Ghillie brogues - why the dislike and resentment..?

[FossilHunter]

What you say is pretty much what I have come to assume - and that ghillies have an unwanted negative cachet due to association with bands and kilt-hire.

I guess people are fearful that others will draw the wrong conclusions, and judge them badly.

But it seems odd to me, that a shoe style that is uniquely Highland in style and origin, and intended for kilt-wear, is shunned in favour of (and I have seen this often) slip-on loafers and other styles that are not.

Each to their own, and all that, but it does seem a pity that, after hundreds have been spent on kilt, jacket, sporran, hose, etc, the outfit is topped-off (or rather footed) with the shoes already in the wardrobe. But then ghillies are not the only kind of brogue, and brogues are aguably the 'only' shoe for kilt-wear.

Interestingly, I can think of no time of ever hearing anti-ghillie sentiment here in Scotland, with only personal taste or preference being the deciding factor in favour of a closed brogue or ghillie-style. But I would say that ghillies are probably more common in the evening, or when the outfit needs to be dressed-up a bit, which is when the kilt gets worn most often here.

If the long laces are the problem, perhaps we should start a short-lace ghillie-brogue fashion...

The thing about leather shoes is that they usually become more comfortable the more they’re worn. So that’s a good argument, in my opinion , for wearing one pair of brogues. For me this would also extend to Saxon dress. I would prefer to wear my polished captoe oxfords over brand new patent leather shoes with a tuxedo, simply because I already have the shoes and they are broken in.

I don’t judge anyone who chooses to wear ghillies. It’s not really that difficult to gauge whether they’re in the know or not based on the other parts of their outfit. If they wear ghillies with tartan hose and a well cut doublet I expect they know what they’re doing. If they are wearing them with white hose and a pirate shirt one could reasonably infer what the situation is.

For the record I almost exclusively wear black, brogued oxfords when kilted. I believe they have a pretty strong highland pedigree as well in spite of their wider acceptance throughout the UK and abroad. Enough so that the Highland regiment is still issued brogued oxfords.