Ghillie brogues - why the dislike and resentment..?

[Troglodyte]

This thread has talked me out of getting ghillie brogues. Having a lace cinch around my Achilles tendon sounds like a bad idea.

Don't be too hasty...

Full brogues and ghilles (despite ghillies' Revival-era origins 200 years ago, and the misplaced connotations with the kilt-hire industry) they are arguably the only proper traditional shoe for with the kilt.

The English Lowland styles such as Oxfords and Derbys that get advocated (because they have been seen in vintage photos) are not, and can never be, part of proper Highland dress.

Wearing these shoes with the kilt is like wearing an ordinary tweed jacket with it - you see it done, but there is no reason to copy it when there are so many much better alternatives.

If the wrap-around ankle-tie laces of ghillie brogues is the problem, the solution is to follow the advice given in the how-to-wear-the-kilt booklets from the mid-years of last century.

They say to wrap the long laces around the foot - over the instep and under the arch in front of the heel and then tie on top as usual - or to swap the long laces for a more convenient shorter length, and tie them as normal. The tassel end-trims can be easily transferred to the short laces and so nothing in that way is lost.

Wearing Oxford toe-caps is well enough if you have no other better shoes, but the danger is that you appear to be a novice kiltie still finding his way, or have given way to worries that others may judge you by their own poor standards. You won't be thought better of.

When there are so many varieties of suitable brogues available (leaving aside the open-front ghillie) it seems a pity to shun them all in favour of non-Highland alternatives.

The style of ghillies gives them a certain 'fancy' dress character that lends itself well to full highland dress, but for more casual kilting, a closed, full brogue is probably more appropriate anyway - and there are plenty of options at a wide variety of prices out there. The heavy Scotch-grain (pebble-grain) version with a stout sole (they often come with Commando soles) are exactly right for trudging around a games field, tramping the moors, or even just sauntering along footpaths.