Regimental Sporrans

[User]

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It seems to be universally accepted that a kilt should end somewhere between the top and the middle of the knee. But that kilt appears to end at the bottom of the knee, and it looks mighty fine in my opinion. I'm tempted to try a bottom-of-the-knee kilt. I do a lot of sitting, and a little extra length doesn't seem like a bad idea to me.

I know there are two schools of thought: If it's not traditional, it's wrong. Or do whatever you want, there are no rules. But at times I find myself torn between them. I don't want to look like I don't know what I'm doing. But sometimes I know what I'm doing, I'm just choosing to ignore convention.

[figheadair]

It seems to be universally accepted that a kilt should end somewhere between the top and the middle of the knee. But that kilt appears to end at the bottom of the knee, and it looks mighty fine in my opinion. I'm tempted to try a bottom-of-the-knee kilt. I do a lot of sitting, and a little extra length doesn't seem like a bad idea to me.

I know there are two schools of thought: If it's not traditional, it's wrong. Or do whatever you want, there are no rules. But at times I find myself torn between them. I don't want to look like I don't know what I'm doing. But sometimes I know what I'm doing, I'm just choosing to ignore convention.

I would lay money on that kilt being a hand-me-down and not made for him. The length is therefore not an historically reliable guide.

Oh and there are very definitely some rules, pleats at the front for example.

[User]

I would lay money on that kilt being a hand-me-down and not made for him. The length is therefore not an historically reliable guide.

Bah, you're probably right. Still looks good to me. But after additional thought, maybe I should reconsider a long kilt. The average person doesn't really know what a kilt is, so I may be one of the few examples they'll see in person. As such, it may be better to give people a more proper example.
Or maybe I'm overthinking this and should go for it. I can always hem it after realizing it's a mistake.

Oh and there are very definitely some rules, pleats at the front for example.

Heh, touche.

[figheadair]

Bah, you're probably right. Still looks good to me. But after additional thought, maybe I should reconsider a long kilt. The average person doesn't really know what a kilt is, so I may be one of the few examples they'll see in person. As such, it may be better to give people a more proper example.
Or maybe I'm overthinking this and should go for it. I can always hem it after realizing it's a mistake.

A hem was often put on a child's kilt to allow for growth, I've even seen the odd adult on done that way but it is invariably done when using poor quality cloth. A good quality cloth with a descent selvedge or, heaven forbid a tuck edge, does not need to be hemmed and doing so will affect the the movement of the cloth, and not in a good way.

[OC Richard]

A hem was often put on a child's kilt to allow for growth, I've even seen the odd adult on done that way but it is invariably done when using poor quality cloth. A good quality cloth with a descent selvedge or, heaven forbid a tuck edge, does not need to be hemmed and doing so will affect the the movement of the cloth, and not in a good way.

Sadly in the Pipe Band world, where a "band set" of kilts might be worn for a half-century or longer, kilts are unceremoniously altered as needed to fit current band members.

Even though they're quality hand-stitched heavyweight wool kilts they get hemmed and un-hemmed repeatedly, have the straps and buckles moved and replaced, and even the horror of having a new hole cut in the kilt for the strap on the under-apron to pass through.

As the band's kilt-fixer I've un-done all sorts of things.

What can't be readily fixed are the holes in the upper-apron which invariably occur with bands who wear kilt pins.

[kingandrew]

I've always hankered after a horsehair sporran, with a roomy bag, to upgrade from the white bunny fur model I currently wear with my Prince Charlie for formal events. I love the traditional look of the hairy sporrans, and I think it would look dashing on the dance floor as well.

For day wear, I have a couple of nice leather bags. One is a very roomy Rob Roy style, the other a fairly roomy black rectangular job with leather tassles across the front.

Andrew

[figheadair]

I've always hankered after a horsehair sporran, with a roomy bag, to upgrade from the white bunny fur model I currently wear with my Prince Charlie for formal events. I love the traditional look of the hairy sporrans, and I think it would look dashing on the dance floor as well.

For day wear, I have a couple of nice leather bags. One is a very roomy Rob Roy style, the other a fairly roomy black rectangular job with leather tassles across the front.

Andrew

I don't think I've ever seen a horsehair sporran with a roomy bag. They are designed for show, not practicality.

[OC Richard]

I've always hankered after a horsehair sporran, with a roomy bag...

Starting, I would think, around the 1830s when long hair sporrans appeared they generally didn't fully open.

Rather, they had a cramped leather pocket on the back. Sometimes these had gussets but if you had anything bulky in the pocket it would stick out making the whole sporran not lay flat.



This even continued with the small silver-topped sealskin Evening Dress sporrans which became popular in the 1920s.



In the army, in 1953 they introduced the leather pouch "Culloden" sporrans with an opening hinged brass top which wasn't very roomy but at least it was a practical bag.



However in 1968 these were replaced by a new Other Ranks horsehair sporran which did have a fully opening top and huge roomy body.

Oddly the straps for the sporran belt were stitched to the front panel, making the thing lay nice and flat but difficult to open (collage below, top two photos).

At some later point they moved the straps to the back panel and put a fastener on (two photos lower right).

From the front these sporrans were quite a departure from the various regiments' traditional sporrans (four photos lower left).

For one thing all of them had the same hideous chrome cantle.

For another thing they were too short, being only 14 inches long rather than the traditional 18 inches for military hair sporrans.

You can see that there's a number of grommets punched through the front panel. This was to allow the traditional tassel arrangements of the various regiments be imitated.

They were made in the four models shown lower left, clockwise from top left Gordon Highlanders, Black Watch, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, Queens Own Highlanders.



Anyhow these come up on Ebay all the time and usually don't cost much. I have a black one that came with no cantle and no tassels, which was a very good thing. I stuck a nice vintage cantle on it for a big roomy hair sporran.

There's a couple on Ebay now but way overpriced https://www.ebay.com/itm/12659376264...ition=4&edge=0