
The brogue (from
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
and
Irish Gaelic
Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigeno ...
, both meaning "shoe")
is a style of low-heeled
shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...
or
boot
A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...
traditionally characterised by multiple-piece, sturdy leather
uppers with decorative
perforations
A perforation is a small hole in a thin material or web. There is usually more than one perforation in an organized fashion, where all of the holes collectively are called a ''perforation''. The process of creating perforations is called perfor ...
(or "broguing") and serration along the pieces' visible edges.
Brogues were traditionally considered to be outdoor or country footwear, as the perforations were originally intended to allow the upper to dry more quickly in wet climates. As such, they were otherwise considered not appropriate for casual or business occasions, but brogues are now considered appropriate in most contexts.
Brogues are most commonly found in one of four toe cap styles — full or "wingtip", semi-, quarter and longwing — and four closure styles, namely
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
,
Derby
Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
,
ghillie, and
monk
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
. Today, as well as their typical form of sturdy leather shoes or boots, brogues may take the form of business
dress shoe
A dress shoe (U.S. English) is a shoe to be worn at smart casual or more formal events. A dress shoe is typically contrasted to an athletic shoe.
Dress shoes are worn by many as their standard daily shoes, and are widely used in dance, for par ...
s,
sneakers
Sneakers (American English, US) or trainers (British English, UK), also known by a #Names, wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but are also widely used for everyday casual ...
,
high-heeled women's shoes, or any other shoe form that utilises or evokes the multi-piece construction and perforated, serrated piece edges characteristic of brogues.
History
Modern brogues trace their roots to a rudimentary shoe originating in Ireland and Scotland that was constructed using untanned hide.
Modern brogues feature decorative perforations. These are often said to stem from the original Irish brogues as well, specifically from holes intended to allow water to drain from the shoes when the wearer crossed wet terrain such as a
bog
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...
. However, contemporaneous descriptions of the original brogues do not mention such holes.
Nevertheless, the practise of adding holes to shoes was no doubt a normal practise for, according to JG McKay in "Notes of a Pair of Pampooties" in 1894,
in a letter to Henry VIII of 1543, a Scot named John Elder describes making holes in a type of shoe made from uncured leather, called a pampootie, which was so common in Scotland that the England named the Scots for it, as "rough-footed Scots". The word "brogue" came into English in the late sixteenth century. It comes from
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...
and
Irish Gaelic
Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigeno ...
, both meaning "shoe" (from
Old Norse
Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...
, meaning "leg covering").
The Scots word ''brogue''
is also used to denote a
bradawl
A bradawl is a woodworking hand tool with a blade similar to that of a straight screwdriver and a handle typically made from wood or plastic. An wiktionary:awl, awl is any kind of small pointed tool.
Purpose
A bradawl is used to make indentations ...
or boring tool as well as the action of piercing with such a tool.
The word "brogue" was first used to describe a form of outdoor, country walking shoe in the early twentieth century traditionally worn by men.
At that time the brogue was not considered to be appropriate for other occasions, social or business. Over time, perceptions have changed and brogues are now considered appropriate footwear in most contexts, including business.
Brogues continue to be most common as leather
dress shoe
A dress shoe (U.S. English) is a shoe to be worn at smart casual or more formal events. A dress shoe is typically contrasted to an athletic shoe.
Dress shoes are worn by many as their standard daily shoes, and are widely used in dance, for par ...
s, casual shoes and boots, but can be found in other forms including canvas and leather sneakers and high-heeled women's shoes.
Styles
Brogue styles are determined by the shape of the toe cap (a separate piece of leather or material added over the
toe box
The toe box is the section of footwear that surrounds the toes on closed-toe shoes. Toe boxes that are too tight can cause injuries and foot deformity, foot deformities, whereas wider toe boxes may be used to treat or prevent common foot condition ...
) and include the commonly available full brogue (or "wingtip" in the United States), semi-brogue and quarter brogue styles, and may be found in the less common longwing brogue style. Closure style is not a defining characteristic of the brogue and therefore brogues can be found in closure styles that include laced Oxford, Derby or ghillie styles, but can be found as buckle and monk strap shoes and slip-on shoes with or without elastic closures. Most commonly offered as a leather dress shoe, brogues may also come in the form of boots, canvas or leather sneakers, or any other shoe type that includes or evokes the multi-piece construction and perforated, serrated edges characteristic of brogues.
* Full brogues (also known as wingtips) are characterised by a pointed toe cap with extensions (wings) that run along both sides of the toe, terminating near the ball of the foot. Viewed from the top, this toe cap style is W-shaped and looks similar to a bird with extended wings, explaining the style name "wingtips" that is commonly used in the United States. The toe cap of a full brogue is both perforated and serrated along its edges, and includes additional decorative perforations in the centre of the toe cap called the medallion.
** Austerity brogue has a wingtip-shaped toe cap without perforations.
** Blind brogue has no actual toe cap, but has perforations in the shape of the wingtip-style as if it had a toe cap.
* Semi-brogues or half brogues are characterised by a straight-edged toe cap with decorative perforations and serration along the cap's edge and includes additional decorative perforations in the centre of the toe cap, called a medallion. The half brogue was first designed and produced by
John Lobb Ltd. as an Oxford in the early 1900s when shoes first began to take the place of boots, in an effort to offer customers a shoe more stylish than a plain oxford, yet not as bold as a full brogue.
* Quarter brogues are characterised by a toe cap with decorative perforations and serrations only along the cap's edge, and omit the decorative perforations in the centre of the toe cap (no medallion). Quarter brogues are more formal than semi brogues and full brogues; they are the most formal of dress shoes with brogueing, making them ideal to pair with
business attire.
* Longwing brogues are characterised by wings that extend the full length of the shoe, meeting at a centre seam at the heel. Longwing Derby brogues were most popular in the US during the 1970s, and although the popularity of this style has decreased, it remains available on the market. Longwing brogues are also known as "American" brogues.
File:Fullbrogue (Grenson).jpg, Full brogue
File:Halfbrogue (Grenson).jpg, Semi-brogue
File:Acorn captoes side.JPG, Quarter brogues
File:Illu-fullbrouge-longwing-s.png, Longwing brogue
*
Spectator shoes, or co-respondent shoes in British English, are full brogue Oxfords constructed from two contrasting colours, typically having the toe and heel cap and sometimes the lace panels in a darker colour than the main body of the shoe.
Common colour combinations include a white shoe body with either black or tan caps, but other colours can be used.
* are a full brogue with no tongue to facilitate drying, and long laces that wrap around the leg above the ankle and tie below the calf to facilitate keeping the tie clear of mud. Despite the original functional aspects of their design, ghillie brogues are now most commonly seen as a component of traditional
Scottish Highland dress. Not to be confused with
dance ghillies, which have similar lacing but are soft-soled like ballet shoes.
File:Oxford full brogue spectator shoes.jpg, Spectator shoes
File:Ghillie Brogues.jpg, Ghillie brogues
File:Shoes MET CI53.76.23ab.jpg, Women's high heel brogues
File:Trickers Stow boots in burnished expresso.jpg, Brogued boots
File:Tasselloafer.jpg, Blind brogue loafers
See also
*
List of shoe styles
This is a list of shoe styles and designs. A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously throug ...
References
External links
{{Footwear
Shoes
History of fashion
Irish clothing
Scottish clothing