I just got my ghillie brogues and diced hose from J. Higgins. (www.jhiggins.net)

I have to say I'm very happy with the merchandice. The shoes are from Thistle Shoes of Scotland. I paid $85 dollars for them (all leather and rubber sole are the same price), and they are excellent quality. I've seen shoes of similar quality run $100+ on other websites. These have excellent construction and finish on the leather.

The hose are green and red diced hose They are thick, soft, and very comfortable.

Both these items are replacements. I got the hose as a graduation present, but they were red and white, so I exchanged them for the red and green (my kilt is primarily blue, but red and green are the next two dominant colors, and they didn't have hose with blue in them). I had gotten shoes in size 9 1/2, which is the size of my regular daily shoes, but they were a touch to large, so I exchanged for a size down. I have to say, that in all my dealings with J. Higgins, they are fast! I got a call confirming the shoe size on Monday, and the shoes and hose are on my doorstep Wednesday, and I didn't request any special shipping.

I looked through the paper catalog they sent with the shoes the first time. I'd say they are comparable or a little less expensive (as with the ghillies) than most American retailers of Scottish goods. It depends largely on the product.

All in all, very happy with goods and services rendered. If I have need of something again in the future, I'll definitly consider J. Higgins.

Cheers,
Nick