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

[McMurdo]

Yes Phil I must admit those do indeed put mine in the shade.

[Phil]

If anyone likes these ones they are for sale at a mere £5 + P+P (I take PayPal).

[bunchdescendant]

Although I wear wingtips with my formal outfit, I have to side with Hamish on the Glenfinnan shoes. They will be my next formalwear shoe purchase.

Ray

[sputtyduke]

It's just my opinion, but buckled shoes with a kilt is screaming catholic schoolgirl to me.

[Good Egg]

It's interesting how many members here have quite polarised views about an item of footwear which half a century ago was considered perfectly normal by our parents and grandparents. Does it perhaps say something about attitudes today and that they are much less tolerant of any variations from the norm where clothing is concerned than was the case in those days? And yet people nowadays are supposedly much more tolerant of so many prejudices that blighted society in those days. I won't list them for fear of the inevitable retribution by the moderators but wearing a pair of shoes does seem fairly mild in comparison to so many of the injustices that I remember as a child in the 1950's taking place and which I could not then comprehend how any civil society could behave in such a way. I am sure many here are glad to see the end of those times but must be concerned that any prejudice still survives albeit on a supposedly trivial level such as what someone wears. Let us hope that it will be in our lifetimes that all such prejudices are a thing of the past.

I would hope people would realize from the title of the thread that whilst it is an invitation to debate/discus it was never meant as a serious challenge.

In my real life I train for and deal with life and death situations and find relaxation in debating/discussing comparatively 'trivial' matters which I never-the-less find interesting. It does not matter a row of beans what people wear unless they set out to be deliberately offensive - and even then I would generally ignore them.

I wish we had seen the end of the injustices that you are talking about - in the west we can probably say that we have them under control - but in other parts of the world there is mass murder and genocide going on, quite apart from the most appalling breaches of human rights.

Moving the debate/discussion on I'd be interested to know what folks think about wearing diced/tartan hose with ghillies. Convention says that diced/tartan hose should only be worn with bucklies but there are plenty of example of people breaking that convention and indeed there is a Scottish 'military' unit that does so as part of its mess dress. Officers of the Scottish units of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment (RAuxAF Regt) wear ghillies with gold laces with diced hose - I tried to find a picture but failed.

[sputtyduke]

What kilt do you wear them with?

I have designed a Tartan using hodden grey, light and dark blue based on the Govt tartan. I doubt I will ever be able to afford to get it made but... maybe one day. Probably look dreadful anyway but as I grow older I can get away with greater eccentricity...

I can help with this. My local kiltmaker has a guy. He weaves as a hobby more than anything. He is willing to make ANY tartan or even make color variations to an existing tartan. Say, for instance, you have a hideous family tartan and want to tone it down, but keep it recognizable (like me) just google kiltmaker's apprentice.

[Good Egg]

If anyone likes these ones they are for sale at a mere £5 + P+P (I take PayPal).

I could be interested but I don't understand how they are fitted, mt shoes very definitly need a bar in the buckle to fasten them and the one on the left looks as if its missing the hole - I've probably missed the point... What material are they made of? Can they be polished?

It's just my opinion, but buckled shoes with a kilt is screaming catholic schoolgirl to me.

Is that wishful thinking? If you saw my legs you would not be thinking Catholic Schoolgirl, not unless you're a deeply disturbed person...

[svc40bt]

Of the shoes discussed so far, I prefer the 'Glen Finnan' buckle style the best, though I would be unlikely to find a pair to fit my extra wide and extra thick at the instep feet. The buckle brogues that were the original topic might work if the top strap were long enough. I would prefer those to the ghillie brogues, Catholic School girls notwithstanding. As long as we are talking formal footware, let me throw out one more style of formal shoe, that I probably can't get to fit me: the 'opera pump' What say the rabble to these with your white tie kilted getup?

[WARPIPER]

Having just attended my first Burns dinner in a PC, I was quite happy with my Buckle brogues, They were surprisingly comfortable and with the tartan hose looked great. My girl friend was concerned about the look when I described them to her but she was very pleased with the look as well. Not girly, but very dressy. I also have a pare of gillie brogues that I like as well, just not for black tie.

[Good Egg]

Of the shoes discussed so far, I prefer the 'Glen Finnan' buckle style the best, though I would be unlikely to find a pair to fit my extra wide and extra thick at the instep feet. The buckle brogues that were the original topic might work if the top strap were long enough. I would prefer those to the ghillie brogues, Catholic School girls notwithstanding. As long as we are talking formal footware, let me throw out one more style of formal shoe, that I probably can't get to fit me: the 'opera pump' What say the rabble to these with your white tie kilted getup?

They would not be for me but I don't think they would be totally outre as formal evening wear, I'd prefer them with some sort of 'brogue' like pattern but I still don't think I'd wear them myself. Have you got as pair, or is this speculative research?