Why fur for formal sporrans?

[Lallans]

I've always assumed that on top of everything there was a socio-economic equation at work, something like: fur = expensive = formal.

Personally, I prefer a sporran that is made from only part of a large animal as opposed to one that is entirely made from a single animal (or several). I guess it's a moral thing, in my eyes, certainly not one that I would impose on anyone else however. In fact I guess it's a Buddhist sort of thing- but I felt the same way long before I knew that.

[CDNSushi]

P.S. Would "angora" classify as a "fur" sporran?

http://www.sporrans.com/Ultimates.html

[OC Richard]

I'm just going to spit it out... I don't much care for your typical dress sporran. Love the cantles, love the tassels, but I just can't like the fur... I think I'd prefer to wear something leather, even for a white tie event. There's GOT to be a way to avoid that fur look.

The thread title asks "why fur for formal sporrans?"

And that's a good question. Or to turn it on its head, the real question to me is "why plain leather for Day Dress sporrans?"

I'm very interested in sporran history, and the fact is that the early and mid 18th century leather sporran had, by the 1770s or so, evolved into a fur sporran, often sealskin.

Then from around 1820 through 1840 the fur got longer and longer, resulting in the long hair sporran (usually goat hair).

These long hair sporrans were universally worn in all sorts of Highland Dress from the simplest possible Day Dress to the most elaborate Evening Dress from the time they evolved up until at least 1900.

So from the last quarter of the 18th century up through the beginning of the 20th century plain leather sporrans really didn't exist as a current item of Highland Dress (though you do occasionally see people wearing antique genuine 18th century sporrans during this period).

Then following WWI the leather "Day" sporran appeared, a simple leather pocket with flap. This is utterly different from the mid-18th century style sporran with the fuctioning two-piece hinged brass top.
Though I have no evidence, I suspect that this new "Day" sporran was invented by the military and slipped into civilian dress.

Also appearing at this time was the new "Evening Dress" sporran, fur, with a cantle made to look a bit like the top of the mid-18th century sporran, but a one-piece nonfunctional thing quite different from actual mid-18th century sporran tops.

These new sporran types, when they appeared, took over Highland Dress and relegated the old long hair style to pipers and the military. Also reproduction mid-18th century sporrans were made though never in great numbers.

Which I suppose is a long-winded way of explaining the "why" of fur sporrans for Evening Dress: they've been that way since the 1770s.

[RockyR]

What about one like this:

[JSFMACLJR]

I must say that I have yet to see any leather sporran that I would consider appropriate with evening dress. In a pinch one might suffice, but the look, IMHO, is off-putting and too casual.

Perhaps a sporran made of the finest quality black suede, with a silver cantle and gold or silver tassels might be quite nice. In fact, it might be very nice indeed!

[Brian K]

I must say that I have yet to see any leather sporran that I would consider appropriate with evening dress. In a pinch one might suffice, but the look, IMHO, is off-putting and too casual.

Perhaps a sporran made of the finest quality black suede, with a silver cantle and gold or silver tassels might be quite nice. In fact, it might be very nice indeed!

Sandy,

Would your opinion about the leather sporran for evening wear be because you feel fur is inherently dressier or because of the convention of fur or hair for more formal wear and leather for more casual or day wear?

I have to agree with you about the idea of a suede sporran. It would be entirely unexpected and, therefore, entirely intriguing.

Regards,

Brian

[JSFMACLJR]

Sandy,

Would your opinion about the leather sporran for evening wear be because you feel fur is inherently dressier or because of the convention of fur or hair for more formal wear and leather for more casual or day wear?

I have to agree with you about the idea of a suede sporran. It would be entirely unexpected and, therefore, entirely intriguing.

Regards,

Brian

Good question, Brian! I would have to fall back on convention, I think, because fur--while it might be dressier in some people's minds--is by another convention acceptable both for day sporrans and evening sporrans, whereas leather sporrans by convention are for daywear.

Does that make any sense?

[Brian K]

Good question, Brian! I would have to fall back on convention, I think, because fur--while it might be dressier in some people's minds--is by another convention acceptable both for day sporrans and evening sporrans, whereas leather sporrans by convention are for daywear.

Does that make any sense?

It makes perfect sense, Sandy, and, to be honest, I think I expected that answer. Once again to be honest, I am not sure I am in complete agreement with you, but I do understand your adherence to convention.

With the use of fur/hair sporrans for day wear it seems to me that there is still a difference between those sporrans used for evening wear and those used for day wear, if the images I have seen here at X Marks are representative.

For example most, if not all, of the non-leather (so to speak) sporrans shown with day wear are of the long hair variety - horse, goat, Persian lamb, etc. And the typical evening wear sporran is a finer fur such as seal, mink, rabbit, bovine, etc., and when one of these "fancy" sporrans are shown with day (or other casual) wear myriad posts appear stating that a sporran like that is way too dressy for day wear.

It would appear, then, that there is a hierarchy of suitability for multiple use in the fur/hair sporran category. Leather, apparently is suitable only for day, or informal, occasions, but fur/hair is more complicated.

Just when you think you have it figured out.....

Regards,

Brian

PS - I still want to see the a black suede sporran

[Bugbear]

I found it. Not sure why the search feature was not working.

No, I don't have a photo, I'm sorry to say. The one I saw being worn was at a Knights of Malta ball held in the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh ten or fifteen years ago. It was a very deep sea-green with gilt tassels and finely engraved silver gilt cantle, and about the size of a modern seal skin sporran. I suspect the velvet may have been backed by very heavy buckram, or pehraps vellum, to keep the bag from loosing its shape.

I also seem to remember seeing one in the National Museum in Edinburgh, although it may have been on display at Kinloch Anderson's in Leith, or possibly in the Kelvin Grove in Glasgow. I honestly can't recall.

It is actually my fault he was talking about this, if you read the thread.

I didn't quite understand a comment he made about rabbit fur sporrans, and I probably replied too bluntly.

* and reading some of the other posts in that thread, it does seem to relate to this thread.