Ghillie Brogues
Ghillie Brogues are a type of shoe with no tongue and laces along the instep. Today they are primarily worn for social events and gatherings. Ghillies originated as a shoe that would allow water to drain and aid in drying, with holes punched through the leather and no tongue this was typically achieved quickly. With the laces above the ankle and tied high and above the mud one may end in.
The word “ brogue” is from the Scottish Gaelic word “bróg,” meaning shoe; to use the word as a plural is brňgan (Scots Gaelic). The word ”ghillie comes from “gille” a Scots Gaelic meaning a "lad" or a "servant".
The tying of a Ghillie Brogue is quite simple; start with the laces and in the front of your shoe, pull the laces tight. Make sure there isn't slack through the eyelets, then twist them around each other. The number of twists usually numbers between three and six. If the twists are too loose, they look floppy and your laces may slip later. If they are too tight, the laces become a seemingly endless jumbled mass of laces.
At the rear of your leg, pull the laces tight then again twist them around each other. The number of twists typically is between 2 and 4 turns. A common rule is to have less turns in the back than the front.
The tying of the bow is up to you some tie the bow on the front, others—like myself, more traditional tie it on the side. Wherever you place your bow, do a typical half-hitch prior to tying the bow as you would when tying a regular shoe.
Commonly some pipers make the mistake of tying the laces too high up the leg. It should wrap no more than a couple of inches above the ankle bone.
If you end up with lots of extra lace, you can wrap the laces once again around your ankle. Another option, depending on the construction of your tassels, would be to cut the laces shorter then replace the tassels, these are also called "toggles”.
