I had been under the impression that proper opera pumps were calf.
Brooks Brothers Opera Pumps
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Well,I may be mistaken but to my knowledge,patent leather is traditionally frowned upon for white tie.1+
Dress shoes from the 1915 Brooks Brothers catalogue:
Let's hope that Brooks sticks to tradition and offers their pumps only in patent leather. After all, what next? They might even start to offer black sack suits. The horrors!
I tip my hat to you sir,I stand corrected.Do you have a reference you can cite? I would be interested if you do, because all of mine say that you should wear patent leather. British, American and even German traditional sources are all unanimous on this:
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The London journal Fashion was regarded as the most authoritative of its kind at the time.
The American Blue Book of Etiquette: a Guide to Conduct and Dress on All Occasions by Charles Harcourt, Philadelphia, 1905 also states that for evening dress: "The shoes are of patent leather, and the socks plain black silk".
I hope my reply did not come across as sarcastic,I apologize if it did.I must admit,before joining AAAC,much of what I knew about evening dress came from Wikipedia.Do you have a reference you can cite? I would be interested if you do, because all of mine say that you should wear patent leather. British, American and even German traditional sources are all unanimous on this:
![]()
The London journal Fashion was regarded as the most authoritative of its kind at the time.
The American Blue Book of Etiquette: a Guide to Conduct and Dress on All Occasions by Charles Harcourt, Philadelphia, 1905 also states that for evening dress: "The shoes are of patent leather, and the socks plain black silk".
1 - 6 of 15 Posts
