Quote Originally Posted by DWFII View Post
the problem is that they are not really buckles. They're just ornaments pretending to be buckles.
Not necessarily a problem for me, although I understand that you are a shoe maker and have different interests.

I'm not too concerned with historical authenticity and more interested in the ornamentation factor. Working buckles could present quite a problem for me in my stated goal of a semi-DIY evening shoe for Highland attire. For this purpose, slip on shoes with decorative buckles are fine...

Or is there an important distinction I'm missing?