Anderson 1936 catalogue

**Jock Scot** · 12th July 12, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by David Thorpe

.......... Another opined that the term was no more than a marketing scheme by vendors, which I, evidently wrongly, assumed to be a recent development.

I think you need to remember that in our terms the 1930's is recent!

**ThistleDown** · 12th July 12, 11:37 PM

Originally Posted by CMcG

Thanks, OC Richard!

It's nice to see a few pictures of men wearing evening ghillie brogues with buckles, as well as the close up of them. Do any of your other catalogues depict this style of shoe? I ask because this is how I have my ghillie brogues set up, but with short laces...

My father wore patent ghillies (although he called them 'evening shoes') with silver buckles and long, long tassels from the lace ends (which he tied strictly centred on his shin six inches up). In the thirties. I still have his buckles, but the evening shoes are, I regret, long gone. In the mid-forties -- or perhaps earlier -- he had 'strappies', as he called them. Patent leather, but with an arch strap and interchangeable buckles: the deco ones he wore in the thirties and a much more ornate silver pair he inherited and which my brother now has. My father was a well-dressed, precise man.

I've thought several times of having dress ghillies made in fine leather, and using his deco buckles once more. Bling.

We are only discussing my generation and my father's, but they include the thirties, the era of the catalogue OCR has so delightfully given us. Tradition is a slow evolution of acceptance and adoption.

The naming of our bits and pieces, however, is a fairly recent thing. A day sporran was generally leather although sometimes fur. Only very, very recently have we separated "Day" into leather, hunting, fur, full-face, etc., and more recently still into things called RobRoys and the like.

By the way, in another post someone asked about "plate". In the Commonwealth "sterling silver" is an alloy of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent other metal -- usually copper. "Plate" is a structure of base metal -- usually brass, but possible copper or other -- with a thin electro-plating of silver. Antique dealers today often differentiate the valuable from the less valuable by referring to the former as Sterling Silver and the latter as Silver Plate. If you go off to your local shop to sell the family silver you may expect a fine return commensurate with its weight because it can simply be melted and refined; to sell the family plate you must expect a somewhat lesser return because its only real value is its design.

**David Thorpe** · 13th July 12, 04:29 AM

Originally Posted by Jock Scot

I think you need to remember that in our terms the 1930's is recent!

Ahh, true that. I think I may be starting to understand that TCHD fashion does indeed change, but at a very conservative, nearly geologic pace. The American perspective is skewed, understandably, by a far shorter historical frame of reference.

**OC Richard** · 13th July 12, 04:42 AM

About the ghillies with buckles, no ghillie brogues at all appear in my 1920s RG Lawrie catalogue, only "Mary Jane" buckled brogues, soft dancing ghillies, and an interesting style of shoe no longer made (but which also appears in The Highlanders of Scotland) cut like a Mary Jane but lacing across the large opening.

Speaking of The Highlanders of Scotland, all the ghillie brogues seen there are tan rough leather (showing it to be a rural outdoor shoe) save for one pair in black which BTW has buckles attached.

In my 1930s Paisley catalogue ghillie brogues aren't illustrated on the page of shoe styles; four styles of Men's shoes are shown 1) ordinary shoes 2) ordinary shoes with a decorative fringed flap which covers the laced area 3) "Mary Jane" style buckled brogues and 4) slip-on buckled loafers.

However ghillie brogues (without buckles) appear on one of the Men's Evening Dress outfits, one of the Boy's outfits, and two of the Women's outfits (yes worn with female hosiery, and laced around the ankle).

**OC Richard** · 13th July 12, 04:48 AM

Originally Posted by SlackerDrummer

Is page 26 missing or is it just not showing up for me?

Hey good eye there! You know what, I forget to scan page 26! Let me do that now, and I'll post it where it ought to be in the OP. Thanks! Richard

Done! Richard

**hylander** · 13th July 12, 06:48 AM

Love the sporran section, thanks! I also liked the (fly) Plaid page, seems the practice is older than I was led to believe, although again, "recent" being a relative term.

**longhuntr74** · 13th July 12, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

Hey good eye there! You know what, I forget to scan page 26! Let me do that now, and I'll post it where it ought to be in the OP. Thanks! Richard

Done! Richard

I guess I had noticed the absence of daywear sporrans in the catalogue...but it didn't register that a page was missing. WOW...what a great selection. I particularly LOVE the two brass cantled sporrans...and I think that they have helped me to decide what I intend to do with the MOD cantle that is currently enroute to my house. The other thing I found interesting is the two fur and leather combinations that are typically described today as "Semi-dress" sporrans. This style has been typically referred to as "neither fish nor foul" around here and I got the general sense that this was a 1980s or new invention. Apparently not.

**Jock Scot** · 13th July 12, 08:12 AM

1980's? Thats new in our terms!

**artificer** · 13th July 12, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by longhuntr74

I guess I had noticed the absence of daywear sporrans in the catalogue...but it didn't register that a page was missing. WOW...what a great selection. I particularly LOVE the two brass cantled sporrans...and I think that they have helped me to decide what I intend to do with the MOD cantle that is currently enroute to my house. The other thing I found interesting is the two fur and leather combinations that are typically described today as "Semi-dress" sporrans. This style has been typically referred to as "neither fish nor foul" around here and I got the general sense that this was a 1980s or new invention. Apparently not.

Jeff,
if you're referring to #11 and #13 in this pic, they're not quite the same as a modern day "semi-dress"

These have an "envelope" top and are structured and detailed somewhat differently than today's "Take a regular leather sporran and glue fur on the front and stud the top".

From the thread:http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...an-ebay-66484/

I suppose you could argue that they're basically the same, but to me there's a world of difference between these and the modern type.

ith:

**ThistleDown** · 13th July 12, 08:37 AM

You have a wonderful collection of catalogues, Richard, but the ones being discussed are all for mail order from major outfitters in Lowland cities. It is no doubt true that some Highlanders ordered blind from these sources, but the others bought from local shops where the wares were more locally grown, and from local craftspeople working from their crofts and cottages. The variety was perhaps greater until after the war when the regimentation of the catalogue took over. (We stopped making bread about the same time, in favour of the white loaf brought to the villages in vans every week). Many of the items originally belonging to our fathers and grandfathers we still wear in the Highlands because the quality was wear-forever and not meant to be thrown away within a few years.

Some of the styles folks turned their noses up on XMarks just three or so years ago are now praised and there is a scrambling to find. Or re-invent. The rarity of the day and the individuality shown by some in Highland dress in the Highlands is rapidly becoming commonplace, even in the Highlands.