Basic Tips ~ Men's Shoes & Pants

Match the Right Shoes with the Right Pants

Written by: Carol Elizabeth Ridolphi, AICI FLC

~ Shoes should be darker than your pants or match them. 

~ Socks do not always need to match your shoes. Think of your socks as you would a tie, an item that can pull the outfit together.

~ Belt should match your shoes.

~ When wearing jeans, wear almost any color or style of shoe but avoid very shiny shoes, which are obviously intended for dressy clothing.

~ Boots, sneakers, loafers and sandals all work great with jeans, but consider your shirt style

when choosing the shoe.  For example, a sporty, polo shirt might work with a loafer; t-shirts go well with sneakers or retro-style shoes; long, artsy button-down shirts work well with sandals or contemporary styles.         

~ Dockers, chinos, khakis, loafers, oxford and other men's shoes work well with casual pants. 

~ Shoes with a shiny finish indicate that the shoe is a dressier shoe, as do less bulky heels and soles.  When wearing dress pants, choose a shoe you would wear with a suit and make sure they are the same color or darker than your pants.

~ Black shoes work well with navy, grey or black pants.

~ Brown shoes work well with tan, brown, beige, green, darker earth tones.

~ Burgundy shoes work well with khaki, lighter browns, blue and grey.

~ Tan shoes look great with lighter earth tones, blue, beige, lighter tan or white.