By Anna White June 28, 2017

The Sporran Guide

So which sporran should we worn for which occasion? This question is frequently asked of us and we decided to write you a brief guide to explain all.

Why "Sporran"?

Sporran is in fact the Gaelic word for a purse and it's use was and still is 100% practical. In the absence of pockets in your kilt the sporran is a safe place to store money, bits of food and in times gone by spare ammunition. These days more likely your phone and a sneaky hip flask!

Which Sporran?

Dress, Specialist, Semi-Dress or Day sporran.....could it be any more complex? First of all let's take out the Specialist sporrans which are the Horse Hair variety worn by pipe bands and the odd eccentric gentleman. Fabulous works of art but unless you are looking to really make a statement not normally worn for your brother's wedding.

Narrowing it down to the main three categories: Dress Sporran

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Bring out the Dress Sporran for weddings and special events. As the name suggests these are the fancier sporrans and you can choose from a range of animal furs, different cantles with different finishes and a whole range of celtic and thistle designs.

Semi Dress Sporran

Semi Dress Sporran

The perfect intermediary the Semi Dress Sporran combines elements of the the Dress and the Day Sporran, usually a fur front and 3 decorated fur tassels with a leather flap. Traditionally worn with Argyll outfits and day or semi-formal occasions. If you are buying a gift then this is probably the most versatile of all the sporrans.

Day Sporran

Made entirely in leather and the most casual of sporrans traditionally worn as the name suggests during the day and with more casual kilt outfits. With no metal cantle the decoration is usually embossed Celtic or Scottish designs and leather plaited straps or tassels.

Specialist Sporran

Roadkill Badger Sporran

Trends change with sporrans and we are definitely becoming braver with what we wear. On one hand we were asked last week for a vegan kilt with no leather straps and questions as to whether it is painful for the wool to be taken from the sheep and could we make a non-wool kilt? On the flip side Roadkill sporrans are the latest trend. Yes that dead badger scooped up off the road and made into a sporran! Not sure I will be wearing one but that is certainly upcycling on a whole new level. While we are on the subject is is incredibly difficult to find non-leather kilt straps and no shearing the sheep does not cause pain and is a blessed relief for them as they skip out, fleece free, lightweight, less attractive to flies and comfortable in the summer sunshine.

Tartan Sporran

Finest of all has to be our new favourite, the Tartan Sporran. Fabulous with a plain coloured kilt or choose an ancient tartan to wear with a modern kilt or vice versa for a different style. If you have still have questions please get in touch as we love to test our knowledge and help you out.