Ghillie boots?

[McCracken140]

I found some pictures of a guy who received his OBE in highland black tie, and something that he was wearing caught my eye. Not his Saxon tailcoat or strange cravat, or his white hose or his interesting take on the shoulder plaid, but his knee high ghillie brogue boots. I have never seen or heard of these before. Does anyone know anything about them? What are your thoughts?

[jthk]

Hi,

I've found two companies that sell similar items.

1. Medieval Moccasins: https://medievalmoccasins.com/produc...tic-tall-boot/
2. Ren Boots: http://renboots.com/product/scot-boot/

I suspect that, while interesting, this type of footwear isn't a component of the modern-day kilt wearing tradition. That said, I'm intrigued enough that I'd consider trying them on -- just not with white hose.

Best,
Jonathan

[McCracken140]

Notably, the ones our man is wearing in the photo are very shiny and seem to have intricate brogueing that aesthetically make them appropriate for eveningwear, wheareas the ones you linked to appear more geared towards casual or practical use.

[FossilHunter]

Boots just don’t do it for me for formal wear. They’re not elegant enough.

The ghillie boots specifically though, to be honest, I kind of hate. Just my opinion though. I don’t think they look good at all. They look like gogo boots.

Alan Cumming’s boots look like they are ankle height, which is a look I like with tweed. You can find a lot of photos from the late 1800s with guys wearing black ankle boots with their kilts. So it may not be modern, I think it’s a historical look that holds up.

[Ulan]

I just wanted to point out that this is Alexander McQueen, the renowned fashion designer and so probably has significantly more artistic licence than the layman to stray from the traditional. It is an interesting get up though, I would have granted him that.
Also slight aside, it was a CBE he received as opposed to an OBE.

[LKM]

I normally see these in a more renascence or medieval setting. I think they have a place, yet I do not think they are what I would wear for anything formal.

[Friday]

Also slight aside, it was a CBE he received as opposed to an OBE.

For those of us that are not familiar with The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. It is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Its purpose is rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the Civil Service. The Order is comprised of five classes.

1. Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (GBE)^[
2. Knight Commander or Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE or DBE)
3. Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE)
4. Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE)
5. Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE)
   
   In My Humble Opinion the British always have done things with class, except maybe the Gillie Boots in question.

[Tobus]

I just wanted to point out that this is Alexander McQueen, the renowned fashion designer and so probably has significantly more artistic licence than the layman to stray from the traditional. It is an interesting get up though, I would have granted him that.

I had never heard of this fellow or his fashion line until reading this thread, so I don't want to assume anything about his knowledge or his background. However, just based on what I see, several things jump out at me.

Knowingly straying from the traditional is one thing, but I am at a loss to understand how a person who deals in fashion could possibly commit the faux pas of wearing a low-waist kilt with a jacket which is clearly meant for a high-waist kilt or high fish-tail trousers. The amount of white shirt showing there is garish, bordering on a sartorial obscenity (if I may be so bold). Even for a modern non-traditional look, if that were truly his intent, it just sort of assaults the senses. Do we really think he intentionally did that for artistic flair, or did he simply put components together without fully understanding the finer points of wearing these items? After all, being a fashion designer does not automatically equate to being an expert on evening dress or Highland dress. Again, without knowing much about the man, I'm genuinely asking. Is it possible he just made a rookie mistake with the jacket/kilt combination?

It does appear, however, that he didn't make his wardrobe choices completely uneducated. The glengarry worn at a jaunty angle with a feather in it, coupled with the choice of necktie and hair sporran, suggest that he took some inspiration from MacLeay's portraits of Highlanders in the 1800s. The sash and ghillie boots may have been an artistic fantasy addition of his own to create a personalised anachronistic retro-Highlander look with a pinch of Brigadoon for flavour.

The wearing of a feather in his cap, though, is treading on thin ice with respect to tradition and good taste. Either he was intentionally veering close to the edge there, or he simply didn't know better. I'd like to think it's the latter.

My first reaction to his ghillie boots was that they were indeed the Ren-faire type mentioned earlier in this thread. But upon closer inspection, they do seem to be more refined. Despite the fact that they are untraditional, and I don't care for the look much, I am curious where they came from. They must be custom.

*edited to add: As for Alan Cumming's outfit, I remember when that first happened and we discussed it here. I thought it was over-the-top at the time. Over the years, though, I've really come to appreciate the genius of it. If one is going to stray from the traditional and do it in style, that's how it's done!

[KiltedHope]

The ghillie boots specifically though, to be honest, I kind of hate. Just my opinion though. I don’t think they look good at all.

When I was in getting my ghillie brogues recently there were a couple pairs of ghillie boots on display. I just couldn't get my head wrapped around how I would wear them. Too formal for casual and too casual for formal is how I perceived them. I would rather wear a pair of hiking or trail boots for casual and ghillie brogues or capped-toe oxfords for formal.

[FossilHunter]

When I was in getting my ghillie brogues recently there were a couple pairs of ghillie boots on display. I just couldn't get my head wrapped around how I would wear them. Too formal for casual and too casual for formal is how I perceived them. I would rather wear a pair of hiking or trail boots for casual and ghillie brogues or capped-toe oxfords for formal.

They do something to the proportions of the outfit that I find off putting (besides the gogo boot look). It may have something to do with so much of the hose being covered.

I don’t really like tall combat boots with kilts either, probably for the same reason.