Quote Originally Posted by ShaunMaxwell View Post
I too appreciate a pair of well-polished shoes, but when it comes to brown shoes — which I almost always end up wearing with my kilt (because the few occasions I have to wear kilts tend to be at Highland games, conducted during daytime hours) I have a tendency to oil them with Red Wing boot oil, which darkens the leather and eliminates the need for polishing.

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I know Jock Scot will may comment on the "chunky" soles, but I find that they're much more comfortable for wear on the streets of downtown Houston — or the uneven grounds at the Highland games. It's been my experience that they provide better traction, last longer and generally go unnoticed, as folks rarely see the soles of my feet.
I'm with you on the soles being much more practical. I think I had mentioned in another thread at some point that I was considering having someone tack on some tread (or at least a rubber straip) to my leather-soled brogues for traction. There's nothing fun about walking around in wet grass or sandy pathways or gravel whilst wearing hard leather soles. They're not much fun on slick floors either. In fact, I can't think of any place where hard leather soles are an advantage except for the dance floor. And I'm not a dancing kind of fellow.

Your oiled leather brogues look fine, and are much more practical for the events where I see you in person. As someone else mentioned, I can polish my shoes at home, but by the time I stroll up to my friends at the Highland Games, they're already covered in dust and my efforts have been in vain. For activities out-of-doors, polishing doesn't go very far. At least, not here in Texas. But I can generally get through the work day at my office without too much trouble, at least.