Buckle Ghillie Brogues (customization)

**scotchmaster** · 5th July 11, 04:40 PM

Where did you get the buckles? I am looking for new buckles for my mess brougues because they are scratched and dull...

**CMcG** · 5th July 11, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by scotchmaster

Where did you get the buckles? I am looking for new buckles for my mess brougues because they are scratched and dull...

eBay.

Finding them took a bit of messing with the search terms though, because "shoe buckles" comes up with thousands of irrelevant things. Try "steel shoe buckles," "antique shoe buckles," or even "shoe clips."

As per an earlier post, they also sell new ones with thistles on them at Burnett's and Struth.

**madmacs** · 5th July 11, 07:24 PM

Theyre looking good

**creagdhubh** · 6th July 11, 05:34 AM

They look great Colin! I contacted a friend (very reputable and a highly reliable source) on Facebook in reference to the buckled ghillie brogues with red (coloured) laces, here is what he mentioned:

Hi Kyle, Gordon copied the idea from the King of Pipers John D Burgess and I suspect John copies it from another pipers. John sadly died a couple of years ago but he often wore the ghillie brogues with buckles and red laces. Gordon uses a standard thistle buckle design with the full flat bar at the back as used by Gordon Highlanders pipers. I think Lawrie's used to make a variation of this with more of a flat hook. Then it is just laced into the ghillies at the bottom to hold it on but easily removed. So they actually sit at the botton of the ghillie lacing rather than on the leather like the buckle brogues. Hope that makes sense. You could also get it stitched on by a shoe maker but then it is a little more permanent. I have attached a pic of John D Burgess but he has the black laces in the photo. If you get the DVD King of the pipers he has the red laces on. Hope that helps, any questions let me know.

Cheers,

**CMcG** · 6th July 11, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by creagdhubh

They look great Colin! I contacted a friend on Facebook in reference to the buckled ghillie brogues with red (coloured) laces, here is what he mentioned:

Hi Kyle, Gordon copied the idea from the King of Pipers John D Burgess and I suspect John copies it from another pipers. John sadly died a couple of years ago but he often wore the ghillie brogues with buckles and red laces. Gordon uses a standard thistle buckle design with the full flat bar at the back as used by Gordon Highlanders pipers. I think Lawrie's used to make a variation of this with more of a flat hook. Then it is just laced into the ghillies at the bottom to hold it on but easily removed. So they actually sit at the botton of the ghillie lacing rather than on the leather like the buckle brogues. Hope that makes sense. You could also get it stitched on by a shoe maker but then it is a little more permanent. I have attached a pic of John D Burgess but he has the black laces in the photo. If you get the DVD King of the pipers he has the red laces on. Hope that helps, any questions let me know.

Cheers,

Thanks very much Kyle! Good to know that there is some precedent for lacing the buckles on, because I like the look and the non-permanence. I'd love to see the pic of John D Burgess with buckle ghillie brogues and black laces, if that would be possible?

**creagdhubh** · 6th July 11, 12:06 PM

No worries Colin! I'll get that photo of John uploaded straight away.

Cheers,

**OC Richard** · 11th July 11, 04:41 AM

Looks great, the way you've attached the buckles. It seems to be exactly as shown in that old Highland Dress catalogue.

BTW my c1926 Lawrie catalogue doesn't show ghillies at all.

My 1936 Paisley catalogue shows only ghillies without buckles. Buckles are shown on Mary Janes and "Cromwell" brogues.

It's my 1936 Anderson catalogue that that photo was from showing:

Patent Lacing Brogues, with Buckles (what we call ghillies)

Patent Buckling Brogues (Mary Janes)

Listed but not illustrated with the other footwear are

Plain Patent Shoes, with Buckles (possibly the slip-on loafers called "Cromwell style brogues" in the Paisley catalogue)

The illustrations of men's Highland Dress in the 1936 Anderson catalogue show all three styles. The ghillies with buckles are worn by a man wearing a Navy Blue "Coatee" (Prince Charlie), what perhaps is a Black Watch kilt, and dark green and dark blue diced full hose.

Later Anderson catalogues from the 1950s perpetuate those photos of buckles ghillies and Mary Janes.

(Personally I'm not a fan of buckles on ghillies. I prefer putting buckles on slip-on loafers in imitation of the old 'Cromwell' brogues.)

**CMcG** · 11th July 11, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

Looks great, the way you've attached the buckles. It seems to be exactly as shown in that old Highland Dress catalogue.

<snip>...

(Personally I'm not a fan of buckles on ghillies. I prefer putting buckles on slip-on loafers in imitation of the old 'Cromwell' brogues.)

Thanks OC Richard for the historical context. I've seen your buckled loafers and was actually looking for something like that. With a budget of about $20, I wasn't having much luck finding decent shoes for the job. When I saw the very gently used ghillie brogues for $15, I decided to call it serendipity and go that route!