Does anyone always wear ghillie brogues when kilted?

[Dukeof Kircaldy]

Brown Ghillie brogues are available if you look around at the various scottish merchants.

[slohairt]

I think I mentioned it in an earlier post, but I sell brown ghillie brogues.

[Dukeof Kircaldy]

I think I mentioned it in an earlier post, but I sell brown ghillie brogues.

See, you didn't need to go too far to find them.

And he gives a 10% discount to x-marks members.

[OC Richard]

Well, darn it all, Jock Scot was absolutely right!

I did need to collect more old catalogues, and I have done. And on the lookout for more. I love those things.

My attitude that "ghillies" were informal/day shoes was formed by seeing, in person and in photos, many hundreds of men wear ghillies with tweed "day" jackets etc, and seeing many hundreds of men wear "mary jane" style buckled brogues with evening dress.

There's also the historical stuff: ghillies apparently descended from the pampootie (pamputa in Gaelic), traditional Highland shoes which persisted longest in the Aran isles off the west coast of Ireland



and described in 1542, John Elder writing of the dress of Highlanders to King Henry VIII

"...we can not suffir bair footide...after we have slayne redd deir, we flaye of the skyne, bey and bey, and settinge of our bair foote on the insyde therof, for neid of cunnynge shoemakers, by your Graces pardon, we play the sutters; compasinge and mesuringe so moche therof, as shall retche up to our ancklers, pryckynge the upper part thereof also with holis, that the watrer may repas wher it entris, and stretchide up with a stronge thwange of the same, meitand above our saide ancklers, so, and pleas your noble Grace, we make our shoois: Therefor, we using suche maner of shoois, the roghe hairie syde outwart..."

The rusticity of ghillies is evident by their context in The Highlanders of Scotland, and there is only one black pair, and that with buckles. The rest are tan or an odd grey (seal?).

But!!!

Jock is entirely correct: in Highland dress catalogues from the second quarter of the 20th century ghillies are sometimes associated with evening dress.

The Army is very traditional in its dress oftentimes and the Army pattern of "mary jane" buckled brogues for formal wear and ordinary shoes for normal wear is also seen in the old Highland dress catalogues I've seen, that is, some don't show ghillies at all.

I recently got a catalogue from the 1950's (William Anderson & Sons, Edinburgh) and it shows only ordinary shoes with day dress, but with evening dress are shown three styles, all with buckles: "mary jane", the type I call "buckle loafers", and ghillies:



Hard to see here, but the shoes are as follows:
"Coatee" : Mary Janes
"Kenmore Doublet" : Ghillies with buckles at toes
"Standard Doublet" : slip-on loafers/pumps with nonfunctional buckles at toes

Here's a closeup of the shoes:



So it seems that for eveing the exact style of the shoe doesn't matter as long as it has buckles.

An earlier catalogue I have, lacking a date, but one of the illustrations signed and dated by the artist 1930, shows no ghillies, but ordinary shoes with day dress and mary janes with evening dress:



However there is a closeup photo of an interesting shoe which I had previously only seen in The Highlanders of Scotland, and that is what looks like a hybrid between a mary jane and a ghillie, a shoe with the open top of the mary jane but laced across the opening. It lacks the tongues of ghillies. These shoes are listed as "box calf or patent leather with buckles and straps or lacing latchets".



Here is the same style worn by Kenneth MacKenzie in The Highlanders Of Scotland:



Hard to see here, but seeing the actual book it's clearly the "lacing latchet" style, though with buckles at the toes.
(So much for MacLeay inventing nonexistent stuff.)

Ghillies aren't illustrated but may be present in this description: "box calf lacing with slashed tongue". Interesting that one of the largest makers of Highland dress of the time has no names for any of their shoe styles.

[creagdhubh]

I am curious when and under what circumstances most wear ghillie brogues? Only while piping and at formal events or do some wear them as regular attire anytime they wear a kilt.

I don't wear them at all either, however, once I purchase an Argyll style jacket and matching waistcoat with silver buttons for more formal day dress, I'll more than likely wear a nice pair of ghille brogues with that specifc outfit. Loake, out of England, makes a superb pair of ghillies that are very top notch and high quality. Otherwise, like with my tweed outfits, I wear a full brogue (wingtip) abd a semi brogue (half wingtip), both in high polished brown and black versions. All my shoes are ordered from Loake in England.

www.loake.co.uk

[creagdhubh]

Brown Ghillie brogues are available if you look around at the various scottish merchants.

Aye, but the soles are far too chunky and most come with a steel heel tip-great for pipers, not so much for civilians!

[Computergeek]

Ghillie Brogues are an interesting form of foot wear but one that I will probably never wear myself. but to be completely fair I barely even wear shoes. with the exception of my wedding i consider formally dressed to mean that I have on flip flops.
cheers,
Jeremy

[wildrover]

Aye, but the soles are far too chunky and most come with a steel heel tip-great for pipers, not so much for civilians!

They are awesome on ice. Everywhere else, CLICK click CLICK click...oh, IIIIII'm a lumberjack and I'm O-K...yeah. Plus I suspect I'd leave my mark on a hardwood floor, hence I step lightly and have a pair of lighter shoes on the wish list.

See, you didn't need to go too far to find them.

And he gives a 10% discount to x-marks members.

a-HA. Thank you sir...now, to wait for funds to trickle down the priority list from piping tuition to truck parts to shoes...