Shoe color w/ navy suits - Page 3

CTGuy. I agree with your comments. At least where I work I think these guys both don't have fashion sense and never cared in the first place. I've been aware of what I wear ever since I was young (and I mean a kid), but that was for me, not for anyone else. may we vent on the forum? I don't care if those around me want to wear boring (opinion) things or cheap clothing, shoes, etc., but what does bother me is when I've worked a long week and loosen my tie at the end of the day and someone comes in and tells me that we need to keep our ties up the entire day. Nevermind that the person telling me has a wrinkled shirt (never ironed in the first place), unpolished shoes, too short 'slacks', etc. We must keep up appearances I'm told. Now regarding brown shoes, I like wearing them as much as possible because of the various shades of brown available out there. I noticed that since purchasing brown-colored shoes that I'll wear them 90 percent of the time with the other 10 percent being burgundy. And yes, I'm over 40.

I feel like a member of the British garrison at Rorke's Drift, but instead of fending off the Zulu's, I'm fending off brown shoes.   Don't get me wrong, I love brown and tan shoes, and think they look just fine with a navy suit, but I really do like the look of black shoes with a navy suit; there's an austere sleekness that brown shoes just can't capture.  I responded to this topic after I watched one of the senior partners at my office pull into the parking lot, and emerge from his silver roadster wearing a perfectly fitting navy pin-stripe suit, that along with his silver hair and shapely black Lobb cap-toes, make a quiet but stylish impression. A nice pair of brown or tan shoes looks great, and can often scream quality; however, sometimes quality is best whispered.

If by 'navy suit' you actually mean what the navy wears as a suit (i.e. a reefer jacket and matching trousers), I--and everyone else in any worthwhile navy--wears black shoes with this. It is said that black leather gives a sense of power and violence. Good things for a navy to have. As for my civvies, I prefer any shade of brown leather merely because, in my style-deprived city, this combination is an easy way to show one has style.

l love this topic. l have thought about this alot lately. l love to wear black shoes with a navy suit. Lately l have been wearing alot of dark brown shoes with navy. Even light brown would look good. l am more reserved about Cordovan though. How about pink or orange croc loafers with a navy suit? (l am starting to get more experimental with my shoes because l have many pairs of black, brown and cordovan). l often see pictures of Jerremy Irons with bright red shoes with a navy suit.

These sound like they should fit the bill for you marc37:

Holy shit; the brightness is burning my eyes. Ha, ha ha. l'll tell ya what though: l have bought some snake skin that looks alittle similar to that (has more orange in the color). l am actually going to get the shoe-maker to make some snake skin boots up. They will look similar to these: P.S: the croc loafers l will [eventually] get will be in shiney bright colors. eg: blue, pink, orange. (A different orange than in the picture).

I will add that I think dark brown shoes with tooled toes look EXCELLENT with navy suits. It's my favorite. But never with a double breasted suit... looks like you're trying to combine classic american with modern Italian.

Well, last weekend I paired a navy suit with burgundy corduroy'ed suede trainers trimmed in dark brown suede (Converse/John Varvatos).... For work, I generally stick to the "C" colours: from caramel to cocoa to cordovan. In the winter, those tan/brown/burgundy shoes will often be boots. I detest black shoes, and have edited my collection down to three pair (Ludwig Reiter's Gustav Mahler oxfords, a cap-toe bal oxford, and formal pumps) that, except for the formal pumps, see practically no cobblestones. Peace, JG

For Laurence Fellows idolators only:   I've just completed an informal tally of about 70 "L. Fellows" fashion plates from 1930's Apparel Arts/Esquires.  Hush.  Here are the epoch-making results: Of 37 black-, navy-, or grey-suited toffs whose footwear is discernible, 18 are shown wearing brown shoes, 19 black.  (This excludes anyone in black tie, white tie, or morning clothes.) BTW, six of the brown-shod are shown wearing reversed calf or "buckskin" shoes.  An additional four have had their navy or grey togs matched with brown-toned spectators. And this demonstrates. . . ?  What waiting for Ask Andy to fire up will do to the cerebral cortex.

Anything goes.

Or, perhaps, "Anything went?"

Almost "anything goes." I have a particular aversion to light brown shoes with darker suits or odd trousers. One sees so many advanced types these days wearing mid- to dark grey and blue with essentially English tan shoes--it looks weak: feet of clay works nicely as a visual equivalent. Sincerely, Jack

prinseugen-- Good point.  It may require me to re-examine one of my sacred principles.  I've always assumed that when matching brown shoes with grey/navy/charcoal one should attempt to approximate the color "value"--that is, the relative darkness or lightness--of the suiting.  You seem to be suggesting that light brown shoes never work, not even with medium to pale grey fabrics.  Is that your considered view? Thanks, Mike

I like your deliberate process, Mike--for goodness sake, at least you take into account the correlation between your body and what grounds it for all to see. I like the freshness of light brown shoes: there are so many beautiful examples available today. But these geniuses who believe that a light brown oxford can properly anchor a charcoal or navy suit are sadly delusional. You know, Mike, your "color value" approach has a lot of merit, because it negates the glaring contrasts that mark the bonehead dresser for intensive abuse. I love brown shoes if they are good--black is always black, and the last means so much more on a black shoe, whereas superb antiquing may raise even a moderately attractive brown shoe to another level of taste. You and I belong to a select group: we believe that it is important to harmonize the complete ensemble. And as an untreatable shoe freak, I pay special attention to the power of traditional balance between what sustains immediate impressions, and the essential quality below (they get to your feet last--moronic pun intended). By the way, what make do you like best? Regards, Jack

Jack-- Thank you for your readable, informative response. Re your question: I lurk, salivating freely, at all the English shoe sites, not to mention the well-thumbed forcing-beds of Japanese shoe fetishism.  I'd give just about anything for Edward Green, Cleverley, or Paris Lobb--and, yes, my first choice would be something supremely simple in antiqued tan or cognac.   One "small" problem.  My 13AA gunboats. Bespoke would be ideal, but I just can't (yet) see my way past the punishing expense.  So I preserve the 20-or-more-year-old Church's, J&Ms, AEs, and even a very, very old pair of light brown (antiqued.) Nunn Bush wingtips. (These are my favorite shoes, I think.)  Most recently, I've added four pairs of Aldens: a black shell cordovan slip-on, a tobacco reversed calf brogued bal, a tan half-brogued slip-on, and a tan wingtip bal.   But wait.  There's more.  Believe it or not, one of the famous J&M Handmades was found in my size.  I almost wept for joy. It's the trowel toed wingtip in black.  As you'll remember, Ken Pollock was instrumental in calling these to everyone's attention, and by doing so he (and Louie at Bennie's in Atlanta) earned the undying gratitude of the yearning masses.  Oh, did I mention twenty cents on the dollar? How about your faves? Regards, Mike