Smart Summer Shoe Crossed With Winter Boot – Brogue Boots!

In terms of smarter shoes the summer was all about the brogue. The brogue can originally be traced back to Scotland and Ireland and were originally used as outdoor shoes or for rambling. Over time the perception of how a brogue should be worn has changed and now it is seen as quite a high end fashionable piece that until recently was seen as a well to do thing to have in business. A brogue has four different ‘toe caps’ or in lehmanns terms the designs towards the end of the toe, these are defined on Wikipedia as:

Brogues are most commonly found in one of four toe cap styles (full or “wingtip” brogues, semi-brogues, quarter brogues and longwing brogues) and four closure styles (oxford, derby, ghillie and monk strap). 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.

So in short any shoe that has a perforated or serrated design on the upper can be classed as some form of brogue. The last couple of summers and seasons have seen the brogue evolve from being worn with trousers and business suits to appearing as a fashion piece with a variety of colours and materials such as suede, leather and canvas being used to create the upper. Matching a pair of blue suede uppers with a rolled up pair of chinos or jeans was seen an increased amount this past season, so now that winter is on its way, with wet weather and snow the fashion has evolved slightly. The brogue boot has made a bit of an appearance alongside the fashion hiking boot for winter 2011 and with top shoe brands H by Hudson, Trickers, Grenson, Ted Baker and Paul Smith to name a few offering a brogue boot for the winter, that is set to be a must have.

There will be two ways to wear the brogue boot to keep in with the winter trend, either with the rolled up jeans or chinos, ensuring that they don’t get wet in puddles or the snow. The other option is to go really outdoor and wear your boots with thick wool socks and tuck your jeans and chinos into these. This will not only keep your feet warm and dry, but will look really on trend. I’ve picked out a couple of great examples below for your winter fashion, and if they don’t quite appeal to you the boots can be worn with the trusty straight leg jeans, trousers or suit, the difference being that you’re wearing a boot opposed to a shoe!