I am venturing in to the world of kilts, and had a few questions about the sporran:
a) How long should the chain be? and b)The kilt I ordered will not have belt loops, so how does the chain attach to the kilt itself?
Also, should the kilt go around your hips like a pair of jeans, or does it go around the navel area? I ordered one of the latter, but I saw other sites that had you measure your hip for sizes.
So many questions…
from dressing the boy:
a) long enough that the sporran hangs over your ‘zone’. It’s a sort of modified codpiece. They’re adjustable, so you’ll be able to fiddle until it looks right or is comfy. The top should be below your belt buckle.
b) Lord knows, we hang it through the belt loops. There is no real other means of fastening unless you tighten the sporran to buckle around your waist and sit on your hip bone, making it too high.
It goes about the level of your navel, yeah. But they’re very flexible, having adjustable buckles and all.
A sporran, if sufficiently stuffed with heavy coins, should disguise unwanted erections.
No, a “sporran” is a purse. As kilts do not have pockets the utility of such a “man purse” should be obvious. Of course, there are sporrans that are strictly ornamental in nature and useless as practical objects, but that does not erase the fact that the original use was a pouch in which to put things. It’s sort of a pre-modern fanny pack, but worn in front. This does not, of course, eliminate the ornamentation of said pouch/purse/sporran to ridiculous levels.
When I was studying Gaelic I was informed that the leather satchel women in the western world wear over their shoulder and in which they put things - a.k.a. “purse” - is also properly referred to in Gaelic as “sporran”.
Kilts normally have belt loops these days. I’ve also seen belts for kilts that have a loop by which to attach a sporran. Given that most men have little or no waist to speak of it’s sort of a necessity in order to hold up the sporran.
Also, when seated in a kilt men should pay attention to how much they may be inadvertently displaying to public view. A sporran is also helpful in weighing down the front panel of the kilt and avoiding unintentional scandal (and in some cases, laughter) but there is a limit to how much it can compensate for a splayed-leg sitting posture. If legs are crossed they should be crossed at the ankle, not the knee.
Debatable, Broom. While the Gaelic is, indeed, ‘purse’ there is some uncertainty as to whether the modern sporran developed from the standalone waist purse or from the super-exaggerated codpieces that could be used for storage (but never a ‘protective’ codpiece).
I’ve never attached the sporran (or its chain) to my kilt. The chain just runs diagonally from just above the belt at the back the right area in the front. Gravity, the top of the kilt, and my backside seem to do the job in stopping it sliding down!
I finally got an email back from the manufacturer stating that he sporran did not attach- I supposed I got that idea from Amerikilt & Utilikilt. They did not tell me how long the chain should be in that case. I suppose I could buy a length of chain and shorten to the desired length?
Does your sporran not already come with a chain? In my experience, they do. Keep in mind it’s not just a chain they hang on, but rather a belt-like affair with leather on either end and chain in the middle. Thus, they are usually adjustable for a variety of figures.
Marcus- I guess Boy just doesn’t have enough of an ass!
BTW, here’s a pic of me and Boy- him with sporran placement just visible and me with the world’s worst dress and strapless bra combo- http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/AnnaLiviaPlurabelle/Pic00006.jpg
Well somebodys got to do it…
Is there anything worn under the kilt?
No its all in perfect working order.
Traditional Scots joke first discovered by paleoantologists underneath a T Rex skeleton.
some kilt wearers use hangers or leather straps on their sporran to avoid fraying on the kilt.proper placement is over the mentioned area.xmarksthescot and kiiltsrock.com are good sites for any kilt questions…
To give a non-joke answer to the “under the kilt” question, Irish dancers wear bike shorts.
