Quote Originally Posted by Jock Scot View Post
Just an observation! Since this thread has been going I have had occasion to don my kilt and attend one or two daytime functions in the Western Highlands and it seems to me that the ghillie brogue is being worn more often, these days, as day attire. The people wearing them are locals and many have lived in the area for all their lives----not incommers ---so they know a thing or two about wearing the kilt.It is a growing trend I fear.
I also wonder, aesthetics aside, if it might have something to do with ghillie brogues being both more available and less costly than they were in the past.

When I bought my first pair, lo those fourteen or fifteen years ago, you had to go to a kilt store to buy this stuff, and the shoes cost, in the early 90's, $150 a pair or something like that. For rather uncomfortable, leather-soled ghillies. When you consider that you can get a pretty good pair of dress shoes for that money, and not be limited to wearing them with the kilt, the investment in special "kilt shoes" doesn't make sense.

Now, there are tons and tons of manufacturers out there and, starting with the "Doc Marten" style ghillies and now the "Piper" ghillies, there are brogues that are designed for more wearability. (I personally think that dress shoes should have leather soles, but, that's not really the point.). I'm pretty sure you can get a pair similar to what I got back in the day for $50 or so.

Not as expensive and more easily available might lead to more people wearing ghillies than in the past.

Just conjecture, though.