It’s lunchtime in Martin Place.
What surrounds you?
People in black.
Black shoes and black suits.
From what I can ascertain from male friends in the corporate world, the average guy just won’t venture too far from the black on black combo in fear of getting ‘it’ wrong… and let’s face it, most guys just want to get showered and out the door each morning without too much thought or hassle.
Well I just happened across a brilliant guide to matching shoes with suits, that EVERY guy needs to cut out and Blu-tak to their built in…
Full credit for this goes to Winston Chesterfield of Mensflair… please check out the original here
So go on, challenge yourself with a pair of oxbloods.
Very little has been achieved by blending in with the crowd.
Tan shoes
Tan shoes have a wonderful, peanut-brown colour that glows beautifully in sunlight. However, they shouldn’t be worn with too dark a shade; navy blue, black and charcoal are too much of a contrast. Mid-grey and mid-blue suits are better; the desaturation offsets the brightness of the shoe. Light grey, all shades of brown and cream are the most ideal colours.
Black shoes
Black shoes are the most formal shoe, but they are not the most versatile. They are highly suitable for greys of all types, particularly charcoal, but they clash with navy. Instead, wear them with mid-blues to achieve the correct contrast between blue and black. They are also unsuitable for browns.
Chestnut
Chestnut shoes are possibly the most versatile shoes a man can own; navy, charcoal, light grey, mid-blue, mid-grey, browns of all shades and even cream – chestnut shoes don’t clash with much. They are also the best shoes for odd jacket and trousers combinations as they are adaptable but less formal than black shoes.
Oxblood
Oxblood is possibly the rarest colour of shoe. Almost as versatile as chestnut, oxblood shoes look good with blues and greys of all types, although they can clash with some browns.
Dark brown
Dark brown shoes are, in inclement weather, often difficult to differentiate from black. Mid-blues bring out the ‘brownness’, whereas navy tends to shroud it. Light grey is appropriate, as are browns of all types but stay away from charcoals and blacks.
Eclectic Kate 