Shoe Encyclopedia: Lesson One (Ghillie, Saddle, Kiltie, and Wingtip)

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Image by nicolecolecole via Flickr.com

An avid shoe lover simply must speak the language of shoes. How are you going to be able to snag a pair of all your faves if you don't even know their name or what you're looking for? Besides, learning shoe speak can help you find some cute shoes you may have never known about before. Plus, it's a great way to fit in with all your shoe-savvy friends. So, here's four words from the shoe encyclopedia to get you started. Be sure to watch for more.

Ghillie

No fish stories here. The ghillie is actually a shoe in which fabric or shoelaces are laced through fabric eyelets. A ghillie can be worn by men or women and can be found in a boot, high heel, or even a sneaker. It just depends on each individual shoe and how it's made.

Saddle

Ride 'em cowboy! Okay, maybe not. When talking shoes, a saddle is not something you strap to the back of a horse. It's a style of shoe with a different color of leather strapped over the instep. Not exactly horseback riding. When it comes to saddle shoes, you could be doing a number of things, including golfing, bowling, or attending a formal occasion.

Kiltie

A kiltie? What's that, a skirt for shoes? No, no, no. Well, it kind of looks like one sometimes. A kiltie is actually a fringed shoe tongue. The fringed part hangs over the front of the shoe. Generally, these would be somewhat dressy shoes. You can even get a kiltie with a wing tip, which brings us to the next term in our shoe encyclopedia.

Wing Tip

No, we're not switching to bird chatter here. We're still talking shoes. A wing tip is when the part sewn over the toe is shaped like a wing. This can be done on many different types of footwear. For instance, you could see it in a women's heel, a men's dress shoe, or even in a stylish boot.


*I originally published a version of this via Yahoo Contributor Network