Black Tie Event - Shoe Advice Needed

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

A better explanation of why formal shoes are a certain way has more to do with tradition and appearance than dancing;

Your "better explanation" couldn't be farther from the truth.

Today's gentleman's formal evening shoe has evolved from the dancing pumps of the 18th and 19th centuries. When one would arrive at a ball, held either in a private residence or public assembly rooms, one would remove his heavy shoes or boots, and slip on a pair of light weight pumps, quite often carried in the tails of one's coat for convenience.

If one looks at a formal evening shoe today, even those worn with formal Highland attire, one will easily see that it is little changed from the days of Robert Burns or Sir Walter Scott. It is light weight, has a thin leather sole, and a low heel to prevent it being caught in the hem of a lady's gown. As shoes go, it is the equivalent of a gentleman's small sword as opposed to the cudgel wielded by an oaf.