Have you noticed that if you dress well but have the wrong shoes your entire dressing becomes a mess? Fashion experts say that people notice your shoes before your dress sense. This is because shoes complement your looks.
When it comes to suits, the choice of footwear can instantly change the aesthetic of your suit. Oxfords and Derbies are the grand godfathers of smart footwear, and every man should be with at least one pair of each in his wardrobe. A pair of black Oxfords (elegant, svelte and the perfect partner to a classic dinner suit) and a pair of brown Derby shoes (a handsome workhorse of the footwear arena, versatile enough to be worn to work or a wedding) will stand you in good stead for whatever the occasion.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the best colours of shoes for suits that every man should own:
For navy suit, brown leather or suede styles are your best bet here. No need to fuss about the exact shade: hues from tan to dark chocolate will sit comfortably with navy, their richness offering a pleasing counterpoint to navy’s steely neutrality. The exact style is entirely negotiable too, so choose from Oxfords, Derbies, loafers or Chelsea boots depending on what works best for the occasion at hand.
For a grey suit, black leather shoes, Chelsea boots or similar brogue versions never fail to impress alongside a grey suit, particularly fine wool suits in light grey or more rugged wool suits in darker grey shades.
For a black suit, black shoes, of course. Other colours work in a pinch, but it’s best to steer traditional with this one. Despite it being a neutral colour, black doesn’t make for as effective a blank canvas as grey, meaning that while you can technically team a black suit with contrast-coloured shoes, the overall effect comes off more brash than finely blended.
For a neutral suit, any shade of brown (try experimenting with different shades depending on the lightness or darkness of the suit), black, white (in the form of sneakers only) and certain pastel shades including blue and pink (particularly good in summer, which also happens to be the best season to wear a neutral suit.
For a blue suit, brown suit shoes work well with lighter shades of blue, but while dark browns complement navy’s depth, you are better off sticking to lighter brown hues with blue tailoring.
A charcoal suit looks sharp with shoes in black, burgundy and oxblood. Unlike suits in lighter shades of grey, however, a charcoal one won’t play well with navy or light brown dress shoes.