Brown and black leather accessories

[Chaps]

I have brown leather accessories (belt, sporran, and brogues) as well as black. I thought that one would wear brown or black but not mix and match. Is that true as it pertains to traditional Highland wear?

[Garth]

I've seen numerous pics of HRH Prince Charles wearing black shoes with a brown sporran and vice versa, so I guess why not!

[Jock Scot]

I've seen numerous pics of HRH Prince Charles wearing black shoes with a brown sporran and vice versa, so I guess why not!

Indeed Prince Charles does mix black and brown leathers. It is done regularly here without thought or comment by many kilt wearers in Scotland for informal day wear. However for formal day wear (morning suit equivalent) and formal evening wear then black shoes, black kilt belt (if required) and an assortment of combinations——often black—— of leather colours usually in combination with assorted hair colours and shiny stuff for the sporran is usual, as is a silver/silver coloured sporran chain.

[Tobus]

This is a topic which comes up regularly on the forum. Mixing leather colours is quite normal in THCD (Traditional Highland Civilian Dress). It is also normal to mix patterns such as tweed patterns, tattersall shirts, and striped ties with tartan kilts. Even mixing colours that would not normally be considered matching is acceptable. All of this can be disturbing to people who are not used to it. But when you study enough examples of native kilt-wearers and understand the traditions, it opens up a whole new world. It's rather liberating to be able to put together a dashing outfit that you would have thought was taboo under 'normal' western dress protocols.

[OC Richard]

I have brown leather accessories (belt, sporran, and brogues) as well as black. I thought that one would wear brown or black but not mix and match. Is that true as it pertains to traditional Highland wear?

Since you specifically mention traditional Highland Dress, I will point out that the Modern Traditional Civilian Highland Dress as we know it was codified in the c1910-1920 period and hasn't changed much since.

Throughout the c1910-1960 period leather Day Dress sporrans were only offered in brown leather, and Day Dress brogues were only offered in black leather.

So mixing brown and black leather was more than merely common; acquiring a matching-leather outfit would require having a bespoke/custom black leather Day sporran made, or wearing brown shoes not sold in conjunction with Highland Dress.

It's one of the first things that struck my eye when I first started wearing Highland Dress in the 1970s: the standard sporran was brown, the standard shoes were black. I can well remember the first time I saw somebody wearing an all-brown-matching-leather Highland outfit, and how odd it looked to me.

And this idea goes right back to our earliest portraits of men in Highland Dress, which show right from the beginning of the 18th century that sporrans were brown and shoes were black.

However around the 1960s the leading sporran makers in Scotland began making all of their leather Day Sporrans in black leather too, and these have steadily become more popular, to the point where some makers today only offer black leather Day Sporrans.

It's a change in over 300 years of Highland Dress tradition that I personally don't care for.

1714: deerskin sporran, black brogues. (I could show you several other 18th century portraits showing the same thing.)



Highland outfitter in 1938: Day leather (and fur) sporrans are only made and sold in brown



Continuing the tradition: Civilian and Military Highland costume both showing brown sporrans and black brogues, 1950s



Upholding the tradition: Prince Charles, always exhibiting excellent taste in Highland Dress. (I think that's the most beautiful kilt I've ever seen.)