Black Tie Event - Shoe Advice Needed

[CMcG]

I think the point is that in the case of formal footwear, form follows function. We don't just wear a particular type of dress shoe because we always have, but because for ballroom dances (and I don't just mean 'ballroom dancing' - I'm including such things as Scottish set dances, since we are talking about kilts as well here) a light, thin-soled shoe gives optimum performance.

Ergo, for a formal event where there will not be dancing or for people who don't dance, then light, thin-soled shoes are not the only option?

[JerseyLawyer]

Ergo, for a formal event where there will not be dancing or for people who don't dance, then light, thin-soled shoes are not the only option?

No, you're making a straw man argument here. Most formal events do involve dancing, and therefore the acceptable shoe for all formal events is one suited to that task. Moreover, formal evening wear is about elegance, and heavy, chunky shoes are simply not elegant.

Then you get into the question of conformity. Like it or not, there is a "uniform" that goes with wearing black or white tie. While you can occasionally break the rules, it is best to know what they are first - if you're going to wear something that isn't a formal dress shoe, then you should know what everyone else is likely to be wearing, so that you don't transgress out of ignorance. And wearing your best thick-soled wingtips to a black-tie function isn't exactly the same as wearing cardinal red silk socks that match the lining of your custom smoking jacket, either.

I'm starting to get to a bit of a loss about what we're even discussing here. Are you saying that any old pair of shoes is fine with a tuxedo or with highland evening wear?

[CMcG]

No, you're making a straw man argument here. Most formal events do involve dancing, and therefore the acceptable shoe for all formal events is one suited to that task. Moreover, formal evening wear is about elegance, and heavy, chunky shoes are simply not elegant.

Then you get into the question of conformity. Like it or not, there is a "uniform" that goes with wearing black or white tie. While you can occasionally break the rules, it is best to know what they are first - if you're going to wear something that isn't a formal dress shoe, then you should know what everyone else is likely to be wearing, so that you don't transgress out of ignorance. And wearing your best thick-soled wingtips to a black-tie function isn't exactly the same as wearing cardinal red silk socks that match the lining of your custom smoking jacket, either.

I'm starting to get to a bit of a loss about what we're even discussing here. Are you saying that any old pair of shoes is fine with a tuxedo or with highland evening wear?

I was trying for more of a reduction to the absurd, rather than a straw man...

My point is, as you say, that there are standards of conformity for traditional formal wear. While the origins of the formal shoe have to do with a certain ideal of elegance and the type of dancing that embodies it, using that as a justification for all formal shoes is a non sequitur. I'm arguing with the rationalization offered for the correct choice of traditional formal shoes, not for the choice itself.

Maybe I just like to argue too much though. Sorry everyone