Any non-formal brogues?

[DyerStraits]

I recently bought a pair of black leather brogues by English Laundry with lugged hard rubber outsoles that are an excellent footwear solution for Dress , "Dress Casual" or Outdoor Sporting/Field (e.g shooting, hiking/walking, golfing, cycling, etc.) requirements, which would also include versatile all-seasons business/daywear, especially in the Northern latitudes. Lugged sole brogued shoes and brogued boots can be found with remarkable ease currently at many brick and mortar retail stores (I've even seen them lately at H&M) and online, a testament to their current popularity (I remember finding them with somewhat difficulty as a younger man in the 1980s). They are of course and without exception a necessary accessory for Highland Wear, and will serve you long and well with virtually every other component of your wardrobe also.

[The Q]

For years I've worn steel toecap safety shoes also wore them on digs in the UK. Example from ebay uk

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mens-PSF-E...item4198584a56

I'd second this, It's what I wear every day for work with my Saxon clothing, though there is no requirement for safety shoes, many just wear Cheap trainers /Sneakers.

Having spent many hours on digs, when I was somewhat younger, I'd bet the steel toecap was showing through before the end of the Digging season!!

[Jock Scot]

Of course, some of us are happy to be in the wrong mind. And so are some of our chiefs!

Its a free world------well, the bits of it that most of us here reside in is. However, the pictures do go to illustrate the saying rather well, "just because you can, does not mean that you should". Something that kilt wearers often appear to forget.

[OC Richard]

I should point out that "brogue" is simply a word for "shoe".

OED:
brogue 1. strong outdoor shoe with ornamental perforated bands 2. rough shoe of untanned leather

MacLennans Gaelic Dictionary:
brog 1. a shoe

English borrowed the word from the Gaelic.

About "Ghillie Brogues" there doesn't seem to be much clear provenance, other than their putative descent from the ancient Highland deerskin moccasin-like things, which in turn are similar to the Aran Islanders' pamputai.

The Ghillie Brogues that show up in The Highlanders Of Scotland are all made of rough-out tan leather, suggesting a primitive rural origin, save for a single pair in black leather which have decorative silver buckles attached.

19th and early 20th century photos suggest that Ghillie Brogues have long been most popular with pipers, as they still are today.

By the early 20th century Ghillie Brogues, ironically, had evolved into a sort of formal shoe, black patent leather with decorative silver buckles, one of a number of styles worn for Evening Dress. My vintage Highland Dress catalogues from the 1920s and 1930s show only ordinary brogues worn with Outdoor Dress.

Pipers however continued to wear them as everyday indoor/outdoor shoes, from at least the mid-19th century to today.

[ShaunMaxwell]

I have a pair of Clarks Montague brogues in black (they also come in a brown) that I wear for work and with the kilt. I wore them quite a bit walking country and city on my recent trip to Scotland and they are great. Highly recommend..

Actually, I think the name is Montacute... I have a pair of the Montacute Wing Oxfords, and the Montacute Lord Boots, both in brown and have been very pleased with them as well, though admittedly I only wear them for knocking around town... No offroad use thus far!

I have darkened both pair of mine substantially with Red Wing boot oil, but here's how they appeared new:






Both are available on Amazon.com

[orangehaggis]

http://www.herringshoes.co.uk

My preferred purveyor of footwear. Their search facility lets you search by size, width, colour, style material and even country of origin.

Orangehaggis

[Wareyin]

Every time I read one of these brogue shoe threads, I come away more confused about what is formal than I was before.

[Cymrych]

Thanks for everyone's replies! Definitely some good ideas to investigate!

I had discovered the Clarks Montacute, they seem like a good first-go option without busting the bank. ShaunMaxwell or California Highlander, how's the fit on those? A wee small, a tad big? That's always a bit of a gamble buying footwear online.

I definitely have to look up those Allen Edmonds, and even those PSF's on ebay with the safety toe too. The safety toe is an intriguing one; even though 70% of my work entails looonng pedestrian survey in the greenfields looking for sites with a surface presentation, my company recently went to a 100% Personal Protective Equipment policy, which include safety toe and long pants. My thinking is, a set of plus4s and these PSFs with my fantasticly thick shooting hose would meet all their silly requirements AND do a bit better at actually keeping me warm in the winter months. (Note: Not that I have anything against PPE; but it is awfully silly having to wear steel toes and a hard hat when I'm out working a lithic scatter in the wide-open spaces of North Dakota with nothing, not even a tree, within 5 miles of me.)

Hi Jock, thanks for the pics. Yes, I am aware that not too many kilts are actually seen out on the hill. My problem is the same as it's always been since I started kilting; having a reason to actually wear one. With the exception of the one-in-a-blue moon work Christmas party (where the company's owner has been known to spontaneously appear in his kilt), my only chances to wear it are at any local Games, if I'm fortunate enough to be on a dig somewhere within 500 km of them when they happen, or on my own out on a hike. As my need for anything more than smart daywear is exceedingly limited, I figured, what the hell, I might as well try to be both comfortable and a bit snazzy for those evening constitutionals!

Again, thanks all for the great ideas!

[Cymrych]

Not to hijack my own thread, but Tripod and The Q, are/were you guys archaeologists too? I'd love to pick your brains if so! This US style archaeology we do over here is fun and all; it pays the bills, and one can always find something intriguing to discover about whatever prehistoric culture they might be studying. But my academic focus and specialty has always been the British Isles, at first primarily the Iron Age, but later shifting to early Neolithic through early Bronze Age as my anthropological interests changed over time.

[Taskr]

Rockport has a wide range of very good, and good looking, walking shoes