Quote Originally Posted by CMcG View Post
That's how I prefer to wear mine. I've also seen a picture of LitTrog with short laces on his ghillie brogues and I read on an old thread (2008) that Thistledown said:
"Ghillie brogues (wherever and however they originated) are worn in two fashions: with short laces tied as one would normally tie a pair of shoes, or with a triple-twist at the ankle and taken once around the leg to tie, at the front, part way up the calf. The pressure is taken at the ankle, does not cut off circulation and makes them quite comfortable. The ties are never wrapped repeatedly around the ankle and tied."
Delayed response, I know. But this is the route I've decided to take with these shoes for now. I just wear them with normal length shoelaces. I find them to be quite comfortable, since they don't put pressure on the top of my foot, thus not aggravating my old horse-related injury.

I think they cleaned up and took the polish quite well, and have a nice worn-in (yet still serviceable) look to them. I like that they aren't too "chunky" like most modern ghillie brogues. They have a nice thin, narrow profile that's reminiscent of many of the MacLeay portraits shown earlier in this thread. I like the proportionality of them (there's that proportion theme again!) in relation to the rest of my kit.