1920s sporrans - a lost style classic

[Troglodyte]

I have been around long enough to have seen periodic changes in fashion, where sporrans are concerned.

Or, at least, I have witnessed dominance or preference of one style or another for a short while.

And then something new comes along.

So what happens to all the old favourites, when they get replaced with a new model..?

This has intrigued me for decades, but, if I give it due consideration, I realise I am something of the answer to the mystery myself.

I make no claim to being a collector or hoarder, but more of an accidental acquirer - as I have gathered what I like to think of as a 'representative selection' of the sporran-maker's craft that spans perhaps 140 years.

As you can well imagine, this selection features some of the usual suspects, along with attractive but no longer seen styles - like the 1920s thong-through-flap all-leather sort.

I view this type as being part-and-parcel of the post-WWI dressed-down and simplified styles that influenced fashion in the inter-war years generally, and played such a significant role in forming current ideas of what is traditional Highland dress.

In terms of contruction, the old sporrans are much more akin to hand-made shoes, with fine stitching, careful leather choice and construction techniques - such as lining with wonderfully-soft chamois. It gives them a luxurious character.

Here's a little line-up of a few of mine, and a picture of the late Duke of Kent cutting a very sharp dash with the same style sporran in the mid-1920s.



Too much for one chap to keep selfishly to himself, do you think..?

I agree. That's why I make them available to buy as fund-raisers for the charity-run museum where I volunteer.

Good of me, huh.?