Black Shoes vs. Brown Shoes
There is no single list of men’s dress rules that are comprehensive and absolute. Some rules suggest that a man should match the metal of the bit on his loafer with the buckle on his belt with the metal on his suspenders with the buttons on his blazer with the metal of his cufflinks. Then there are some rules that have exceptions, such as the rule that a man’s socks should match the color of his pants. Style rules are written in pencil, not ink. Everyone should play around and discover their own style that will show some personality.
Modern men's fashion allows us to use a larger range of colors in our daily wardrobe. Any shoe manufacturer has any shade of green, red, blue, etc. in their product line. Nevertheless, the most versatile colors in men’s shoe fashion are black or brown.
There are few situations where you do not have a choice between black and brown shoes. First of all, these are formal events. Here, hardly a brown color will be a good idea to wear. Also, a strict dress code at work will not allow you to put on brown shoes.
However, if you have ever heard the expression “no brown in town” forget about it. Brown shoes are dressy (black ones are dressier though) and quite casual. When you want to decide whether to go with black shoes or brown shoes, consider the following rules. But, again, “rules are made to be broken”.
One of the most important rules is avoid putting brown and black together when pairing suits and shoes, especially a black suit and brown shoes. Brown shoes (brown oxfords’ a great choice) will look perfect with a navy blue suit. Brown shades can be everything from dark chocolate to light tan, and it can make your shoes very versatile. Brown shoes look great with earth tone suits, especially navy, grey and blue.
Black shoes are not as versatile as the brown ones, but they are dressier and more classic. They can go well with more urbane or sporty colors. Charcoal and black suits look great with black shoes and make a statement of tidiness when attending more formal events. If your outfit is not black, make sure to wear black watch and black belt with your black shoes.
As for jeans and their combinations with shoes, the brown color is more preferable here. Brown shoes will look great even with black jeans. Just try to pick up a shade darker. Blue jeans will perfectly match with brown shoes of any shade, even if you have a black overcoat at the top.
As always, style is a state of mind. Play around with your outfit. Discover your own style by being creative.