Horsehair sporran. Full mask sporran

[Tobus]

In the unbroken stream of tradition of Highland Dress which has come down to us, yes, long hair sporrans are reserved for Military style dress.

Not to get hung up on semantics, Richard, but I think perhaps using the term "reserved" is misleading, at least in the context that the OP used it. Your statement seems to imply that hair sporrans worn by civilians would be considered improper, bordering on illegal, or would constitute a breach of some written rule. Typically the term "reserved" is used for things like the wearing of eagle feathers by chiefs, or the display of heraldic symbols by armigers. But that's a completely different ballpark than what we're talking about with hair sporrans, isn't it?

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that long hair sporrans have retreated to military style dress? After all, there is no rule that says civilians cannot wear them. It simply fell out of fashion, and got lost from the living tradition. But that doesn't mean that hair sporrans are "reserved" only for military/police uniforms.

I just want to make sure the OP doesn't get the wrong idea, as I sense that his original intent in using the word "reserved" was to ensure he doesn't break any such rules. But no official rules exist on the wearing of hair sporrans by civilians, and it's simply "unfashionable" in modern-day Highland tradition. Do you think this is a fair statement?

As a side note, I always enjoy seeing the images you post from old Highland dress catalogs. And you make an excellent point that the manner of dress changed dramatically in the early 20th century. But I wonder what drove the change. I have a sneaking suspicion that Highland dress sellers drove this change, trying to define what was 'proper' through their catalogs, and everyone went along with it. These clothing marketers thought their products were the pinnacle of fashion, and engaged in a determined advertising campaign, trying to reinvent the Highland look. Sort of like what we see today, where the hire shops seem to be the ones defining what's proper, and most folks (even in Scotland) just going along with it. Whether they intend to or not, they end up driving the fashion, which later becomes "tradition".