"Viking Style" Brouge lacing?

[BadenochWolf]

OK, I'll bite: I've seen this terminology used several times on this forum in a derogatory way, but I have no idea what it means. Help a clueless yank out?

[ShaunMaxwell]

OK, I'll bite: I've seen this terminology used several times on this forum in a derogatory way, but I have no idea what it means. Help a clueless yank out?

I suspect it’s a reference to this look:



Cheers

SM

[OC Richard]

Yes it's people who don't know how to wear Highland Dress who hire a kilt outfit for a wedding and think the Ghillie brogue lacing should go all the way up the calves like Vikings in films, who have leather straps crossing over their lower legs holding rabbit skins etc in place. (Something akin to this does exist in Bulgarian folk dress, left, natural wool wraps held in place with leather straps.)



It's part of the dichotomy between people who view Highland Dress as clothing, and people who view Highland Dress as fancy-dress costume.

Just from a practical engineering standpoint it doesn't make any sense to tie the laces at the widest part of the lower leg, where gravity and the taper of the leg will work together to make the laces slip down to the narrowest part of the leg.

The perfect analogy is wearing a wristwatch around the widest part of the forearm instead of at the wrist.

People on this very forum have advocated wearing Ghillie laces high up the calves and pinning the laces to the socks so the laces can't fall down! It would be like gluing your wristwatch to your forearm so it doesn't slip down to your wrist.

I don't pin the laces on any of my other shoes. Once again it's Highland Dress as costume versus clothing.

In contrast to the Viking-style lacing, here's how men who have worn kilts and Ghillies since they were youths tie their Ghillies.

[Ivor]

I have to admit to being puzzled by just why the way someone chooses to tie the laces on their shoes should become a matter of contention. Nobody comments on how you tie your necktie so why should the exact position of shoe laces attract comment?

[Macman]

Ivor, if you tied your necktie around the top of your neck and not around your shirt collar, that might attract comment.

[MacKenzie]

Or wore your kilt with the pleats in the front.

[Jock Scot]

Having worn the kilt, fairly regularly, for more than a decade or five I feel that I have some input in offering some advice to anyone who is interested. However, having never once in that time have I ever worn ghillie brogues I am unable to comment on the “mechanics” on how they are worn. The only observation that I can offer and some may not find this helpful but, for what it is worth, I would prefer that ghillie brogues should be avoided at all costs.

[Jock Scot]

I have to admit to being puzzled by just why the way someone chooses to tie the laces on their shoes should become a matter of contention. Nobody comments on how you tie your necktie so why should the exact position of shoe laces attract comment?

Oh I am not so sure about that. I recall more than a few posts on this website discussing the merits, or not, of the Windsor knot for neck ties.:lol

[Silmakhor]

Having tried "Viking Style," I can confirm it doesn't work. The laces don't stay put and look a mess within 20 minutes.

My worst experience with brogues though came during a piping competition. Specifically a quartet competition. I love those because they were not as high stakes as solo or band contests. Musically they were fun because you function as an ensemble but can still hear each player and feed off of each other.

Anyway, this highland games was somewhere in Mississippi. We start playing our set and I feel very sharp, unpleasant sensations coming from my lower legs. It turns out that I was standing on a nest of fire ants. They swarmed over my brogues and into my hose and starting attacking during the competition. So I couldn't deal with the problem. Not fun.

[EagleJCS]

Anyway, this highland games was somewhere in Mississippi. We start playing our set and I feel very sharp, unpleasant sensations coming from my lower legs. It turns out that I was standing on a nest of fire ants. They swarmed over my brogues and into my hose and starting attacking during the competition. So I couldn't deal with the problem. Not fun.

OUCH! That sounds worse than the cicadas - one of the 17-year broods - that invaded the Glasgow (KY) Highland Games a few years ago. They were just a nuisance for the most part, only occasionally drowning out the pipe bands with their noise, but causing some major tune-by-ear issues. The pitch they were 'singing' at was just a few cents flat of the average pitch for most of the bands and soloists on the day.

Only a few pipers and drummers had any issues with them actually landing and/or crawling on them, though one of the pipers in my band (Louisville Pipe Band) came face-to-face with a cicada that landed on her pipe bag just below the blowstick.


Regarding the OP's topic: When I first laced up my first pair of brogues, I must admit I went high with the lacing. They make the laces long for a reason, right? After trying to walk around with them that high, paying a little more attention to others' laces, and doing some reading (before I found this site), I realized I was wrong and started tying them off just above my ankle-bone.