Long-wings, and short-wings, and brogues – Say what?!
Gabe Alonso No, this isn’t some weird “Wizard of Oz” sartorial adventure. I want to debunk one of the most annoying, confusing aspects of men’s footwear. What the hell is the difference between a brogue, long-wing, and short-wing?
Menswear nerds throw out various terms for their footwear like we all understand what they’re talking about (we don’t. I don’t half time, since I’m still learning). Since there are sometimes multiple definitions for the same type of shoe, it can get dizzying to keep track with. Not to mention, you have the British and American definitions which sometimes don’t match up. To make navigating this world just that much easier, I’ve decided to break it down right quick for you. Consider this post your definitive guide to the different kinds of casual dress shoes you will purchase in the future.
To begin, brogues, long-wings, and short-wings describe what are basically the same type of shoe, just with varied styling. A brogue in the United Kingdom is commonly referred to as a wingtip here in the States due to the shoe’s signature “W” pattern. It comes from the highlands of Scotland and the marshes of Ireland. The toe cap would be punctured so that the water could drain out as the man walked through wet land. A classic story of function turning into fashion.
The short-wing has a perforated or pointed toe cap that extends down the sides of the shoe to about the arc of your foot.
The punch cap oxford, or semi/half brogue, has decorative perforations along the seams as well as on the cap toe of the shoe. An oxford is the type of shoe. All brogues are generally oxfords. It just means the shoelace eyelet tabs are sewn into the vamp (main body) of the shoe, a method known as “closed lacing.”
The long-wing’s toe cap extends the full length of the shoe. So, it’s pretty much a short-wing, except the “W” is, well…longer. Shocker. There’s also one major difference – long-wings are not oxfords, they are derbys. What are derbys? Derbys are a slightly less formal version of oxford shoes mainly because of how the shoelace eyelet tab is sewn on top of the vamp. This is known as, you guessed it, “open lacing.” Besides the long-wing detailing, this is another way to tell a part various styles of shoes.
Well, I hope this sheds some light on the casual dress shoe conundrum. Feel free to drop me a message over at gabe@guyism.com if you have any questions about this post or any other style matter. I’m here to help!
Ask Valet: The Wings of Knowledge – [ValetMag]
Oxford Shoe -[Wikipedia]
Derby Shoe – [Wikipedia]
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