How To Pick The Right Shoes For Any Suit Color

A black suit will go with only one color of dress shoe which is ___? while a black dress shoe will go with nearly all suit colors except ___ and ___? 

At a corporate training program I attended some time ago, I met this sharp dressed gentleman wearing a nice well-tailored suit, his dress shirt to tie combination was perfect, the pocket square – a perfect complement to his necktie, his socks – a nice pair of colorful argyle socks, then his shoes…oh his shoes – a nice Oxford shoe which by all style standard was suitable for his suit look, however, something wasn’t just right with those shoes.

Can you guess what?

.

.

.

Uhmm… NO! it’s not what you are thinking…

He actually matched the color of his shoe with that of his belt perfectly well, the shoe was well shined and clean. In fact, this gentleman had observed my 5 Rules On How To Wear and Take Care Of Your Shoes.

Here was the Problem…

Even though his shoe was perfect for the occasion, it wasn’t the perfect color for the suit he was wearing and this alone changed up the entire look of his outfit, made it less than perfect.

Source: unrefinery.com

When you want to match suits and shoes, there are a couple of things to consider of which “The Color of Shoe” is one of them. Not many people are aware of this as I get this question on a regular basis – What color of shoes should I wear with my suit?

Some suit colors work best with specific shoe colors, hence this simple guide has been written to help you choose correctly the color of shoe to go with your suit.

Just in case you are asking the same question, don’t worry it’s very easy to get it right once you master the basic color rules. So, here is a guide on how to match suits and shoes.

RELATED: 5 TIPS ON HOW TO LOOK BETTER IN A SUIT

THE COLORS OF SHOE

Tan

Light Brown

Brown, Black and Burgundy

THE SUIT

There are several colors of suits, but in this article, we will be discussing only eight (8) colors. Let’s get started, shall we?

1. THE BLACK SUIT

You should only pair with

NEVER PAIR with any of these

2. THE CHARCOAL/DARK GREY SUIT

You CAN pair with any of these two shoe colors

NEVER PAIR with

A charcoal gray suit is a formal suit, pairing it with a black shoe is the best option. Although it can go with Dark Burgundy Shoes. Avoid pairing it with brown or tan shoes as it makes it look informal.

3. THE NAVY SUIT

You CAN pair with any of the four basic colors of shoes.

The best choice for this suit color would be a brown shoe or a tan shoe. Burgundy also works well especially when worn on a less strict business day, let’s say on a Thursday at the office. Even though a black shoe is acceptable, avoid wearing this color too often as it is bound to make it look like you are wearing a black suit on a black shoe.

Even though a black shoe is acceptable, avoid wearing this color too often as it is bound to make it look like you are wearing a black suit on a black shoe.

4. THE BLUE SUIT – OTHER SHADES OF BLUE

[SUCH AS POWDER, ROYAL, COBALT, SAPPHIRE, INDIGO AND OTHER SHADES OF BLUE]

You CAN pair with any of the four basic colors of shoes.

Since this suit goes with all the 4 basic color of shoes, now to select the particular one you want to wear, you just need to choose the shoe that compliments the accessories you’ve introduced in your outfit.

So let’s say you have a powder blue or royal blue suit, a white shirt and a red tie – You should pick a Tan, Brown or Burgundy Shoe. On the other hand, if it’s a powder blue or royal blue suit, a white shirt and a black tie – You should choose a Black shoe. Overall, all shoe colors work well for The Blue Suit.

5. THE MEDIUM & LIGHT GREY SUIT

Medium Grey

Light Grey

You CAN pair with any of the four basic colors of shoes and even more. It is the most versatile suit color.

Just like The Blue Suit, the Light Grey suit goes with all shoe colors. To select the particular one you want to wear, you just need to choose the shoe that compliments the accessories you’ve introduced to your outfit.

6. THE BROWN SUIT

You CAN pair with any of these three shoe colors below:

NEVER PAIR with

Brown shoes work best with brown or tan shoes. Avoid black shoes with this color of the suit.

RELATED: 3 SHOES YOU SHOULD STOP WEARING AND 3 SHOES TO BUY

7. THE BURGUNDY SUIT

You CAN pair with any of these four shoe colors

If your suit is deep burgundy, you can wear brown shoes as well as black shoes.

8. THE BEIGE & CHAMPAGNE SUIT

You CAN pair with any of these two shoe colors below

NEVER PAIR with

A beige suit should be paired with a shoe of same lighter shade such as a tan or light brown shoe. Depending on the occasion, if it’s an informal one, you can wear a white shoe. This suit color can easily be worn with informal shoes such as sneakers.

RELATED: HOW TO WEAR SUITS WITH SNEAKERS

FINAL THOUGHTS

This guide has been written to help you make the right decision on which color of the shoe is best for your suit. A lot of gents like to keep it safe by wearing a black shoe with all their suits and this doesn’t always go well.

You can actually make more of an impact with your suit look if you go for a brown, burgundy or tan shoe depending on what works well as against sticking to the usual black shoe all the time. However, as we’ve learned today that a black shoe is suitable for all color of suits except beige and brown suit. Please keep this in mind when next you are rocking your suit!

You can actually make more of an impact with your suit look if you go for a brown, burgundy or tan shoe depending on what works well as against sticking to the usual black shoe all the time. However, as we’ve learned today that a black shoe is suitable for all color of suits except beige and brown suit. Please keep this in mind when next you are rocking your suit!

RECOMMENDED READING: 5 TIPS FOR MEN ON MAKING AN IMPACT WITH THEIR WORK WARDROBE

I hope this guide is helpful to you. Are you interested in buying suits? Not sure how to buy the right suit? We can help you, simply contact us today.

As usual, the social media share buttons can be found at the end of this article. Feel free to share this article with whoever you think would find it useful. Please leave a comment or a question and don’t forget to join us on social media! You can find us on TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, GOOGLE+, and FACEBOOK. Follow us on any of the channels you frequently use as we continuously inspire you on how to do well, live well and dress really well.

I look forward to hearing from you, until then…Stay Classy!

Yours in Style,

Kobi O. Mbagwu [Mr. Kobi] Founder, MrKoachman.com
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Mr. Kobi

My name is Kobi O. Mbagwu, a professional image consultant, menswear style expert, and entrepreneur who uses fashion, style and clothing as key tools in transforming ordinary men into extraordinary classy gentlemen. My personal goal is to help gentlemen dress better, live well, do well and develop a unique personal style that matches their lifestyle and goals. I believe that success can be built through style. I believe that fashion is a tool that can be used to change people’s lives positively. I also strongly believe that if you dress well, you look good, and if you look good, you feel good and when you feel good, you worry less, and the less you worry the more you are able to stay motivated and focused on your goals pursuit and by so doing you are able to live a more fulfilling and successful life.

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