Brogues are sturdy shoes which originate in Scotland and Ireland. Today, brogues are commonly used as dress shoes for men, and there are also versions for women available at some shoe stores. Several different styles of shoe are referred to as “brogues,” including the historical shoe known as a brogue and a special dancing shoe known as a ghillie brogue or ghillie.

The word brogue comes from the Gaelic for shoe, illustrating how ubiquitous these shoes were in Scottish and Irish culture. Over time, the heavy work shoe known as a brogue came to be associated specifically with the lower classes, and the shoes also lent their name to a slang term for the Scottish and Irish accent, showing how closely these shoes were linked with the culture of these regions.

The original brogues were purely functional shoes, made from heavy, untanned leather which was perforated so that the shoes could drain easily. Easy drainage was crucial, as many Irish and Scots people spent a lot of time outdoors, slogging through damp bogs and other wet environments. Without drainage, shoes would fill with water, becoming heavy and unpleasant to wear. These traditional brogues eventually evolved into more formal shoes which retained the perforations or broguing, along with the low heel of traditional brogues.

Although the modern brogue is related to the traditional brogue, these shoes are definitely not meant to be worn while traversing the countryside. Although the leather tends to be heavier than that of other dress shoes, brogues today are made from tanned leather, and they are meant to look stylish in addition to covering the feet. The perforations on brogues are also designed in a distinct pattern known as a wingtip, in a reference to the W-shape on the toe of the shoe; brogues are sometimes called wingtips in the United States.

Dress brogues are designed with a tongue under their laces. By contrast, ghillies have no tongue, harking back to the days when the tongue of a shoe would have trapped water inside. The lacing on gillies also runs along the leg, securing the shoe firmly to the foot of the wearer. Ghillie brogues are worn with formal Scottish dress, and also for traditional Scottish dancing, and they also have a low heel; shoes for dancing specifically sometimes have a soft sole to allow the dancer greater flexibility and traction.