Originally Posted by
MacMillan of Rathdown
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.
OK, I'm wrong. Shoes designed for 18th century ballroom dance, and having changed little over the years, have nothing to do with tradition.
Especially when people wear them and don't dance. 
Last edited by CMcG; 19th October 10 at 08:37 AM.
- Justitia et fortitudo invincibilia sunt
- An t'arm breac dearg
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