When it comes to dressing for success, your shoes are just as important as your suit. Shoes selected improperly can ruin an otherwise delightful look making it very important to get the appropriate type. Don’t know which shoes to wear with your suits? In this article, we’ll give you professional tips on how to link shoes and suits, including the correct shoe colors for a navy suit.

We will go through the basics of the combination of shoes and suits, from the point of view of their color, material, and style. We will also explain different dress shoes or forms of dress shoes and other things that you can do to improve your outward appearance. So with the help of mom’s tips and tricks you will be looking stylish from top to bottom.

The Best Shoe Colors For Navy Suits

When it comes to pairing shoes with a navy suit, brown shoes are a classic choice. However, the brown shade you choose should always depend with the occasion. Subtle tones of brown are worn for informal occasions and loud tones for formal occasions.

For a smart-casual look, may be worn with this outfit, therefore full or wingtip or chukka boots are appropriate. These shoes are nice for other occasions that are not very formal.

If you are attending a kind of semi-formal type of occasion, then the oxblood, Cognac, or burgundy shoes with the little more formal loafer or Chelsea boot or even the semi brogue. This give your cloth some class, which makes them ideal to be used.

For formal events, select the dark brown or black shoes of monk strap or derby kind. Remember that all the black tie and white tie occasions call for the black suits and black shoes.

Just remember that shoes should also blend with the overall outfit on a navy suit and the event in question.

Pairing Shoes And Suits: The Fundamentals

Contrast

Pairing shoes and suits is all about creating a cohesive and stylish look. One of these ways is by contrasting your outfit in some form or manner possibly through accessories. Shoes in slightly lighter or darker shades than your suit are the perfect way to avoid boring single color outfit and add some excitement to your appearance.

For instance, coordinating cognac shoes with a navy blue suit is quite beautiful because there is the blending of dark with light color. However, you should not contrast to much as it looks very awkward and out of place. Do not go around pairing a tan color shoe with a dark charcoal, or black shoes with a tan suit as it will not augur well down.

Shoe Material and Style

 

The kind of shoes material and shoes style preferable is just as vital as the color of the shoes especially when it comes to pairing shoes with suits. Readily fashionable and perfect for suits and formal attire, leather shoes are not all the same, however. The most desirable and expensive of all leathers is duly classified as full-grain, top-grain, split-grain or suede, and patent leather.

You shouldn’t mix your shoe material and suit fabric textures, so they should either be smooth or rough together. For instance, fabrics such as tweeds or heavy cottons complement substantive shoe materials such as suede and coarsest grain leather clothing and linen best suite top-grain and full-grain leather shoes.

Apart from material there are also type of dress shoes: oxford, derby, monk strap, brogue and others. Any of these shoes look good with a navy suit whether business, business casual, casual or even formal occasion when worn with brown leather shoes.

Dress Codes

The shoes a significant determinant of the formality of clothes to wear for specific occasions when put on with your suits. The general guide to how formal you are dressed increases with the darkness of your suit and shoes.

In cases where the occasion is a bit more black tie, choose the darkest; black shoes and black tuxedo, for instance. men wear a dark suit, if not black tie, the correct combination is dark blue or charcoal suit with dark brown shoes. If it is not a formal occasion, you’re free to play with the different shades and you can also try different shoe types to get the laid back look.

As with most things in menswear, choosing shoes and suits is really a matter of finding the right combination that looks best on you and suits the occasion. Adhering to these basic principles of contrast, shoe material and its type, and dress code, you will always impress at any event you attend.

How To Match Your Dress Shoes With Other Suit Colors

Shades of Blue

Blue suits are some the most useful suits available and are ideal for business dining, conferences/weddings and other semi formal occasions. Blue suits come in a variety of different shades, each with a best shoe color fit.

• Light Blue Suits: For a stylish and sophisticated look, perfectly blend with light blue suit are medium to darker shades of brown; such as chocolate and cognac. This will give it an overall better and more up-scale look.

• Dark Blue Suits: Dark blue suits have a lot more formal aspect to them than the lighter shades, however, you can make them slightly casual and therefore appropriate for a smarter business casual looking by wearing them with light brown dress shoes. If you want to remain as professional as you can and look quite classic – dark brown, oxblood or black shoes can also be worn with dark blue suits. As for the color there are generally black and the type will depend on the occasion or your personal preference.

• Navy Blue Suits: In case you want to wear a business casual navy suit, match it with medium brown shoes. As to the color of the shoes you can wear dark brown shoes for a semi formal occasion. In case you are going to a formal occasion then you will not be wrong if you wear black dress shoes along with your navy suit. This will bring out the difference in colour between the dark shoes and a navy suit which will make the guy look smart enough.

Shades of Gray

Keeping it classic, grey suiting is very much in vogue and can be worn for office or weddings, or any other occasion for that matter. For the gray suit owners, the attire can easily mix and match with any shoe color, so long as the contrast is discernible.

• Light Gray Suits: Light gray suit is versatile and can be perfect when teamed up with any shoe color. When it comes to contrast, there absolutely none, therefore you should wear dark brown or oxblood shoes with your light gray suits for a modern classy touch. Light and dark combination of gray and shoes is notably stylish and classy particularly when accompanied with the dark brown or oxblood shoes.

• Medium Gray Suits: Consider tan shoes for a more informal style, or cognac and black shoes if you want to be formal. Medium grey and tan shoes give a casual and vintage appearance while medium grey shoes and accessories with cognac or black shoes provide formal appearance.

• Charcoal Suits: Charcoal suits, the darkest option, will work best paired with black or dark brown shoes for a very businesslike appearance. The combination with charcoal on black or dark brown shoes is very clear and elegant.

Shades of Brown

Brown suits are unconventional, and finding the right shoe color ultimately comes down to finding the right tone. A thing to remember is that black shoes should never be paired with a brown suit and is a major fashion no-no. The safe color choice is actually a dark brown shoe.

• Light Brown or Beige Suits: You can wear any shade of brown that you desire. The variations in colour of the suit and shoes will ensure they are relaxed but smart to ensure they match.

• Darker Brown Suits: So as long as you are wearing shoes that are a colour of brown that is any darker than the shade of the suit, you can’t go wrong. That contrast will ensure that the suit gets a more suave and fashionable appeal as shown by the shoes.

Black Suits

Black suits are the most formal of all suit colors. Black suits can simply only be worn with black shoes as anything different to that will make the whole look seem as though it has not been well stylized. The consistency of the black color, particularly between suits and shoes brings a crisp image, ideal particularly for the business related occasions.

Different Types of Dress Shoe Styles

There are various types of dress shoe styles available for men, meaning that one can get a shoe of a certain style with distinct characteristics and one of a higher formality grade. Although it may not be easy to distinguish the dress shoe styles from each other here is the dressing shoe style scale:

Oxfords

Oxfords are lace-up shoes that come in various styles. Balmoral and Adelaide oxfords are the least decorative dress shoes that are commonly used. Although traditionally a brogue shoe is a formal shoe, the cap-toe oxford shoe that has horizontal welt stitching across the forepart is a good semi-formal shoe. Oxfords are excellent for special occasions, which include weddings, business meetings, and one’s interviews.

Derby

A derby is also a lace up shoe but the shoe has open lace up options and thus you are able to see the tongue of the shoe. Derbies are officially close to Oxfords as they are also one of the most formal types of shoes, but like the former, can be more casual. This pair of boots can be worn during formal occasions or informal occasions because they can be blended with any cloth.

Monk Straps

Monk straps look similar to Derbies, but have straps and buckles single, double, or sometimes triple rather than laces. Compared with other varieties of shoes that are used to denote formal occasions, monk straps are not so formal, but they are not informal either for white-tie or black-tie occasions. They fit for any business casual event or semi-formal events perfect for business women.

Chelsea Boots

Chelsea boots are ankle boots with a known feature of an elastic side or two. These boots are almost always fashionable, and can be used with any type of outfit, be it casual or official. Chelsea boots can be worn on, for example, a night out or to a semi-formal occasion.

Brogues

Broguing refers to the perforated holes found along the edges of the leather and can be seen on Oxfords, Derbies, Monk Straps, and many other shoe styles. Typically, a brogue shoe is considered slightly less dressy than a shoe which is not brogued; however, this type of shoe may be worn with a suit to achieve a ‘business casual’ look. It is good for business casual occasion or for a night of fun with friends.

Wingtip

Wingtips are flamboyant shoes with broguing along almost all the edges of the shoe. The shoe has a medallion toe meaning that has a sharper – but flat tips – toe. Traditionally this type of shoe is appropriate for less formal occasions for instance; wedding, cocktail party or a semi-formal dinner. Wingtips are very suitable for outing with friends, dinner or any semi formal occasion.

Loafers

Loafers are a more casual slip-on style perfect for darker tonalities suits to be worn to evening or more sophisticated, indoor events like evening weddings, the loafers are more laid back slip-on shoes that go well with light-coloured suits best suited for summer weddings or outdoor brunches.

Chukka Boots

Chukka boots have laces and are usually shorter than other boots such as the Chelsea ones. They are perfect for casual occasions but if you only have a suit and no dress shoes, then they will do the job. Chukka boots can therefore be worn on a night out, during day use or on any other occasion.

Boat Shoes

Boat shoes have a relaxed summer vibe to them, perfect with linen or seersucker suits. They are suitable for wearing on an evening out or for a day time event.

Therefore, selecting appropriate dress shoe design is crucial to accessorizing a wardrobe. Although most people are likely to wear dress shoes for a particular occasion, there are different styles in the market for any occasion.

Other Ways To Elevate Your Look

Tailoring

Investing in a great tailor is one of the best things that can happen to your wardrobe. Arbitrarily, the style that falls from a well tailored suit is surely going to make you look classy and smart, regardless of the expensive or cheap value of that suit. With the help of a tailor, your suit will be fitted to your body, so you will wear your best at any occasion.

Tailoring costs between $ 40- $ 400 and depending on the amount of alteration needed that is usually done in 1-2 weeks. A clearly defined communication strategy and framework may look like a major expense and investment, but it turns out useful in the long run. The same applies to suits; wearing a fitting suit will transform your appearance apart from making you more confident.

Undershirts

Wearing an undershirt is a great habit to get into when wearing a suit. Having an undershirt on is recommended when wearing a suit in the first place. Not only does it serve the purpose of avoiding sweat stains and an unpleasant smell of your clothes; it’s very convenient in terms of matching outfits. But it is necessary to choose the correct undershirt to not look as if you are heavier.

A loose fitting undershirt, or one that is too big, is not going to be able to draw sweat away from the skin and actually makes you appear larger. Still, it is better to wear slim-fitting undershirts, made of microfiber to be more breathable, fresh and comfortable. A good fitting undershirt will make you feel good and comfortable regardless of the nature of your activities.

Accessories

Accessories are a great way to add  interest, sophistication, and character to your outfit. Watches, belts, tie clips and sunglasses complement your outfit, caps complement both your head and outfit. For a more serious occasion, for instance, cufflinks or pocket squares are ideal pieces of jewelry.

Regarding accessories the crucial thing is to remember the purposes for which the things are to be used and one’s preferences. There is nothing wrong with trying out different accessories as part of defining your look. It is important; therefore, to choose an appropriate accessory that will complete your outfit.

Well, remember that there is much more to style than just trousers, shirts, suits, and coats: tailoring, undershirts, accessories. Taking some moments for these small points, you get to feel and look great at every occasion.

Look And Feel Great From Head To Toe

When it comes to looking and feeling your best, it's important to pay attention to the details. Since clothes give confidence, imagine what a good pair of undergarment could do for you. Undershirt is another Underfit product created to give you the required support and make your figure look neater.

Crew necks, V-necks and invisible undershirts are some of their moisture-wicking and odor resisting apparels– ideal for under a tux or a three piece suit. There are shorts and longs as well as cotton and formal fits so you are able to get the exact undershirt you want.

Of course, appropriate shoes will also not superfluous to any kind of clothes and accessories. When it comes to the dressing shoes, few styling tips allow you to find the right dress shoes to fit your outfit. So heed these following tips and get or even invest in good quality undergarments', certainly, you need not look farther in your pursuit of achieving that best look and feel, from head to toe.