Sporran for Black Tie

[Sir Didymous]

I have a black tie optional evening wedding coming up. It's likely that I won't be the only kilty there. What I'm trying to decide is if I should dust off the horse hair sporran, or will my metal cantled brown and white calf skin be better. After all, the black tie is optional. Just for reference; I'll be wearing a freedom tartan traditional kilt with a black shirt and a red silk tie tied in a Merovingian knot. The jacket is a navy blue Montrose with the top buttoned back and my hose are black/red diced with garter ties.

[Tarheel]

I remember when you posted a photo of your calf skin sporran with the silver cantle. I like it for the ensemble you've mentioned. If there are other kilties there, surely someone will wear a horse hair sporran. Just my opinion, but the calf skin should be fine.

[Liam]

I would favour the white calf skin. Although I own and have worn my horse hair sporran to black tie events, I find it a bit over the top. I also have a chrome cantle badger fur sporran as my formal sporran.
But don't over think it, either will be fine and the kilt police will let you off with a warning😉

[OC Richard]

Coming from a traditional/historical viewpoint neither sporran would quite fit Evening Dress with a Montrose.

Let me put my usual disclaimer that I'm not saying that people should follow tradition, I'm just pointing out that a tradition exists.

I say neither fits, because the Montrose was invented in a particular time and place as part of a quite specific Highland costume.

It was the early years of the 20th century and Highland Evening Dress had just undergone a rather thorough transformation.

Gone were the long hair sporrans and crossbelts and weaponry and long plaids of the 19th century.

The new Highland Evening Dress was pared down and sleek. The new sporran was shaped like a pocket, made of seal, and had a silver semicircular cantle.

Several new jacket styles appeared, the Prince Charlie Coatee, the Montrose, and the Kenmore. The old Doublet was now considered somewhat fuddy-duddy; the Prince Charlie Coatee (which appeared at the beginning of the 20th century) and the Montrose (which seems to have come along later) were both regarded as new cutting-edge fashion and mainly suitable for young men and youths. Older gentlemen often stuck with the older styles of Doublet and long hair sporran.

So, wearing a long horsehair sporran with a Montrose would be mixing centuries and styles, not that there's anything "wrong" about mixing various periods and styles of Highland Dress.

Likewise calfskin, which wasn't used for Evening Dress sporrans AFAIK.

[JohntheBiker]

Of course, there is always another perspective:





Just don't outshine the bride!

[Sir Didymous]

As many know, I'm not a traditional kilt wearer. I admire the traditional look, but go my own way. IMHO, the Montrose is just one more jacket option. Granted, it is one that is widely viewed as being over-the-top and dressing it down can go horribly wrong. It is none-the-less, the jacket I will be wearing. That being said; when one takes all of this into account, the question becomes, "What will look better?"

PS. It will be quite impossible for a gargoyle like me to outshine the bride.