When established hundreds of years ago, on the country sides of Scotland and Ireland, the Brogue was not made to be a main staple in every elite man’s wardrobe. The Brogue is a type of shoe that is made up of numerous pieces of material that were later stitched together. It was often seen that the shoes were punctured with small holes called brogueing.
The shoes were punctured so that, in the old days, when walking through the country on wet terrain, the water could easily drain out of the shoe if it had gotten in.
Today, the Brogue is often generalized and referred to as a wingtip shoe. This is a common misconception because what people do not realize is that wingtips are only one of the four types of Brogues. Just because you see a pair of shoes with holes on the toe does not mean that you can blindly refer to it as a wingtip or an oxford.
Not only are brogues not always wingtips but they are never to be called oxfords. Oxford is a type of closing method. It is referred to as closed lacing because the eyelets of the lace holes are stitched on the inside of the shoe rather than the outside. Contrary to popular belief, it has nothing to do with the shoe style itself.
In the Office:
Although there are four different types of brogues, it is only acceptable to wear two of them in the office. Wearing the wrong shoes to your workplace could make you look like you have no idea what you are doing. If you decide to wear brogues, it is acceptable to wear a semi brogue or a quarter brogue.
Keep in mind that at the office it is unprofessional to be wearing suede shoes with your custom tailored Ascot Chang suit. In the office, the quarter brogue and the semi brogue, are acceptable to be worn in waxed leather or a rare deer or animal skin that is simple and elegant.
The semi brogue is less elaborate than a wingtip and the design is cut off where your toe ends. In contrast to the wingtip, which contains brogueing all over the toecap, the semi brogue only has brogueing on the edge and in the middle of the toecap. This gives a much more simple and elite look to your shoes.
The quarter brogue is even more simplified for the conservative elitist. The quarter brogue has brogueing only on the edge and the design is cut off by the end of your toes. Whichever brogue is chosen, they must be worn perfectly clean and with respectable dress socks. Dress socks can either be solid dark colors or even something with a simple design if you want to show your funky side. No one likes to look at dirty shoes and sport socks on a perfectly dressed, elite man.
Out of the Office:
In the office, it is only acceptable to wear the semi brogue or the quarter brogue. If you wear either of those outside of the office, unless you are wearing dress pants and a dress shirt, you will look like you have no sense of style what so ever.
When outside the office, it is great to wear a long wing brogue or a full brogue, which is a technical name for a wingtip shoe. The full brogue and the long wing brogue are similar in that they are wingtips, yet on a long wing brogue, the wingtip is extended all the way to the heel of the shoe.
Wearing brogues outside of the office is a good way to show off your style but they must be worn in the right way. It is great to wear wingtips in interesting colors that stand out. They could be in a flat leather or even suede. Suede is acceptable with blue, black or tan jeans.
To spice up the look, it is good to give your jeans or colored pants (for a Hamptons beach look) a cuff and wear crazy patterned socks that stand out. Even if you decide not to cuff your jeans or khakis, wearing dress socks is still a standard that must be followed. Sport socks and brogues do not mesh in any situation, unless your second job is acting as a clown at children’s birthday parties; that will really make them laugh.
In the winter, when outside the office, if you do not want to ruin the soles of your high styled, Oliver Spencer wingtips, it is common to find a wingtip with a thick bottom that can stride through the bad weather conditions. This will let you look good even when the weather isn’t.
When wearing brogues, there are guidelines to follow. Wearing the wrong shoe at the wrong time could really make you look bad. Brogues are a main staple of every elite man’s wardrobe, but only if he can wear and pull them off in the right way. Failing to follow style guidelines on wearing brogues could ruin how your peers perceive your style. Wearing brogues in the right context is a great way to grab the attention of others and receive endless compliments.
Alex Schwartz | Elite Daily
