I didn’t even know leather shoes were not black tie… Is color not black tie?
What makes a dress black tie? I prefer long, flowing gowns (which, to me look more formal, dressy, which is why I like them), but I have no idea what would make one black tie and another not.
“Why are your khaki shorts and polo casual but my capri yoga pants that are not too tight and t-shirt and 1/4 zip Chicago marathon dri-fit pullover that is clean and coordinated not “ok” for casual???”
Those are fine for casual. Capris aren’t gym shorts.
Btw I flew today (day trip). There was a thirty something woman wearing gym shorts on the plane this morning. It stood out and I thought she looked stupid. I wasn’t “offended” - I don’t really GAS - but there are so many other ways to be comfy and casual that gym shorts just looks immature on a grown woman. And not to belabor the obvious, it’s not like she was running and stopped into O’Hare for a cup of coffee, lol.
Fabric shoes- some are ok with strappy sandals.
There’s also some old,old rule about not wearing gold jewelry to a fancy night event.
“I didn’t even know leather shoes were not black tie… Is color not black tie?”
Technically, for a really formal event, you’d wear some kind of fabric shoe (peau de soie). Leather can look “informal” in that context, though I might try to get away with it since I’m a rebel like that 
Was she running across the airport from her late-arriving flight (common at O’Hare) to make it to her subsequent connection flight before they closed the door?
@Periwinkle Both my d’s are 5 ft 2", so it would not be too short on them. They would have 7 inches of length over the model! But you’re right-- I would object, too, if it were too short or the material too thin. Actually both d’s own dresses like that from urban, but not the one in my original link. Long enough to be appropriate for all the occasions I described for someone their age.
No shoes in our house either. You know, our wood floors are getting refinished this year…after 20 years. I am convinced the lack of grit has helped.
We do not expect guests to take shoes off, but most of our friends do the same at their homes…so remove their shoes.
Re: black tie shoes. I wore dark suede shoes to my last black tie event in the winter. For summer, I wear color.
Sometimes one just has to bluntly state the obvious to some people
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Legislation-seeks-to-clothe-Castro-s-naked-guys-3914295.php
Looks like even us very casual Californian’s have our limits. >:)
I have been reading this thread for amusement. Have never been to a black tie event, expect I never will. The idea that you have to wear fabric vs leather shoes is so completely ridiculous - it sums up my feelings on the fashion/style world. Ridiculous, idiotic rules!
“Was she running across the airport from her late-arriving flight (common at O’Hare) to make it to her subsequent connection flight before they closed the door?”
No, ucb, as this was the first flight of the morning. You wouldn’t “need” to wear gym shorts to do such a run, you know.
“have been reading this thread for amusement. Have never been to a black tie event, expect I never will. The idea that you have to wear fabric vs leather shoes is so completely ridiculous - it sums up my feelings on the fashion/style world. Ridiculous, idiotic rules!”
It’s not “have to” as in there are fashion police that will write you a ticket. It’s just aesthetics. Is it ridiculous that you don’t wear high heels with gym shorts, or a pink polka dot shirt with green striped pants? :-).
My brother gives a dance party every year and the fancy invitation says “Medals will be worn” which apparently is code for “black tie if you’ve got it”, but really anything goes. Some people dig out running medals and wear them. My brother always wears his tux, dh never does since he doesn’t own one. But all the women under 70 wear dresses and most of the men really try to dress up, though not necessarily with ties and jackets. Their theory is that it’s fun to dress up occasionally and they are providing an opportunity for it. While there are plenty of sparkling shoes and silver sandals, I’ve never heard you can’t wear leather as a woman! Or if I did I promptly forgot it. Shoes are the bane of my existence, nothing is comfortable and I loathe heels.
It’s not that you " can’t." It’s that there are often fabric shoes that are dressy for nighttime events that are too dressy for the day. That’s all. I think patent leather has started to bridge the divide.
This is a search for evening shoes. I would wear these with dressy clothing, but would not want to see any of the sparkly or fabric shoes worn with a suit or day time work dress. In general a leather unadorned pump wouldn’t be my first choice with a gown. Although suede or patent leather might be okay, depending on the dress. But still not as appropriate as peau de soie.
Luckily these types of shoes are pretty classic, so they can stay in style for many years.
I guessing the sparkly sneakers and flip flops in that search don’t count, right? Lots of very lovely shoes, though, although I would not be able to wear any of them for any length of time without foot pain. Most are completely flat in the front-no padding or arch support at all, or so high that all the weight is put on the ball of the foot. What do people with foot problems wear? Even the last “comfort shoe” brand of dressy shoes I wore were hardly supportive. My heels AND my toes hurt! Not that there’s a chance in heck I’d ever get invited to a black tie event.
Mathmom-what have you found that works for dressy occasions? I love those flat, pretty sandals, but I’d be limping in under an hour.
What brands of shoes do work for you, sseamom? Do you need space for orthotics in your shoes? Generally, if you have wider feet or issues such as bunions, stretchy fabric is the best, and patent leather trumps leather and suede. Completely flat flats are as bad for the feet (surprise!) as stilettos. All better made flats have a built-in tiny wedge or a small heel to provide the 1/2-1 inch rise needed for walking comfort.
I can wear most Easy Spirits and walk all day in them, but their dressy shoes don’t support my feet as well. I have some Softwalk and some Sketchers, along with MerrelIs, but none of these are the least bit dressy. Oh, and some Born too. have get terrible heel pain in anything that doesn’t offer a generous heel cushion, and my entire foot hurts if the toe of the shoe does not also have lots of padding.
I usually just get the least objectionable dress shoes when an occasion calls for it and try to stand as little as possible. I haven’t worn any kind of heels in years, since the bad experience with the Easy Spirit dress shoes, and I know better than to wear flats. I don’t have orthotics.
sseamom, fwiw, I don’t wear dressy shoes and both sets of sandals that I wore at my wedding (after the ceremony where I went barefoot) were Easy Spirit. They didn’t have heels but they were still decently fancy. I loved them and wore one set to my brother-in-law’s wedding over the weekend and they were super comfortable being worn for hours (and I hate shoes!)
Sseamom, I highly recommend looking at Anyi Lu, Paul Green, Athena Alexander, and Cobb Hill sandals and shoes. For example, this one, while not a black tie shoe (lol!) would be dressy enough to wear to a summer wedding in Seattle:
http://www.zappos.com/cobb-hill-hannah-white
http://www.zappos.com/paul-green-violet-sandal-sabbia
Some of these prices make the hair $tand on end, but these brands can be found on Amazon, 6pm, and at the Rack.
My sister swears by Taryn Rose shoes (don’t work for some ladies because of their arch support positioning). Here are some examples:
http://www.6pm.com/taryn-rose-trulie-black
Many sandals and shoes can be made more comfortable by adding foot cushioning petals or inserts. I use Superfeet in some of my pumps and boots.
The Taryn Rose pump you linked in 6pm is cute and looks like it may be comfortable.