Buckle brogues yes, Ghillie no: Come & have a go if you think you are 'ard enough

[Good Egg]

Yeah, "dainty" was probably a bad choice of words...it is close to the word I want but I didn't mean lightweight...just overly ornamented and "sophisticated"--in the sense of being cosmopolitan or world-weary...

As I mentioned my wife says they remind her of children's sandals - she is wrong of course (I can say that because she is not going to read this) but is that what you mean?

[DWFII]

As I mentioned my wife says they remind her of children's sandals - she is wrong of course (I can say that because she is not going to read this) but is that what you mean?

Well yes, they do remind me of chidrens' shoes but my objection on both counts is, that from a shoemaker's point of view, they are neither one thing nor the other.

A shoe made in the style of a ghilie brogue but without all the gimping and broguing ("pinking" along the edges and ornamental perforations) would be a much cleaner, less "fussy" look. And the same with the buckle brogue.

I make oxfords and derbys...both of which can be made as a brogue. And even though I acknowledge the distinct and mild attraction of the broguing, I personally, think that both styles of shoe look even better if the leather itself is allowed to "talk." It's shoemaker thing, I guess.

It's also probably why the Jacobite style of buckle shoe appeals to me--it's clean and masculine, and the skills and techniques of the shoemaker are brought to the fore and not obscured by the ornamentation. If the Jacobite shoe were brogued I wouldn't care for it half as much.