shoe color

[OC Richard]

Shoe-colour is an interesting topic in Highland Dress.

In the 18th century you see brown and black, the brown appearing to be traditional deerskin soft Highland shoes and the black often being more like Sassenach brogues.

In Victorian times the brogues, be they ordinary Oxford-looking shoes or the Mary Jane style shoes, are black while the shoes we now call Ghillies are usually tan roughout. (Sporrans were hair.)

In all of my vintage Highland Dress catalogues, ranging from the 1920s through the 1950s, only black shoes are mentioned or illustrated. (Ghillies had become just another style of brogue, more or less.) Only tan or brown leather Day sporrans are mentioned or illustrated, meaning that the wearing of black shoes with brown sporrans is presumed. Indeed when I first got into kiltwearing in the 1970s that was what I saw most people wearing. (I still remember the first time I saw a gent wearing matching brown sporran and shoes, and how odd it struck me at the time.)

After a century of not being popular, brown Ghillies are making a big comeback now, and as McMurdo demonstrates the wearing of brown wingtips looks great.

As to the wearing of combat boots, cowboy boots, trainers, flip-flops, etc. with the kilt these things fall outside of traditional Highland Dress so there are no traditions or norms to be addressed.

Yes indeed in Victorian time ankle boots were popular in Highland Dress but for whatever reason they fell out of favour around 1900.

Time for pretty pictures!

Brown deerskin sporran and black shoes in the 18th century



A variety of shoe-colours seen in the 18th century. (Evidently the behaviour of pipers hasn't changed.)



The tan roughout Ghillies of the Victorians. Note that all the other leather of his elaborate kit is black. The dirk handles are light brown wood.



A typical Victorian Highlander: ordinary jacket (not shortened for the kilt), ankle boots, no flashes or kilt pin, and Glengarry and long hair sporran (both thought of today as being "military")



The 1930s. You can get any colour shoes you want, as long as you want black. Note that black brogues are specifically sold for day wear. (All Day sporrans offered were brown.)



Black brogues are "correct" for Day dress; note that no flashes are worn in the illustration despite the text.



The resurgence of brown Ghillies: Gordon Walker. (His sporran is a lovely Nicoll Brothers, in dark brown.)