Formal Shoes – To attend a formal meeting or a formal party.
Formal evening shoes have to be clean, glossy and well-kept. Scruffy shoes, no matter how expensive, are social suicide. Nothing makes more of an impact than the right shoes for the occasion. Shoes can say a lot about a person’s taste, station in life and self-respect. Of course, for men, matching socks are a must. Men’s formal shoes are typically black or cordovan, a color associated with true cordovan or equine leather, which means leather that comes from a horse’s behind. So cordovan-colored shoes could be any color a horse comes in. Men’s formal shoes can actually be any color such as brown, oxblood, burgundy or white, but the most common is black, depending on the suit.
Formal women’s shoes are much more fun than men’s shoes. They come in a variety of styles, color and materials. Typically, ladies formal shoes have heels and they should match or complement the dress. It is important that the shoe style should reflect the style of the dress i.e. Grecian style dress goes well with strappy shoes. While color does not have to exactly match, it should be within a certain range of colors. Plain shoes are acceptable, but for special occasions, ladies shoes can have a variety of accents such as small gems or lace appliqués to match the accents of the dress. A staple for formal evening shoes is black heels, either closed or open-toed and at least two inches. Any lower and it becomes informal wear. There are some flats that can be considered formal wear if it is shiny and accented, and it is especially useful if your date is short, but very few styles can carry it off.
The price range for formal men’s shoes can be quite high because good formal shoes are made of genuine leather. Men usually have two pairs of shoes, black and brown. However, there are more affordable substitutes but they are not as durable, and since men usually use these shoes for non-formal occasions, such as business dress, it might be a good investment to get the good ones. Ladies wear is a different proposition. Most women have at least four pairs of formal shoes in solid colors such as black, silver, white and red. The price tag for some of these shoes can also be high, but many alternatives are just as acceptable and probably recommended as you may only use these shoes occasionally. There are many styles to choose from even from a local shoe store, and some even offer matching handbags. Open-toed shoes are the best but make sure you get a pedicure and a good pair of seamless stockings.