While having a tailor made suit can make life easy in the sense of allowing you to style it how you please, finding all of the other elements of our outfit to complete our look can, on occasion, be a bit of a struggle. With so many unwritten rules on which elements of your outfit should match, putting something together can begin to feel a little restrictive which fashion should never be.
However, while some of these “rules” stand true, others don’t have to be followed so stringently. We’ve addressed 3 points and given our take on how to pair your shoes with your outfit to have you laced up to perfection.
MATCH YOUR SHOES TO YOUR BELT
Let’s start with one you should follow and the most prevalent ruling. If you’re dressing for an occasion which requires a smart dress then you should certainly be looking to match the colour of your shoes to your belt. Most shoes are going to come in black or a shade of brown so finding a leather belt in a similar colour shouldn’t be a tough task.
However, for more casual looks you can bring out alternate belts and mix match your shoe and belt combinations. One thing we’d never suggest however is mixing black and brown leather – that means black shoes with black belts and brown shoes with brown belts only.
MATCH YOUR SHOE COLOUR TO YOUR SUIT BUTTONS
While matching your shoes to your belt is widely accepted as the way to dress, matching your shoes to your suit buttons is not mentioned as much. While matching these could show you as being carefully conscious of every piece of your outfit to the watchful eye, it can also hinder the versatility of your suit in regards to creating other looks.
What we would suggest you look out for is the occasional blue suit which has black buttons. Remember brown shoes are generally much more preferred with blue suits regardless of the colour of the buttons and it’s often considered a fashion faux pas to combine a blue suit with black shoes.
MATCH YOUR SOCKS TO YOUR SHOES
This is one thing you should refrain from doing, especially if you’re wearing light trousers and dark shoes or vice versa. If anything, you should look to match your socks to your trousers, however doing so is very much dependant on how particular you are about your look and the type of event you’re attending. Socks offer up a great chance to add a dash of colour to your outfit and striking socks won’t be frowned upon in most cases. However, if you really want everything to coordinate seamlessly then we would suggest that your socks and trousers match.
The same applies if you’re attending a formal event where you might be better served to play it safe and not wear anything that’s too bold. The last thing you want is people to think you aren’t taking the event or dress code seriously.
Ultimately fashion is about making your own mark and dressing in a manner which you’re comfortable with. There aren’t many rules which are considered a “must” however following many of them will simply provide a look which a likely to be easier on the eyes.