Quote Originally Posted by Phil View Post
They do say what goes around comes around. A few years ago ghillie brogues were the shoes of choice here but they are now, apparently, totally unacceptable wear. They are, in fact, a type of shoe that has been worn for many years -

as this illustration from a catalogue from the 1950's (and probably much older) shows with the gentleman on the left wearing them - without the long laces common nowadays.
Maybe it's just my monitor, but those don't look like ghillie brogues to me. They just look like standard black dress shoes with no brogueing. (?) I can't see any detail that looks like lace-tongues.

It is true that for many years ghillie brogues were considered a formal shoe in some circles, but it seems to be the consensus amongst our Highland brethren that they have always been considered an outdoor shoe in their native land (and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm mistaken on that point). Perhaps their use as a formal shoe was an attempt by some to use a distinctly Scottish shoe when dressing in Scottish regalia, just for the sake of being non-Saxon?

It seems that, from what I've read, the backlash against ghillie brogues seems to be more of a return to the original tradition where they are best suited for the outdoors.