I'm in love with brogue. Perhaps it is my negligible Irish heritage or my tendency to have holes in everything I own but whatever it is my love endures.

The patches of red hair on my head and the smattering of red in my facial hair is my claim to Irish-ness. One thing I hope to procure for myself soon to entrench my heritage squarely in the Irish is a nice pair of Brogue shoes. Brogue shoes originated in Ireland and Scotland and were intended for outdoor use. The first brogues were made with untanned leather and the perforations were a practical detail for releasing moisture from the shoe. There's something about the history, leather and the patterned perforations...

My perfect pair of Brogues would have to be the traditional low cut with a laced Oxford closure. The leather would have to have an oak color and a glorious sheen. Where mine would differ from tradition is in the layering of leather. The broguing would still be patterned as if it were tracing the edges of layered leather but as you peer closer to the shoe it will be clear that it is a single sheet of leather (though to my understanding there would still be the need for a patch of leather along the back of the shoe). There would be a slightly raised heel and the welt would express itself in perfect and minute detail.

Until I own these shoes I will have to continue perfecting their image through illustration.

If you like these shoes too you can purchase the painting at fab.com