3 Important Tips for Wearing Brown Leather Shoes for Men

While black is the staple colour for men’s dress shoes for formal wear and usually the first choice for many guys, the versatility of brown shoes makes them the ideal casual shoe for endless outfit combinations. However, many find choosing the right brown shoe and styling it correctly challenging. Here are three tips to help you with that and give brown shoes the chance they deserve.

1. Pick the Right Hue

Whether online or in-store, you’ll find an extensive collection of premium leather brown shoes for men. Besides coming in different toe and sole styles, they also come in various shades. While your choice of brown should be a personal preference, it’ll immensely impact the whole outfit and whether you’ll be appropriately dressed for an occasion. 

The general rule is that darker shoes appear more formal. However, because fashion moves towards more relaxed and informal attire for formal situations, men seek adaptable pieces to wear from work to a happy hour later in the day. That makes men’s cognac leather footwear the new black. You may dress them up or down more than any other shoe colour, and instead of choosing a shoe based on how you look, you can use them as the base of your ensemble.

Many premium leather shoe manufacturers refer to cognac as tan. This more subtle hue creates a far quieter statement than other brown shades, such as dark and burgundy, and popular shoe colours like black, navy, and grey. As a result, men’s cognac leather footwear options are a favourite for almost every occasion, whether it’s a wedding, dinner, or office outfit. You may pair men’s cognac shoes with various suit colours and additional accessories, including leather belts and purses because they are very adaptable. 

What color matches with cognac? Regarding styling, stick to the general rule of thumb that shoes should be darker than pants if you want to play it safe. Think: a matching tan suit for a dressier look, light cream chino pants for a more casual look, and white shorts with cognac boat shoes or loafers for a breeze summer look. 

But because rules are there to be broken, which in fashion can lead to new trends, don’t be afraid to experiment and see your look as a whole; throwing the right coat, blazer, and accessory into the mix is the secret to pairing light-brown shoes to navy, black, and dark-brown pants.

2. Learn the Different Options

Understanding the different styles is essential for wearing brown shoes correctly. You should strive for classic shoes because they will always be up-to-date and go well with even the newest fashions. Consider dress shoe styles like Chelsea boots, Oxford, Derby, Monkstrap, or loafers. You won’t ever need to replace a pair of traditional brown dress shoes for men after you get them.  

Semi-formal shoes, such as boat shoes, lace-up boots, and dress sneakers, are the most versatile; they go well with formal and informal outfits, and you can easily dress them up or down. However, you may go more creative and personal concerning formality. 

Brown shoes are frequently less noticeable than black dress shoes, which normally convey a more official mood. It should go without saying that brown leather shoes are strictly forbidden at black-tie events. So, where is it OK to wear brown dress shoes? You can wear brown shoes to the workplace, business meetings, job interviews, dates, happy hours, lunch meetings, and many other occasions.

3. Style Accordingly

There are numerous unspoken rules in fashion, particularly regarding shoes, even though there aren’t any formal ones. The biggest no-nos when it comes to brown dress shoes are wearing them with pants of the same colour, and wearing them with a black suit. If you still feel unsure, here are some general guidelines; sticking to these can make you feel more confident when donning your brown shoes the first couple of times. We assure you, it’ll get much easier with time and the more outfit combinations you practice.

• Ensure only one main “pop” of colour in your attire. If you want a red shirt with brown shoes, choose a muted colour for the pants (grey or charcoal).
• Whenever possible, choose a Chino! Chino pants are more dressy than jeans but not as stiff as dress pants, and they look good with practically any brown shoe design. Try something unusual, such as grey chinos that look better with darker browns or forest green ones that complement brown shoes because of their earthy tone.
• Keep contrast in mind. Your shoes should contrast with your clothing as much as possible, but not too much. If you can’t decide between two shades of brown, place the shoes next to your clothing. The one with the largest contrast is the one you should pick!
• Try to match the colour of the belt to the shoe as closely as possible. If you’re short on time and don’t have a matching belt, try wearing suspenders!