My first kilt is finally here!

[Tarheel]

Great choice of shirt with the jacket and vest. Now my thoughts of how to spend more of your money, get lighter colored hose to go with a sky blue tie.

[Mathew MacKillop]

May I suggest non-tartan flashes, or, better yet, proper garter ties?

[OC Richard]

What a gorgeous kilt! And especially lovely as it's your first!

About sporrans, it all depends on whether or not you care to follow "traditional Highland dress". (For sure anybody can wear anything they want to.)

In the early 20th century Highland Dress became more divided with a near-complete separation between "Day" and "Evening" dress, each with its specific sort of footwear, sporran, and jacket.

I would think that the "suit equivalent" you mention would be traditional Day Dress. The jacket would be tweed of any colour, say grey, brown, or Lovat, with selfcoloured co-ordinating hose, plain shoes, and a leather sporran.

From the get-go Day sporrans were offered with fur fronts as an option. People nowadays think that these sporrans were intended for an imagined mode of dress halfway between Day and Evening dress, but actually leather Day sporrans were regarded as equivalent whether or not they had fur fronts.

These would have been some of your Day choices in 1936



Throughout the 60s 70s and 80s these would have been some of your choices from several leading Scottish makers. Why am I showing these old catalogues? Just for people's "eyes" to get a sense of the tradition as it's come down from the early 20th century.



Another page. Some of these combine elements of Evening and Day sporrans, which I think was a rather newfangled thing in the 1950s and 1950s



BTW aren't Dunlops always MacIntyres?

[Alan H]

That's a wonderful tartan. I really like that.

I happen to be partial to hunting sporrans as well. The constant *thwack-thwack* of tassels on a hard-fronted sporran drives me nuts. So therefore, my "dress" sporran...which might not meet the criteria of the more traditionally-inclined on the board, is a hunting sporran I acquired from a piping store.

For an affordable sporran that will last flippin' forever, and wear "everyday", look into the Buzz Kidder sporrans.

[MacKenzie]

Beautiful tartan.

Second mention for Donnie @ Wyvern.

[tpa]

Great kilt.

Things to consider re. sporrans:

Leather ones with tassels can be quite noisy when walking, a little fur quietens them down either on the sporran or on the tassels.

For day wear, use a belt to support it, so it is easier to slide to one side. It may prove to be more practical than a chain which would have to be swivelled with the sporran.

If you have attachment hooks, make sure the catch is towards the sporran as opposed to the kilt.

It should not be necessary to thread the belt/chain through the belt loops, although there is nothing to say you can't. Just makes it easier to swivel if the buckle does not have to cope with loops.

[Father Bill]

Great kilt.

Things to consider re. sporrans:

Leather ones with tassels can be quite noisy when walking, a little fur quietens them down either on the sporran or on the tassels.

For day wear, one on a belt, so it is easier to slide to one side, may prove to be more practical than a chain which would have to be swivelled with the sporran.

If you have attachment hooks, make sure the catch is towards the sporran as opposed to the kilt.

It should not be necessary to thread the belt/chain through the belt loops, although ere is nothing to say you can't. Just makes it easier to swivel if the buckle does not have to cope with loops.

All good advice! A so-called "hunting sporran" also eliminates the flapping sound. As for the loops, I've been taught a different perspective, namely that in time, threading the belt through the loops may cause distortion of the cloth and thus the tartan sett.

Up to the owner, but I've never used loops with my belt; just strap the darned thing on!

[OC Richard]

Here's a thread I did a while back with the standard 'canon' of sporran styles from the second half of the 20th century, both in the standard catalogue used by several makers, and examples in the flesh

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...xamples-88489/

L&M Highland Outfitters in Nova Scotia still upholds this tradition of sporranmaking, and offers pretty much all of these styles, plus their own innovations.

Here's a lovely hunting sporran made recently by L&M



Here's a hunting sporran with a brass cantle. This is a vintage one by WE Scott Edinburgh but L&M and other makers still make this style



Some of the nicest hunting sporrans I've seen are ones with coloured leathers made by L&M

[Angela Kaye Bodine]

You look terrific ! Love the pictures and the tartan.... Angie

[Thekiltedmohawk]

What a lovely tartan! You look splendid in it.

Gotta throw in for a thumb up for Wyvern's. I got my customized sporran from him. He's a good chap that will work with you to design whatever you want on your sporran. Kilting on.