is a plain black sporran at USAKilts that has a nice pin closure, which I find very sharp looking and just decorative enough with the metal pin (http://www.usakilts.com/simple-pin-day-sporran.html).
For context: I will not, at any time, be wearing any of the kilt-rental style PC Jackets or Argyll jackets with the elaborate cuffs and extra non-functional buttons everywhere. By the time I have enough items handy to go about kilted on a regular basis, I would like to add a few tweed jackets, a few waistcoats, and later on a Wallace type jacket. There will never, under any circumstances, be shiny metal buttons on my coats. There will be no epaulettes. I even doubt that I will ever want a belt with a waistplate for those waistcoat-free occasions; a simple ring-and-post buckle (I think that's what they're called) in brass or stainless steel are about as much flash as I could tolerate. The name of the game, for me, will be to keep it as simple and plain as possible at all times. Unless it is windy enough to make it useful, I do not even intend to add a kilt pin. I intend to use the kilt itself, the hose (and flashes when worn), and a boldly coloured neck tie as my "bling" items, along with very small bits of metal such as the pin on the sporran for just a touch of shine, as well as a basic tie clip when not wearing a waistcoat.
So, to get the questions out here in the open:
1. Is it common for plain leather sporrans to be the only ones worn?
2. At an evening event populated by actual Scots, would there be ANY kilted gentlemen present not wearing a dress sporran?
3. Can a case be made under the circumstances for the semi-dress sporran for more formal outings? I have seen some that merely have a very short-furred front and otherwise look very much like plain day sporrans, and while I still do not love the look, I would be willing to suck it up and wear one if not doing so would cause raised eyebrows and offended sensibilities. Then again, with the attitude I have seen here on XMarks towards them, it may be just the opposite and wearing one would be more of a faux-pas than wearing a plain one in the wrong setting.

I am looking forward to your ever-helpful responses!

Regards,

Mathew MacKillop