Sporran Selection Advice...

[FossilHunter]

I would just go with an ungilded leather sporran of whatever style you fancy. The metal cantled fur sporrans are only necessary for black tie and up so unless you’re in a Prince charlie and bow tie, plain leather will cover everything from a casual Highland games to a nice dinner outfit (suit and tie equivalent).

[Baeau]

I would just go with an ungilded leather sporran of whatever style you fancy. The metal cantled fur sporrans are only necessary for black tie and up so unless you’re in a Prince charlie and bow tie, plain leather will cover everything from a casual Highland games to a nice dinner outfit (suit and tie equivalent).

Your post, is exactly what I was wondering about. Ta!

[RichardtheLarge]

If I were to buy a first sporran over again, I might get something like this. They’re often worn as a uniform sporran among pipers, they are technically a “daywear Hunting sporran” due to their shape and configuration, but they are a bit on the dressy side of daywear due to the black and silver color scheme:
https://www.artisansofscotland.com/p...-stud-sporran/
This sporran is also a formalwear option for gents who don’t care for fur. I think it can do reasonable duty for daywear, semi formal, and formal occasions. Kinloch Anderson features this particular sporran with some of their formal jackets and doublets in advertisements.

Although—My personal preference really is brown for daywear.

[OC Richard]

The thing to be aware of, IF you're concerned about Traditional Highland Dress (which many people aren't) is that our Traditional Civilian Highland Dress as it's come down to us has, since around 1900, made a clear distinction between Outdoor/Day Dress and Evening Dress.

Each mode of dress (Day or Eve) has its own dedicated shoes, hose, sporran, shirt, necktie, and jacket.

To mix the two would like be showing up at a formal evening function wearing a tuxedo jacket, board shorts, and flip-flops.

So the first thing I would do in putting together a Highland outfit is decide which mode of dress is being put together.

For Day Dress, the traditional look would be:

-black brogues (plain or wingtips)

-selfcoloured (plain) Day hose in one of a wide variety of colours (Lovat, brown, blue, claret, etc)

-brown leather sporran with or without tassels (matching leather) and with or without fur front

-tweed Day jacket and waistcoat

-tattersall shirt or plain shirt

-necktie plain, striped, or all-over pattern

Now many will argue with some or all of these, but as I said this is the traditional look one has seen throughout the 20th century. Under various pressures it appears to be breaking down nowadays.

[Baeau]

.....To mix the two would like be showing up at a formal evening function wearing a tuxedo jacket, board shorts, and flip-flops........

Exactly, what I want to avoid. I used a similar description, in a conversation with "She". Instead of board shorts/flip flops, I added T-shirt & my green wellies. We've been watching Good Neighbours. She understood, instantly.

[RichardtheLarge]

The thing to be aware of, IF you're concerned about Traditional Highland Dress (which many people aren't) is that our Traditional Civilian Highland Dress as it's come down to us has, since around 1900, made a clear distinction between Outdoor/Day Dress and Evening Dress.

Each mode of dress (Day or Eve) has its own dedicated shoes, hose, sporran, shirt, necktie, and jacket.

To mix the two would like be showing up at a formal evening function wearing a tuxedo jacket, board shorts, and flip-flops.

So the first thing I would do in putting together a Highland outfit is decide which mode of dress is being put together.

For Day Dress, the traditional look would be:

-black brogues (plain or wingtips)

-selfcoloured (plain) Day hose in one of a wide variety of colours (Lovat, brown, blue, claret, etc)

-brown leather sporran with or without tassels (matching leather) and with or without fur front

-tweed Day jacket and waistcoat

-tattersall shirt or plain shirt

-necktie plain, striped, or all-over pattern

Now many will argue with some or all of these, but as I said this is the traditional look one has seen throughout the 20th century. Under various pressures it appears to be breaking down nowadays.

I know that it’s traditional, and I know that it’s historical, but I really just don’t like the black brogue and brown sporran together. I’d rather see brown wingtips and brown sporran!

[ThistleDown]

I know that it’s traditional, and I know that it’s historical, but I really just don’t like the black brogue and brown sporran together. I’d rather see brown wingtips and brown sporran!

Yes, but that's a cultural thing. In the US fashion is much more matchy-matchy. In Traditional Highland Civilian Dress (get that right: THCD, emphasis on 'Traditional Highland', followed by 'Civilian' to differentiate from 'Military') you must really forget all those European, UK and now American 'rules' and follow the 'conventions' of the Highlands. It's all good and well if you want to match your sporran, belt and shoes, colours in your tie, tartan and hose, shirt and nosegay, but that isn't how it is traditionally done, as you noted, and what you do therefore is strictly personal choice. How we wear what is traditional, is how we express our personality in the Highlands.

[RichardtheLarge]

Yes, but that's a cultural thing. In the US fashion is much more matchy-matchy. In Traditional Highland Civilian Dress (get that right: THCD, emphasis on 'Traditional Highland', followed by 'Civilian' to differentiate from 'Military') you must really forget all those European, UK and now American 'rules' and follow the 'conventions' of the Highlands. It's all good and well if you want to match your sporran, belt and shoes, colours in your tie, tartan and hose, shirt and nosegay, but that isn't how it is traditionally done, as you noted, and what you do therefore is strictly personal choice. How we wear what is traditional, is how we express our personality in the Highlands.

In that case, I’d rather see tan wingtips and a brown sporran.