Ghillie boots

[MacKenzie]

This is different.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/386870493630

[User]

This is different.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/386870493630

I'm torn on those.
They're not a bad way to give a nod to ghillie brogues while being versatile.
But unless someone's really looking (and also knows what to look for) they wouldn't realize what those are, and I feel like that kind of defeats the purpose.
Maybe the tongue should be a different color to make the ghillie lacing stand out more. Or maybe that would just make them look bizarre.

[Father Bill]

Or maybe that would just make them look bizarre.

Personal opinion/ viewpoint: it wouldn't need that to make them look bizarre. To my eye, they already qualify.

[RGM1]

As a. brouged alternative to my hiking boots I am tempted.

[jsrnephdoc]

I'm torn on those.
They're not a bad way to give a nod to ghillie brogues while being versatile.
But unless someone's really looking (and also knows what to look for) they wouldn't realize what those are, and I feel like that kind of defeats the purpose.
Maybe the tongue should be a different color to make the ghillie lacing stand out more. Or maybe that would just make them look bizarre.

We're told by people here with the creds to know that "Ghillie Brogues" are NOT a descendent from tongueless shoes worn by 16th century Scottish servants while carrying their bosses across swampy peat bogs (the absence of tongues supposedly made them drain quickly). I don't know the real story, but the absence of tongues are the defining element, the lacing up the calf a derivative of that, and the fake punctures on the toe cap apparently a total fabrication of the Sobieski Stuarts or a Victorian era shoemaker they tasked with dreaming them up.

[MacKenzie]

The only thing that I see ghillie-ish about them is the sawtooth(?) cut of the leather where the eyelets are. Other than that it's just a wingtip boot.

Interestingly, these came up when I was searching for a cap toe boot. Something a little more formal than my hiking boots, but still ok for a bit of "off road" or when an unexpected shower pops up. Going to give these a try.

[User]

We're told by people here with the creds to know that "Ghillie Brogues" are NOT a descendent from tongueless shoes worn by 16th century Scottish servants while carrying their bosses across swampy peat bogs (the absence of tongues supposedly made them drain quickly). I don't know the real story, but the absence of tongues are the defining element, the lacing up the calf a derivative of that, and the fake punctures on the toe cap apparently a total fabrication of the Sobieski Stuarts or a Victorian era shoemaker they tasked with dreaming them up.

Yes, I know all that. But ghillie brogues have been adopted by Scotland as part of the modern expression of "traditional highland dress". So even if the origins are fabricated and historians hate it, no Scot is going to see a person wearing ghillies with a kilt and think them the fool for embracing a lie.

When was the first example of the modern ghillie brogue? How many hundreds of years old must a tradition be for it to be accepted as traditional? All traditions have an origin. Even the concept of clan tartans was invented by the English, leaving Scottish clan chiefs scrambling to come up with theirs.

The way I see it, I can dismiss the authenticity of everything, because at some point it wasn't that way, or I can educate myself to preserve the actual history and still choose to enjoy the modern way things are celebrated.

That being said, the boots posted in this thread are certainly their own thing. I'm not jumping to buy a pair (then again, I don't own ghillies either). But I can see the appeal, and wouldn't judge anyone less for wearing them.

[Jock Scot]

Yes, I know all that. But ghillie brogues have been adopted by Scotland as part of the modern expression of "traditional highland dress". ...........................

...................... no Scot is going to see a person wearing ghillies with a kilt and think them the fool for embracing a lie.
...............

This Scot absolutely does not think that Ghillie Brogues are "Traditional Highland Dress" and I am not alone here in Scotland, in thinking that. Sorry, but I think that you are taking for granted what some Scots might think.

I would not bet on that either, if I were you.

[User]

This Scot does absolutely does not think that Ghillie Brogues are "Traditional Highland Dress" and I am not alone here in Scotland, in thinking that. Sorry, but I think that you are taking for granted what some Scots might think.

I am speaking in generalities. Obviously I don't think every Scot has the exact same beliefs. But if you asked every Scot in Scotland to describe traditional highland dress, I'd be completely surprised if ghillie brogues weren't number one on the list of footwear buy a significant margin.

That doesn't mean I think you and every Scot will agree.

[jsrnephdoc]

We're all over the place here. I've learned enough to be pretty certain Ghillie Brogues as they exist today were "invented" circa 1825, but all one needs to do to see how much they're come to symbolize highland dress is to peruse the websites of highland clothing retailers or their shops in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and elsewhere. What I still don't know is whether there is ANY historical connection to landowners and their servants as the reason "modern" Ghillie Brogues don't have tongues.

Another thing that seems obvious to me is that those boots that started this thread might be OK in foul weather or at athletic contests, but they'd be considered as weird as some of the bizarre costumes we've seen in this thread and others at semi-formal occasions sitting below a kilt.