Fun With Shoes: Shiny Brogues Are The Bomb

There’s gold on them thar heels—toes, too! But hey, you don’t need to hit pay dirt to afford gilded oxfords or brogues.

CHEAP & CHIC | We aren’t sure who showed them first (we’re not that consumed by fashion), but it may have been Belgian fashion superstar Dries Van Noten in his 2007 men’s collection. Whoever it was that spun the traditional Scottish brogue into gold inspired plenty of other shoemakers to follow suit. Just last week, The New York Times showed metallic brogues (pictured above; read story here) from a collaboration between mega shoe star Patrick Cox and the Italian Luxe brand Geox. They were made for Elton John for his for new Vegas show “The Million Dollar Piano.” Elton’s been photo’d wearing the supershiny gold brogues, and images of this shoe have been showing up everywhere on the internet because, over the past year and a half, shiny gold oxfords and brogues have been blowing up.

On Your {Golden} Toes

We’re as smitten with gold lace-ups as Elton is but smart enough to know that currently trendy shoes like these will eventually fall out of favour. So unless you’re dead set on those cute but pricy Olivia Morris rose-gold brogues with fuchsia velvet laces and cutout hearts instead of traditional holes (you may have to buy them on eBay), it’s best to go low end like we’ve done. Here are two of our favourite inexpensive versions.

Trust Joe Fresh to get all of the design elements and proportions just right. Joe’s “full  brogue” lace-ups, $79, are in the classic W-shaped wingtip style. They feature multipiece construction and a pointed toecap with perforations (called brogueing; who knew?) around both sides of the shoe. To find Joe Fresh gold brogues near you, visit www.joefresh.com.

At $29.95, not much can beat Forever 21’s metallic lamé lace-ups. These oxfords feature an almond toe, tonal top-stitching and a thick, flat heel. A padded insole makes them comfortable, while a textured outsole contributes to their distinctive look. Find them online at www.forever21.com. —Annabel Lee

Photos, top to bottom: via The New York Times, Joe Fresh, Forever 21