Formal shoes also are called dress shoes as they can be worn when ‘ dressing up ’ – suits, blazers, shirts, trousers, etc. thanks to their elegant aesthetics, they are the stylish fit for a business/ formal setting where conventions and conformity matter, just like the office, and marriages.

Casual shoes, on the contrary hand, are for more relaxed( informal) occasions where particular expression and luxury are more important like watching a justice game or having drinks with your musketeers.

Structure

The first major difference between formal and casual shoes is their structure. Structure means the way the shoes are made, their shape, and thus the overall look. As formal shoes are meant for( obviously) formal occasions, they are compact and satiny in shape. Formality requires shoes to be presentable but not tyrannous. Formal shoes should also share traits with other formal apparel particulars like suits, pants, and shirts – sharp lines and clean edges – in order that the overall outfit is much further harmonious and cohesive.

Lacing and Number of Eyelets

Checking the shoelaces is another system of separating formal and casual shoes. commonly, formal shoes will have thin and round waxed cotton shoelaces to stay up with the subtle look, while casual shoes have thicker laces that will be flat or round. Some people place flat laces on formal shoes. While it’s indeed okay to do that, it’s the exception and not the norm. Either, flat laces that are put up for formal shoes will still be thinner than those used on casual shoes – just because the eyelets are lower.

Material

Formal shoes are going to be made only out of leather. dummy leather or Vegan leather works too – as long it’s leather or looks like leather and satisfies all the other criteria you can say that the shoes are formal.

Casual shoes might be either in fabric, leather, or some variation of leather( suede/ nubuck). Shoes like lurkers, when made from leather, can move up the formality scale.

Colour

Common color options for formal shoes are black, medium to dark brown, and oxblood. brown/ Tan is debatable – personally, I really like a good tan color on the shoe and would still consider it as a formal shoe, although a touch lower on the diapason after all the dark colors. Dark colors work for casual shoes also. Black lurkers are a notorious illustration loved by multitudinous people. dark blue suede Chukka thrills are another great choice for casual shoes in a darker shade.

Soles

Formal shoes nearly always will have a separate heel part on the sole, whereas casual shoes have flat soles( or with a small heel drop, but not a transparent heel part)

The soles differ within the range as well. Thicker and chunkier soles are more common for casual shoes and formal shoes will have thinner soles. In fact, shoemakers indeed essay to make the part of the sole that extends beyond the sides as thin as possible.