Originally Posted by
CMcG
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?
"To the make of a piper go seven years of his own learning, and seven generations before. At the end of his seven years one born to it will stand at the start of knowledge, and leaning a fond ear to the drone he may have parley with old folks of old affairs." - Neil Munro
Bookmarks