Horsehair sporran. Full mask sporran

[CMcG]

...I have seen a few remarks that a horsehair sporran is reserved for military, police, bagpippers, fire fighters etc.
How far out of tradition would it be to wear a horsehair sporran, in the day time?

The only horsehair sporrans I would think of as reserved for a specific group are the ones that bear their crest/badge or are otherwise specifically designed for them. I have a generic silver cantle horsehair sporran that my father passed on to me. It is from his days as a piper but has no identifying features to link it specifically to his old band; the shield where a crest could be engraved is blank. I wear it for black tie formal occasions only.



As Tobus has said, a civilian hair sporran in the daytime isn't as much traditional as it is a revival of historical practice. If you are concerned about dressing according to the living tradition of Highlanders from the Highlands, follow ThistleDown's advice.

If you are set on a horsehair sporran, however, then you couldn't find a better set of examples than those provided by Jamie and Matt. They have ably demonstrated that, if you are going to wear a hair sporran, you need a certain amount of "panache" to pull it off.

...
How far out of tradition would it be to wear a horsehair sporran, in the day time?
Any thoughts about this before I start looking for one?
Me hand is already reaching for my wallet, me Lass has seen the gleam in my eye amd looking daggers at me, I am in a lather and will have to deal with that domestic eruption at a later date. Damn this affliction I have!

To reduce the chances of domestic violence against you, bide your time and get something second hand on eBay or the sales sub-forum. The price of a brand new hair or full mask sporran could quickly turn your lass from looking daggers at you, to throwing them

[Tobus]

Something else to consider, as I hinted at earlier, is that horse hair sporrans can be less formal or fancy. The examples shown above (by others) are all made from white or lighter-coloured hair, and all have cantles (either leather or metal). Matt's is a little less formal with the brown leather cantle, and Colin's and Jamie's are more formal. But you can achieve quite a different look with a darker hair colour, and a simple leather flap at the top. Mine, for example, has a more subdued look (though it still stands out, being a hair sporran), and seems to give it a different visual appeal. I've worn it formally, but I actually think it's better suited in less-than-formal situations. The level of dressiness can go up or down, depending on the other accessories you're wearing. Wearing mine without patterned hose, for example, would dress this down even more.

[OC Richard]

Something else to consider, as I hinted at earlier, is that horse hair sporrans can be less formal or fancy.

Yes back in the 19th century long hair sporrans were the most common sporran all modes of Highland Dress including Day Dress with tweed. But as you mention, they typically wore a different sort of long hair sporran with Day Dress, though not with a flap.

Here are the sorts of sporrans seen worn with Day Dress in The Highlanders of Scotland. Note they are usually brown or grey hair and have plain leather cantles (no metal rim)









and some of the Day Dress with tweed shown there, showing that it was sometimes a white sporran with silver cantle, or an animal mask sporran

[knotty]

I would like to compliment Tobus & Panache on their great looks.

These are the same thoughts I had before I bought my raccoon full mask. The advice I got then was that a full mask is acceptable anytime, while a long hair is better to more dressy times. The problem is "classy" is a pretty fluid thing. I in my prekilt days I often use to wear t shirt, jeans with a sport coat. These day i often wear either my dress sporran or full mask, a utility kilt, t shirt & black argyle. Yesterday I wore a black cowboy hat, black sleeves t shirt, tan utility kilt & white dress sporran. I received compliments starting at my bedroom. Did I break any fashion laws? Hell Ya! I think the morale is to find a look that works for you & wear it with pride. "Walk into a room like you own it.".

If you really want wear long hair, do it. Be warned though, you will get attention! I have noticed that wearin a full mask. People notice anything thats unusual, even in the kilt community.


Craig

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Traditionally/historically a "day wear" sporran is whatever sporran you are wearing between dawn and 6PM.

Since joining this forum several years ago I have noticed that a lot of folks try to over-compartmentalize Highland attire, something that doesn't really occur in Scotland. That said, these days a horse hair sporran is apt to draw stares and comments, as will some (very large -- think the size of a catcher's mitt) full mask sporrans. The traditional muskrat sporran, on the other hand, will pretty much go unnoticed either before or after 6PM.

I tend to be pretty conservative in matters of attire, so I'd suggest you might want to consider the traditional brown or black leather "day wear" sporran, or -- if funds permit -- have one of the craftsmen on this site make you a sporran with a brass cantle and save the horse tail for after 6PM.

[OC Richard]

I have seen a few remarks that a horsehair sporran is reserved for military...

How far out of tradition would it be to wear a horsehair sporran, in the day time?

Depends how you define "tradition".

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.

But... this tradition only dates to the early years of the 20th century. At that time, Highland Dress became highly compartmentalised, with special jackets, footwear, and sporrans for each of three distinct categories 1) civilian Day/Outdoor Dress 2) civilian Evening Dress 3) military style Full Dress.

Here are civilian Day and Evening Dress in all their 1930s glory




But those sporrans didn't exist in the 19th century. Then, long hair sporrans were worn in all modes of Highland dress, even with tweed Day Dress jackets

[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".

[CMcG]

...
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?

That sounds fair. I think, however, that civilian hair sporrans still appear to be seen occasionally for evening wear and have not dropped entirely off the radar.

...
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".

If your hypothesis is correct, then we are lucky that some retailers seem to be promoting civilian hair sporrans again. I would label the following images more as fashionable, than as traditional, though they are aren't too far off compared to runway fashion...

Pride of Scotland:


The Highland Shoppe:



While not a retailer, look what the director of Brave wears with his kilt:

[Chas]

That sounds fair. I think, however, that civilian hair sporrans still appear to be seen occasionally for evening wear and have not dropped entirely off the radar.
If your hypothesis is correct, then we are lucky that some retailers seem to be promoting civilian hair sporrans again. I would label the following images more as fashionable, than as traditional, though they are aren't too far off compared to runway fashion...

Pride of Scotland:


While not a retailer, look what the director of Brave wears with his kilt:

I think you will find that these are in fact military sporrans worn with civilian dress. They are either white with black tassels or black with white tassels. This is mine.



All that is missing in the four pictures is the badge.

Regards

Chas

[creagdhubh]

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".

Well said, Tobus!

Cheers,