Mens Fashion and Mens Style Tips

Brogues have become a very popular design for both women’s and men’s shoes throughout the last few years, filtering down from the high fashion labels on catwalks to the discount bins of high-street retailers.

Origins of the Brogue

The Brogue had humble beginnings as a practical shoe worn by outdoor labourers in Scotland and Ireland. The shoes featured perforations – tiny holes that let water drain out of the shoe. Nowadays the perforations and serrated edges are there as a design feature rather then for drainage!

The perforated pattern, however, is not the key to the brogue’s design. Brogues feature visible stitched divides highlighting the shapes the shoe consists of. In the past this would have been a rough way of making the practical shoe to keep the cost down for labourers.

Although true brogues are often seen in men’s shoe shops, the perforated design is used on sneakers (UK trainers), sports shoes, ballet pumps, women’s heels and boots, despite the shoes not being made of leather or sharing any other factors with the traditional brogue.

Brogue Styles

There are a few different styles of true brogue. The most common is the full brogue, which has a ‘W’ or wing shaped pattern stretching from the centre of the toe cap back to the middle of the foot, as well as a fancy design of shallow perforations. A rarer type called ‘longwing’ brogues have wings stretching back further and meeting at the heel.

The half brogue features the same perforated design as the full and longwing brogue, but does not have the iconic ‘W’ shaped pattern over the toecap, usually just a straight, horizontal strip stretches the breadth of the toecap. It is therefore seen as being a more understated design. The quarter brogue has even less detail as it has no perforated design on the toe cap, just the simple horizontal strip.

Although most brogues come in one colour (commonly black, brown or tan), dressier full-brogues are available with a two-tone designs. Usually, the heel and toe are a dark colour, with the main shoe body being white. This two-tone design is similar to modern-day bowling alley shoe rentals.

How to wear Brogues

Although traditionally a casual shoe, brogues are increasingly sold as formal dress shoes. Black brogues can be combined with black tailored suits for work, whilst tan and chocolate brogues go equally well with suits or jeans.

Combine brogues with turn-up jeans with a coloured lining for a young, modern look. Grey brogues give a fresher, softer look than tan or black and complement most colours of suit or jean. Keep an eye out for more radical colour combinations too. The flashier two-tone or even three-tone brogues can be worn formally with white suits or casually with jeans for a striking look.

Where to buy Brogues

Most good men’s shoe shops have a range of brogues or shoes featuring brogue designs. If buying on the high-street, ensure you get a well-made shoe to avoid the thread on the perforations starting to fray or loosen. Oliver Sweeney and Paul Smith both feature high quality, classic brogues, in Derby and Oxford styles; click here to browse their range online.