History of the Wingtip Shoe

The history of the wingtip shoe begins many years ago in Scotland. Since its invention, this shoe style has gained widespread use throughout the world and is sometimes referred to as the brogue. Though originally a men's shoe, wingtip footwear is now found in both men's and women's styles.

The wingtip defined

The wingtip shoe enjoys a proud pedigree that began as a type of men's dress footwear. The wingtip laces down the middle and possesses a stitching pattern that resembles the letter "W". This "W" is also described by some as a bird taking flight, which is where this shoe style gets its name. Brown leather is the material customary to wingtip shoes; however, they are now made in many colors that include white and black. Two-tone styles of the wingtip shoe date their arrival on the modern fashion scene to the rockabilly craze of the 1970s and 1980s.

Women get their wingtips

Women's wingtip shoes also date their popular adoption to the decade of the 1970s. They are still worn today as a part of retro-fashion. The wingtip style enjoys widespread use as part of a business casual wardrobe for wear in the office or during meetings. Most women's styles have a heel and come in bright and bold colors. It can actually be hard to find the traditional men's wingtip shoe among all the women's versions on the market now.

Since its inception as a simple semi-formal men's dress shoe, the wingtip shoe can boast a major metamorphosis. With versions for men and women alike, the wingtip shoe is a real fashion survivor - the kind of classic style that never seems to fade.