Should I forget about a brown belt and sporran?

[OC Richard]

I wanted all brown accessories, but nice brown sporrans seem very hard to find, so I just got one of the cheap ones from Pakistan, and brown belts are even harder to find.

First I'll point out that in traditional Highland Dress there has never been an emphasis on getting the various leather articles to be matching leather. The idea is foreign to Highland Dress, I think I'm safe in saying.

Even back in 17th century and 18th century portraits you can see brown sporrans and black shoes and black belts.

In the traditional Highland Dress that developed in the early 20th century "day" sporrans were brown leather, usually pigskin or deerskin, while shoes were nearly always black.

I can honestly say that when I started wearing Highland Dress in the 1970s the combination of brown sporran and black belt and shoes was the only one I saw people wearing.

In the army too, brown leather sporran with black belt and shoes.

About hard to find, that surprises me. Leather day sporrans are widely available in brown, as are civilian-style belts. It's very common to see them in cowhide that's coloured and textured to resemble the traditional pigskin.

Yes I would avoid Pakistani sporrans in general.

First, a look back into the early 20th century when all the "day" sporrans offered were brown (in the same catalogues all the belts and shoes offered were black)



Here's a selection of classic sporran styles offered throughout the 1950s and up to today by traditional sporran makers



and to bring it up to now, a current selection of brown "day" sporrans by L&M Highland Outfitters, a great maker of traditional sporrans

https://www.landmhighland.ca/product...brown-leather/

And you can get brown belts that exactly match the leather of your sporran, if you choose to do that

https://www.landmhighland.ca/products-page/waist-belts/

Here's my brown sporran and belt. The sporran is a 1953 MOD "Culloden" brass cantle on a new body done in 18th century style by XMarks member Artificer. The belt is home-made using an 18th century style buckle I bought in West Virginia in the 1970s.



Wearing the brown sporran with black shoes

[Jock Scot]

I really would not loose to much sleep about matching leather this and that.If you want to look at some good plain, simple, well built leather sporrans and belts that come in black and various shades of brown, then I have no hesitation of recommending that you google: McRostie Ltd. of Glasgow, Scotland. Expensive yes, but definitely the best.

[kingandrew]

A couple of points:

1. As noted above, mixing black and brown leather is quite typical in Highland dress. Not really the issue many might imagine it to be.

2. Since your boots are well away from the sporran or belt, separated by your legs, hose, and colorful tartan, it is not so important that they all be precisely the same shade of brown.

3.The yellowish work boots should work fine for casual wear, as will the brown. Black boots would be OK, too. They can be found in work, hiking, riding, and combat models, not just in the high-heel fashion style in one of the above posts. For casual kilt wear, I usually wear brown hiking boots. My kilt belt is black and no one has ever even commented on it being different than my boots. You definitely don't need a yellow belt.

4. I have a Rob Roy style sporran which has a black front and brown gussets on the sides. It will look fine with any leather belt or other accessories. You may consider finding a similar "compromise" model if you are concerned about matching. A tooled leather belt will also have more than one shade of brown, which may make it more flexible for your use.

5. A great source for affordable and durable brown belts is the tool belt section of your local Home Depot or hardware store.

I hope this helps. Basically, wear what you like with the boots you like. For casual wear it is all OK. For formal wear, you will likely want a jacket, vest, and no belt, with a furry sporran. So that would be a completely different discussion and set of items.

Andrew

[tpa]

I have spent a fortune trying to find the right look I'm trying for.I wanted all brown accessories,but nice brown sporrans seem very hard to find, so I just got one of the cheap ones from Pakistan,and brown belts are even harder to find.

Brown belts should be easy to find, here's one from eBay, but virtually every market will have someone selling belts. Check carefully because price is not necessarily an indication of quality.

[Bruce Scott]

Brown belts should be easy to find, here's one from eBay, but virtually every market will have someone selling belts Check carefully because price is not necessarily an indication of quality.

There are many choices:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...+2%22&_sacat=0

[tokareva]

Wow! You guys have made some great comments and suggestions, thanks to all.I like the look f this one OC Richard suggested, although a bit pricey.mal-2010.jpg
I have looked at the brown sporrans at L&M before but they seemed a little expensive to me.It probably wasn't correct for me to say brown accessories are hard to find,just not as common maybe.For example USA Kilts only offers one completely brown sporran.So far I like the idea of the plain economical military sporran,it seems to dress up nicely too.tweed-jacket-and-vest-7.jpgEmma_Fergus0878-resized_1024x1024-790x500.jpgP.S.I love how the brown brogues look with the outfit, very nice.

[Moses]

Wow! You guys have made some great comments and suggestions, thanks to all.I like the look f this one OC Richard suggested, although a bit pricey.mal-2010.jpg
I have looked at the brown sporrans at L&M before but they seemed a little expensive to me.It probably wasn't correct for me to say brown accessories are hard to find,just not as common maybe.For example USA Kilts only offers one completely brown sporran.So far I like the idea of the plain economical military sporran,it seems to dress up nicely too.tweed-jacket-and-vest-7.jpgEmma_Fergus0878-resized_1024x1024-790x500.jpgP.S.I love how the brown brogues look with the outfit, very nice.

Yes, I have been on the lookout too for a nice brown sporran with a brown belt and a brown kilt belt but I really can't even afford $200 so it has been an uphill battle.

I am trying to find a nice one with smooth leather that is relatively plain but not the textured style leather I see on so many of the "regimental" type of plain brown sporran.

I really would want the sporran and its belt to match with the kilt belt to be in color coordination, no need for exact match but close in tone.

[Bruce Scott]

Yes, I have been on the lookout too for a nice brown sporran with a brown belt and a brown kilt belt but I really can't even afford $200 so it has been an uphill battle.

I am trying to find a nice one with smooth leather that is relatively plain but not the textured style leather I see on so many of the "regimental" type of plain brown sporran.

I really would want the sporran and its belt to match with the kilt belt to be in color coordination, no need for exact match but close in tone.

These are made of smooth leather, as is the strap:


https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...ORRAN&_sacat=0