amiga505
Senior Member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2018
- Messages
- 163
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- 222
Greetings.
There was a somewhat controversial thread here recently about the versatility of a blue dress shirt, so I thought I start something in a similar vein and try to initiate a discussion around another classical staple - a black Oxford dress shoe.
I think I have to begin by stating that sometime in winter, probably in February, I developed a dislike for that supposedly timeless classic, the navy blue and black combination. This happened to me while watching a video about blazers on Gentleman's Gazette Youtube channel, here is the video in question:
At a certain point along the way Raphael claims that navy and black never work together, and backs it with a visual:
Now, I don't know if it's a case of inculcation, but that was that for me - from the moment I saw this picture I can never quite stomach these colours together. Surprisingly enough, while watching a video on light brown shoes by Vladimir Riché today I learned that there are men out there who hold the same opinion. This is the video:
I should probably mention that, at least according to Vladimir, same men often prefer light brown shoes with navy suits, a combination I don't think I myself ever employed. I did however wear light brown shoes with a taupe suit, was criticised here on the forum, and have since seen the light, but I should not hide the fact that aforementioned pair of light brown Oxfords was my first pair of fine dress shoes, so the irony does not escape me here. Guilty, I would have done it differently today.
Back to the black and navy combination: needless to say, the combination of navy suit and black Oxfords looks jarring to my eye now. I have tried to push it, but was disappointed and accepted it as my personal rule. It got so bad however, that I even dislike the combination if there is a layer between the black and the navy, such as mid-grey trousers in a (another classics) black Oxfords - mid-grey flannel trousers - navy blazer combination.
With this in mind, the versatility of a black Oxford is greatly reduced in my opinion. It does not go with navy (at least not for me), nor with even lighter shades of blue. One can't wear it with brown. All that remains is black and greys, of which, really, black and dark/charcoal grey are really a must. Truth be told, the only reason I bought a pair of black Oxfords is the fact I acquired a pair of charcoal grey flannel trousers, which are practically black in my book, and would not go with brown shoes I owned at the time.
I will conclude by opining that dark brown, not black Oxford, is the most versatile dress shoe. Blues, browns, lighter, and probably even mid-greys - everything works.
What do you think?
There was a somewhat controversial thread here recently about the versatility of a blue dress shirt, so I thought I start something in a similar vein and try to initiate a discussion around another classical staple - a black Oxford dress shoe.
I think I have to begin by stating that sometime in winter, probably in February, I developed a dislike for that supposedly timeless classic, the navy blue and black combination. This happened to me while watching a video about blazers on Gentleman's Gazette Youtube channel, here is the video in question:
At a certain point along the way Raphael claims that navy and black never work together, and backs it with a visual:
Now, I don't know if it's a case of inculcation, but that was that for me - from the moment I saw this picture I can never quite stomach these colours together. Surprisingly enough, while watching a video on light brown shoes by Vladimir Riché today I learned that there are men out there who hold the same opinion. This is the video:
I should probably mention that, at least according to Vladimir, same men often prefer light brown shoes with navy suits, a combination I don't think I myself ever employed. I did however wear light brown shoes with a taupe suit, was criticised here on the forum, and have since seen the light, but I should not hide the fact that aforementioned pair of light brown Oxfords was my first pair of fine dress shoes, so the irony does not escape me here. Guilty, I would have done it differently today.
Back to the black and navy combination: needless to say, the combination of navy suit and black Oxfords looks jarring to my eye now. I have tried to push it, but was disappointed and accepted it as my personal rule. It got so bad however, that I even dislike the combination if there is a layer between the black and the navy, such as mid-grey trousers in a (another classics) black Oxfords - mid-grey flannel trousers - navy blazer combination.
With this in mind, the versatility of a black Oxford is greatly reduced in my opinion. It does not go with navy (at least not for me), nor with even lighter shades of blue. One can't wear it with brown. All that remains is black and greys, of which, really, black and dark/charcoal grey are really a must. Truth be told, the only reason I bought a pair of black Oxfords is the fact I acquired a pair of charcoal grey flannel trousers, which are practically black in my book, and would not go with brown shoes I owned at the time.
I will conclude by opining that dark brown, not black Oxford, is the most versatile dress shoe. Blues, browns, lighter, and probably even mid-greys - everything works.
What do you think?
