I love a ghillie.  Here is one of my favorite pairs in tan.

And here is my other favorite in black patent.

Fun facts:

Did you know that Ghillies are new?  They've been around for centuries! 

Ghillies brogues are most commonly seen as a component of traditional, formal Scottish dress and are worn primarily for social occasions.

During the Victorian-era, gentlewomen squeezed their feet into the smallest size possible ghillie slippers, to give the appearance of smaller feet.  They were usually low-cut leather-soled slippers made out of silk taffeta, wool serge or soft kid leather. 

These shoes gained a boost in popularity in the 1920s, when the strict rules of etiquette determining gentleman’s clothing began to break down due in part to the sartorial experimentation of the Duke of Windsor. The royal fashion plate was spotted on the golf course wearing plus fours, argyle socks and ghillies.

This is the David Evins Pump from 1949.  Shoe designer David Evins (1909-92) was dubbed the King of Pumps by the fashion press because of his heels worn by the likes of Rita Hayworth, Ava Gardner and Marlene Dietrich. Evins began his career in footwear by accident, when as a fashion illustrator for Vogue he altered the style of shoes he was drawing to make them look more elegant. He was fired by the editor for turning out work that “reeked of artistic licence,” who added that if he liked shoe designing so much he should do that instead. Evins was preoccupied with the ghillie style throughout his career.

And moving into modern times... Remember when the runway goddess herself, Naomi Campbell took a spill in an elevated pair of Vivienne Westwood ghillies in 1993?  Definitely not the version of the ghillie that us mere mortals should try!

Scottish designer Christopher Kane caused a recent resurgence at his A/W 2010-11 show when he chose to open this show with lace-panelled mini kilts made by Netty Sopata, a bespoke kilt-maker from the Isle of Lewis, in a collection that featured embroidery on soft black calfskin and glossy PVC. In keeping with Kane’s bucolic bad girl theme, the looks were accessorized with sky-high stiletto-heeled ghillies.

The ghillie shoe has followed the same trajectory as the gladiator, leaving behind its functional origins and morphing into a sought-after style that is continually being reinvented by designers. Isabel Marant’s Lelie Ghillie is a prime example, accented with studded eyelets and a tasseled zipped back.

Aquazzura, founded by Columbian footwear designer Edgardo Osorio, is responsible for this years must-have shoe—the Christy—a new take on the flat ghillie. It’s an elegant example of heritage-meets-modern design (worn by blogger Damsel in Dior). As Osorio put it, “A woman wants to look beautiful, but she also has to be able to walk in my shoes all day and feel great, without feeling the need to change her shoes several times a day.”

I plan on adding a couple of more iterations of ghillies into my wardrobe.  And while I'm deciding on which pairs to buy, I've been making a list on Lyst.com. 

If you're a fan of Pinterest, then you'll also love Lyst.com.  It's a great way to curate things you're interested in purchasing and keeping them all in one place.  And with the holidays rapidly approaching, if you haven't completed your shopping or if you're like me and haven't even started, you create your holiday shopping Lyst!  And you can follow others with amazing Lysts!