In Gaelic, “brog” means shoe, so brogues have been around for a loooong time!

Bloch London Women’s Brogue Flats for less than $200. This line is popular with dancers, but I know I don’t dance anymore and appreciate the comfort these shoes provide…

Brogue shoes… some of you may say, “ew” while others say, “shoes men wear?”

Well, in fact, brogues are not a new style for women to wear. While in the past few decades they have been worn by men who work in funeral homes, ruined by Doc Martens, etc, the brogue was a huge fashion statement in the 1930s – post-WWII United States. They are often confused with oxfords, but they are very similar!

Even Queen Elizabeth II wore brogues, especially around Balmoral, as you can see here in this Getty Images photograph from the field:

The word brogue is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as, “an Irish accent in the pronunciation of English” or “any strong regional accent“. However, it is also defined as, “a coarse, usually untanned leather shoe once worn in Ireland and Scotland” and “a durable, comfortable, low-heeled shoe, often having decorative perforations and a wing tip“.

Norma Shearer is working it with the brogues. Love the look, I’d wear this outfit to watch a golf tournament on a cool early Spring or Fall day (from Seraphic Press):

Katharine Hepburn made them very popular as well, and this look is how I am most familiar with brogues (from: Disconaplondon):

However, we have modern-day celebrities who worked the brogue look last summer, here we have Olivia Palermo and Emma Watson (from Eonline):

If I were to wear brogues to school or work, this may be how I would do it. Isn’t she pretty and comfortable, without looking like a slob? Note the jewelry, the relaxed hairstyle, the warm-weather scarf, and the rolled up relaxed shorts… this is from last October. (from the Sartorialist):

I am a big believer in wearing what you find comfortable from the inside out- then again, I have a lot of interesting lingerie I have accrued over the years… ANYWAY, shoes I think are most important to be comfortable in. Who wants to look like a hot mess going down the street in shoes you don’t feel good in? A lot of people will not like brogues because they are soooo menswear-ish, but a lot of other readers may find they put a new spin on the same outfits you have worn all along!

High end – Fratelli Rossetti for $490.00 on Zappos.com

Medium-end – Boutique 9 for $150.00 on Zappos.com. I like these because they are Hepburn-esque and toned down.

Low-end – Franco Sarto for $78.95 on Zappos.com. I like these because they come in black or ocean. The ocean shade is just sooo pretty!

Some people even used to wear them for tennis or golf, as they went better with their longer skirts rather than the more popular short skirt/skort-sneaker look that we are familiar with today…

So, what do you all think of brogues?