Can barefoot be formal?
A lot of people associate shoelessness with casual attire, but can it work in formal situations? For those of us 24/7 barefooters out there, do you tend to don shoes when dressing up, or do you rock the bare feet like you would in any other attire?
Personally, I'm of the opinion that bare feet go with everything!
Yes it can. In many Asian countries, it is a must to be barefooted inside house and buildings. Reason for them is that shoe soles carry germs and dirt which contaminates the floors. So it is a custom to leave shoes outside house, temples, offices, etc. While visiting Burma on a business mission I attended a cocktail/reception where ALL were barefooted, including the Prime Minister.
So in some cultures, barefooted is not rejected but sign of a good etiquette.
I vote for more freedom from shoes ... maybe they can be needed in special circumstances but not all the time.
It depends what you understand by formal, I guess. My day job is for a major university where we do not have dress code, so bare feet are ok in most cases. On weekends I am a musician. In both jobs I manage to be barefoot in quite formal circumstances. Particularly as a musician, it is withing the accepted levels of eccentricity if one performs barefoot, even if formally dressed. However, when I represent my university at a formal meeting I wear full suit and shoes with socks and all, because my job depends on it. That doesn't apply all the time: it is conceivable that during a 3 day convention I would be shod and with suit for an evening program and still wear formal shirt and barefoot on a day workshop with a smaller group, which is relatively acceptable in high tech environments. As I say, it's a struggle, but I manage.
I attended a wedding for a friend and his wife who were barefooters, too. It was totally formal and like any other wedding with one exception ... no shoes or socks anywhere ... nothing but bare feet, and it was quite attractive and dignified. I loved it.
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