The male fashion industry has always remained loyal to black shoes, but this has left us with a lack of creative options when it comes to our clothing.
In the modern era, however, blue pants and brown shoes have become a common sight in men’s fashion. The colors go so well together, it’s hard to think why we have stuck with black shoes for so long!
If you haven’t worn brown shoes and blue pants before, it can be tricky trying to pull them off for the first time. Even if you’re experienced with wearing this color combination, our tips will help you get it right every time.
You’ll find everything you need to know about wearing brown shoes and blue pants below. This includes how to pair the right shades of brown and blue together, various casual and formal types of shoes, and the accessories that go well with the color pairing.
Brown shoes and blue pants have become a classic pairing in men’s fashion. If you’re ready to try this color combination for yourself, keep reading for tips on pulling it off every time!
Matching Brown Shoes And Blue Pants
The color wheel is full of gorgeous colors that can be worn on many occasions, and blue is one of these shades. Blue comes in many different shades, but as there are so many colors, finding a complementary tone can be difficult.
Brown also comes in many shades, but the differences in tone aren’t as stark compared in blue. Many blue tones don’t look good with black, as there is too much contrast between each shade. Brown is a great compromise, as it can tone down the vibrancy of a blue suit, so it looks softer as a whole.
Along with all these different brown and blue shades, several color combinations can be made. However, pairing the right blue and brown tones together will need a little trial and error.
Types Of Blue-Toned Pants
Navy is a classic blue shade that is very traditional. It’s the darkest blue shade which is close to black, which makes it appropriate for formal events. Navy pants are great to wear in professional settings, weddings, and other semi-formal occasions.
A different shade of blue is royal blue. Its bold and bright characteristics make this a modern shade that isn’t too formal or too casual. This makes royal blue appropriate for casual work events, cocktail parties, and weddings.
A light and airy shade of blue is sky blue. This shade is great for summer or hot days, thanks to its pale, cooling nature. Sky blue is great for casual events as it delivers a relaxed feel. This shade is appropriate for outdoor events and weddings in hot weather, but only in the daytime. Sky blue can look too casual for events in the evening.
Matching The Right Shades Of Blue And Brown Together
Don’t make the mistake of buying your brown shoes before your suit. You must select your blue pants (and matching suit jacket) beforehand, as it can be hard to find the right blue shade for your skin tone.
As there are so many shades of blue, picking the wrong shade for your coloring is easily done. Blue is a cool color, but you can still find warmer and cooler shades of it in the spectrum.
Generally speaking, warmer skin tones with yellow undertones should opt for warmer blues, like a cerulean or slate blue. Blue suits cooler skin with red undertones well, but these skin tones look particularly good in cooler blues, like cobalt or berry.
These are just guidelines, so the best way to find out if a blue shade suits you is to try one on. Look at how your face looks when wearing the color. Do you look refreshed, or tired? Does your skin look dull or bright?
Once you’ve chosen your blue suit, you’ll need to find brown shoes that go with it. The general rule is that the darker the blue your suit is, the darker your brown shoes need to be.
For instance, a light blue suit will look great with light brown shoes, but not deep ones. Picture sky blue and deep mahogany together compared to pale sand color. Deep brown will contrast too much with light blue, drawing attention away from the whole outfit.
On the other hand, navy blue suits will look better when wearing deep umber shoes compared to when wearing light beige ones.
Formal Brown Shoe Varieties
The type of shoes you wear can make or break your outfit. Dress shoes have several features that determine whether they are formal, casual, or somewhere in between.
One of these is the way the shoes are constructed. For instance, whether the shoes are laced up or not, as well as how the vamp is cut can make the shoe more or less formal. Little details like buckles and broguing can also add to the image your shoes convey outwards.
Brown Oxford Shoes
Blue and brown are both classic colors that have traditional connotations. Their conservative nature is one of the reasons both colors work well together.
Oxford dress shoes are the most formal kind of men’s dress shoes, so they will naturally dress up any suit that you wear. Brown oxford shoes go very well with a navy blue suit, as it’s one of the most traditional shades of blue that you can wear.
If you’re struggling to pick a pair of shoes, your best bet is to pick a pair of Oxfords.
These are great for practically any event. They are dressy enough for formal occasions, even black tie ones. Despite this, you can pair Oxford shoes with smart-casual pieces of clothing for relaxed affairs.
Brown Derby Shoes
Oxford shoes are more formal than Derby ones, but Derbies are still appropriate for most events.
Unlike Oxfords, Derbies will make your outfit seem more casual. They do look like Oxfords, with one important distinction. Derby shoes have open laces, but Oxfords have closed ones. The open lacing style makes Derbies a little looser, which helps to deliver a relaxed look
As derby shoes are best for casual events, it’s best to avoid wearing navy pants with them. Navy is a formal shade of blue, so it’s better to go for other shades instead.
You still have a lot of options here, but if the event is in the evening, avoid lighter blue shades. These are best worn in warm weather or during the day.
Brown Monk Strap Shoes
Monk strap shoes aren’t very common, but they are certainly unique! One distinguishing characteristic of these shoes is that they have buckles, which aren’t usually seen among dress shoes.
As they are so different from other shoes, they naturally become the focal point of your look. Monk shoes may not be classic, but they do look modern. Pair brown monk shoes with contemporary shades of blue, like royal blue, or sapphire.
Monk shoes and blue pants deliver a casual and formal look simultaneously. These are great to wear at smart-casual affairs, or whenever you want to dress up more at a casual event.
Casual Brown Shoe Varieties
As mentioned above, darker colors tend to give off more formal feelings compared to lighter ones. This rule applies when selecting casual brown footwear, as mid to light brown shades are better than deeper ones.
You can still opt for leather shoes, but when you’re selecting casual shoes, you can have more fun experimenting with texture. Suede is a good alternative that can be worn on semi-formal occasions. Canvas is more casual, but it still comes in many different shades of brown.
Typical lace-up shoes can be swapped for ones without laces. Loafers are a good example of this as they emit relaxed, easygoing feelings.
If you fancy something that makes more of a statement, try Chelsea boots. These are still chic footwear pieces, but they are slightly dressier than loafers.
How To Wear A Blue Suit And Light Brown Shoes
Blue suits are great options for smart casual or semi-formal occasions. Light blue is a shade that suits summer cocktail parties and weddings well. If you do choose to wear light blue, you’ll need shoes that are just as noteworthy as your suit.
There are many options that you can play around with here. Monk strap shoes will express your individuality without sacrificing fashion sense.
Depending on the occasion in question, you can have single-strap monk shoes for formal occasions, or double straps when you want to make a statement. Monk strap shoes will always make you look fashion-forward and contemporary.
If you prefer to stand out less, go for brown bluchers instead. These look like derby shoes, so they’re great to wear in casual settings. However, as noted above, Oxford shoes, though formal, are suitable for all occasions and can help you look more professional and put together.
In the case of light blue, any style of shoe you choose should be medium or light brown, not dark brown. If your suit is a pale blue, go for lighter brown shoes, and if it is a medium blue, go for mid-brown footwear. Matching the tones of blue and brown will make your outfit look cohesive, instead of dissonant.
Don’t wear dark brown shoes with light blue pants, as this will contrast too much, making your outfit look dated.
What To Wear With Brown Shoes And Blue Suits
It can be enjoyable to wear blue suits as you can have fun experimenting with different shirt colors.
You can go for the classic option with white dress shirts. These may be traditional, but they will always look good when paired with blue suits.
If you’d prefer to try something different, pale colors, like baby pink or sky blue shirts can give a cheery, fun look. These are light enough to break up the colors in your suit without taking the attention away from the blue of the pants and jacket.
A good thing about blue suits is that you can wear another blue piece of clothing in your outfit, without it being the same tone as the suit.
Light blue shirts can look great with a blue suit, but the same can also be said for blue ties. As long as the tie is a different tone of blue from your suit, these can keep your outfit looking fresh. Both pale blue and navy are nice tie options, though this depends on the color of your suit.
You don’t need to stick to blue either. Opting for bolder colors, like deep red or dark brown, can give a bold, confident look.
How To Wear Blue Pants And Brown Shoes
If you want to wear blue in a more casual way, opt for a pair of blue trousers. Blue slacks are naturally more casual than a full-on suit, so it’s important to wear the right shoes with them.
You can dress up blue pants by wearing brown Oxfords. As long as you pair this look with a dress shirt and appropriate accessories, you can make a simple pair of blue pants look a lot fancier.
Brogues are also good for casual settings if you don’t want to dress up too much. These keep your blue pants looking contemporary without looking sloppy. Brown Chelsea boots are also a nice option, though this varies with the setting you’re attending.
Brown loafers are a good day option. These keep your outfit looking relaxed, but not too casual. Brown leather loafers are always a good staple footwear piece to have in your closet.
We’ve covered pairing brown shoes with light blue in the previous section, but in the case of mid to deep blue, your shoes will need to be shades of mid-to-dark brown.
What To Wear With Brown Shoes And Blue Pants
Wearing clothing with blue pants is a little different from blue suits, as the look is more relaxed by nature. In this case, you still have many options to choose from for casual blue pants.
Lightly printed dress shirts can showcase your personality, but you need to make sure that the pattern doesn’t clash with your shade of blue pants. For example, choosing bright blue pants and a strongly patterned shirt can be too much for one outfit.
Solid-colored dress shirts are always a good choice, as there’s little risk of going wrong. White is great for a classic, yet stylish look. Pale blue and pastel shirts are fabulous in summer and hot weather.
If you’re dressing for a smart-casual affair, you can swap the shirts for a well-made T-shirt. Make sure that this fits correctly as baggy and too-tight T-shirts can easily look sloppy.
Finish off the look with a blazer in all one color. Both charcoal and light gray look great with deep blue pants. Make sure that this blazer color doesn’t clash too much with your shirt or T-shirt choice.
Navy blue suits aren’t as formal as black suits, but as the shade is still so dark, it gives off traditional and conservative feelings. It’s best to pair these with formal dress shoes, like deep brown Oxfords.
Nevertheless, you can choose other types of footwear, as long as they are worn correctly. Dark brown monk strap shoes can showcase your personality when worn with a navy blue suit. If you want to make a statement at a formal occasion, go for monks that are double strapped.
Another option is a dark shade of brogues. These will always look fashionable, so they’re a good choice with a navy blue suit. Keep in mind that this will look more relaxed, so save this for less formal events.
Once you’ve chosen your navy blue suit and dark brown shoes, you’ll need to select a good shirt. You cannot go wrong with white here. Its classic and traditional nature will tie the whole look together.
If you want to be different, pink dress shirts will give your look a touch of individuality. Light pink is very contemporary and looks amazing alongside deep navy.
In the case of ties, you have a wealth of options to choose from, as many shades look amazing with navy. If you want to stay traditional, opt for a similar navy tie. For those that want a bit more creativity, red ties add a nice contrast that’s incredibly trendy.
Gray ties are ideal if you want to tone down the look of a navy suit. They can give you an overall softer look.
Gray is also a good color to wear as outerwear. Along with the brown shoes, gray offers a nice balance to the whole outfit. Black coats can look too harsh and might not match the brown shoes. Gray, brown, and blue are fantastic color combinations to wear on cold days that require more layers.
Compared to navy suits, navy blue trousers are much more relaxed. However, this gives you more freedom to experiment with the shade of your brown footwear.
While dark brown shoes are the best choice for navy blue suits, you can wear any shade ranging from mid to dark brown when it comes to navy pants.
There are also more choices to wear when it comes to casual men’s footwear. You can go for the formal route with brogues and monk straps. These can dress navy blue trousers up for a smart-casual look.
If you’d prefer to stay casual, brown loafers will keep your navy blue pants looking relaxed, but not untidy. These will indicate that you intended to dress down your look.
There are many things you can wear alongside navy pants, though this depends on how formal your attire needs to be.
If you need to look formal, white dress shirts are a natural choice. Casual looks offer more flexibility, as you can have fun with colors, like light pink or blue.
You can also go for shirts that have gentle patterns on them, like plaid or stripes. These will give your outfit a fun dash of color, preventing the outfit from looking too dull.
Finish off your look with a gray or brown blazer. If you do go for brown, make sure that it’s the same shade as your shoes. Choosing different shades of brown will contrast too much with the outfit, taking the attention away from your look.
Accessories For Brown Footwear And Blue Pants
Accessories may be small, but details matter. All these little elements need to add up so the whole outfit looks cohesive.
Make sure that your belt and shoes always match. This is an old rule, but it’s true. Different shades of these accessories can make your outfit look dissonant.
Dress watches are always a nice touch, but make sure your leather watch strap matches your shoes and belt too.
If the day calls for it, a pair of brown sunglasses can be a great finishing touch with your outfit.
Conclusion
Now you know how to pair brown shoes and blue pants! Different shades of colors can have various connotations. In general, the darker the color, the more formal the look, and vice versa.
Make sure that you pair the right tone of shoes with the same tone of pants, as this can prevent your outfit from looking dated. Remember that fashion is supposed to be fun, so use these pointers as a guide, and enjoy experimenting with this classic color combination!
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