Full Dress Sporrans

The cantle and the front. A full dress sporran has a shaped metal cantle across the top, a fur or long haired front, and tassels hanging from the face. A semi dress sporran usually has a smaller cantle or none at all, and combines leather with a fur front rather than going fully to hair. Full dress is evening. Semi dress covers daytime formality.

Evening events with a formal jacket, meaning a Prince Charlie or a formal Argyll worn after dark. Weddings with an evening reception, black tie dinners, formal balls and Burns suppers with a stated dress code. Not daytime, not casual, and not with a utility or hybrid kilt, where it will look like fancy dress rather than formal wear.

Three is the most common arrangement and the safest choice, though two and four both exist and neither is incorrect. There is no rule attaching tassel count to rank, clan or occasion despite what you may be told. Choose on how it looks against your kilt, and keep the tassel metal the same finish as the cantle.

Hang it rather than boxing it, so the fur or hair is not crushed and the tassels do not tangle. Brush gently in the direction of the hair to lift it after storage. Keep it well away from damp and never dry it near direct heat. Polish the cantle with a soft cloth only, because abrasive metal polish will strip a plated finish.

Hang it in a well ventilated room for a day, then brush gently downward with a soft brush to lift and separate the pile. Never use heat, and never brush against the direction of the hair. Storing it hanging rather than boxed prevents the problem in the first place.

In the evening, yes, particularly with a waistcoat and a formal shirt. In daylight it will look overdressed regardless of the jacket. The register is set by the time of day more than by the jacket, which is why a semi dress sporran is the better answer for a daytime wedding.