Your formal outfit plays a big part in how much you enjoy the evening. Many will go on a shopping trip to find the perfect outfit – one that fits well, looks great, has the right color, and shows your personality.

Accessorising is important, especially your shoes. While you’ll naturally focus on how your shoes look, don’t let appearance be the only thing you consider.

Think about two other important things that often get overlooked, but can really affect your night, and sometimes even lead to problems. Besides asking “how do they look?” also ask “how do they feel?” and “how well can I move in them?”

For many, the high heels they choose for the formal might be the first time they’ve worn such tall heels. Even if you wear heels sometimes, you might not have enough experience to handle everything that could happen on formal night. While heels are less of a concern for guys, fit and comfort are still important.

Here’s a checklist to keep in mind when choosing your shoes:

• Between getting ready, pre-formal activities, the formal itself, and maybe an after-party, you could be wearing these shoes for over 12 hours, but probably at least 8.
• New shoes tend to be stiff and need time to soften and mold to your feet. This is why you often get blisters when breaking in new shoes.
• Shoe soles can be slippery on surfaces like concrete driveways, tiled floors, restroom floors, and especially dance floors.
• You’ll be dancing in these shoes for hours.
• If your heels are too high and you stumble, you might look awkward, but you could also seriously injure yourself and ruin your whole formal.
• Remember, you can’t take your shoes off inside the venue because of safety rules.
• Choose shoes that not only look good but are also easy to walk and dance in, don’t rub or cause pain, and have soles and heels that you can handle for a long time. Buying these shoes might cost a lot, and you don’t want to only wear them once and never want to wear them again.
• We suggest you buy carefully. Make sure you can exchange or return them, then take them home and spend time checking if they’re flexible and comfortable to wear for a long time. Doing this early will help you avoid surprises on the night.