Brogues with long tasseled laces??

[capthmorgan]

From the cockamamie ideas dept:

In researching ghillie brogues, I have read so many complaints about how uncomfortable they are.

If one likes the aesthetic of long tasseled laces (which I do), and wants to wear comfortable leather shoes (which I also do), how gauche would it be to put a pair of ghillie brogue replacement laces on a pair of comfortable (non-ghillie, tongued) brogues? I could envision thousands of Highland Scots turning over in their graves, but I could also envision thousands of pairs of happy feet (or at least one!).

Rabble Rousers - weigh in!

Patrick

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ghillie-Brog...N1swVHDvijLu9w

[Tarheel]

My thoughts are this. A tongued shoe provides a buffer to the instep ( top of the foot). The laces of gillies are usually buffered by the thickness of the hose / socks worn with the shoe. Wearing thinner socks with a tongued wing-tipped shoe may look odd but would provide a more comfortable foot after a long day of wearing.

1970's military adage = "Take care of your dogs (feet) and you can walk them anywhere." I only wear wingtips or modern, solid toed shoes with my dress kilt, boots with my utility kilt.

[The Q]

Ghillies are generally worn to formal occations, I suspect many who complain about Ghilies being uncomfortable only wear them to rare formal occations and therefore they never get broken in!!

I do wear ghillies to formal occasions but Brogues to others, I do not find any difference in comfort with either. Although it's a bit of a pain, tieing and keeping the ties on ghillies looking straight.

I've worn fairly thick socks for 40 years, military issue, though now I have to buy them. So that may account for my feet being comfortable in Brogues / shoes / Ghilles.

Outside of the Experts on here, there would be few who would notice whether or not you had a tongue fitted inside the shoe. Especially if you wore dark or Black hose.

[Luke MacGillie]

I dont think that your going to cause thousands to roll over in their graves.

Gillies were traditionally made of thin, often untanned and even hair on hide, a "Civilized way of going barefoot" to borrow a quote regarding a Englishman's memories of wearing Indian moccasins.

At some point, someone attempted to combine the aesthetics of a gillie with a normal european shoe and came up with something that does neither what a good shoe or a gillie does well.

[imrichmond]

I know a number of pipers who wear long, ghillie brogue laces with regular brogues. Some even go so far as to buy cheap brogues at Walmart and wear them with the long laces (I doubt that this is for comfort!). From a distance of more than a few feet, it is difficult to tell the difference.

[Barb T]

In researching ghillie brogues, I have read so many complaints about how uncomfortable they are.

Honestly? The ghillie brogues that I wear with my band uniform are one of the most comfortable pairs of shoes I've ever owned and have been since the day I took them out of the box. I march miles and miles in them every summer.

I bought a fairly expensive pair, with leather lining, composite soles, and metal heel taps (I've worn them so much that I wore through the metal heel taps entirely about 5 years ago....). I bought them years ago from what is now Lothian Bagpipe Supply, and I'm pretty sure that they still carry the kind I bought (http://www.lothianbagpipesupplies.co...hillie-brogue/). They weren't cheap, but they are really comfortable.

I also bought them big enough so that I could wear a thin pair of sneaker socks inside my kilt hose. The latter does two things - it helps make the shoes more comfortable, and it keeps the kilt hose from wearing so fast at the heels and toes. Both are good things.

So, for people who've never worn ghillie brogues, it's not a foregone conclusion that they will be uncomfortable.

[Katia]

I honestly don't find them that uncomfortable. But, I am wearing two pairs of socks with them (kilt hose, and regular socks underneath that-- both to protect the hose, and because I have narrow feet so the extra socks help the shoes fit), so I'm well padded in there. Plus, they were my band-issue shoes, so who knows how many people broke them in before I got them.

[Randy McIntosh]

I also find my brogues very comfortable. I have both the ones with the heal taps and another with leather sole. Both not cheap
Shoes is the one place you should not skimp...buy the best you can.

If you find them too hard on your, you can always put the gel insoles inside them.

Take care of your feet and they will take care of you.