Brown shoes - But what type of brown?

[T900]

Hi all

Have always been wearing black shoes with my navy suits. But decided to be more adventurous after reading this forum.

So I am thinking of a first pair of brown shoes (that I can wear with my navy suits and a charcoal grey suit that I intend to get).

May I have suggestions with regards to which shade of brown to get (that will go very well with navy and charcoal) for my first pair of brown shoes?

Pictures will be much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Jeff Naylor]

 

[GeorgePaul]

I think that if you want to get away from black shoes, get a pair of shoes in burgundy. Burgundy goes very well with navy and gray.

If you really want to get a brown, get something in a dark brown to go with navy. Something like:

 

[tonup277]

did somebody say brown?
i went a bit nuts and bought 4 pairs of browns last week.
double monk is santoni jadwin.
semi brogue is trickers kensington.
captoe and wholecut are BB peals.

the great majority of shoe shots i see on this forum are pristine (i imagine unworn). i've always wondered, do some you guys just collect shoes but never actually wear them?!

i already wore all 4 this week

you can see the creases already

especially the wholecut - the finish on that model is almost like it's patent leather, so the wrinkles are more pronounced.

here's a question to the regulars: you see how all my browns are varied shades, but they all lean toward darker shades. which kiwi color would you recommend? i'd really prefer not fuss with many different shades, would like to limit it to 2 max if possible. i've used neutral meltonian creme on my church's (never polished them for over a year), and it came out very nice...just enough shine, but not mirror glossy. however, i realize that kiwi polish (or the like) will ultimately be necessary in order help protect it from scratches and such.

any reco/advice on a single kiwi shade (or two) that i could use across all 4 pairs?

 

[Coho]

+1 on burgundy. If the guy in the photo crashes down the stairs, I'll be there to kick his ass to steal his shoes.

Originally Posted by GeorgePaul

I think that if you want to get away from black shoes, get a pair of shoes in burgundy. Burgundy goes very well with navy and gray.

]

 

[JayJay]

I like dark brown or cordovan. On a few occasions I've seen medium brown that has looked good on others.

 

[academe]

+1 for burgundy; I also like a medium chestnut brown. I've been sitting on the fence about the darker browns. The lighter or brighter browns can lift or highlight the colour of a dark suit, especially if you have a matching belt or other accessories; I feel that a dark brown would be visually less interesting...