What Color Pants Match Brown Shoes?

I know Frank Zappa said "brown shoes don't make it", but I generally don't look to his music for fashion advice.

I have terrible color sense and always have trouble matching clothes and shoes. Thus, I currently own nothing but black shoes.

I'm now considering a nice pair of brown shoes.

What color pants would match them?

Can I wear brown shoes with blue jeans? What other colors?

Nick

Its subjective, but brown shoes can really set off an outfit. Generally (very generally), lighter with lighter, and look at the tones. There are a couple threads with some examples in here if you search a bit, and you can post some of your stuff to get an idea of what we are working with here.

Brown shoes are great with dark blue hues, navy wouldn't make them look out of place. Black can work but black shoes are definitely preferential for me. Grey is a lot more dependant on the wearer's taste, some could argue that black suits them while others swear by brown shoes for grey trousers.

for very casual wear, blue jeans are fine.

If you like, Allen Edmonds had a feature on some of their shoes where you can see how they looks with khakis, jeans, and different shades of dress trousers.

Personally, I wear dark brown with tans and navy and the lighter tones (bourbon, walnut, chili, etc.) with tans, navy and charcoal grays.

What shade are you thinking? Brown is anything from light tan to very dark mahogany.

Nick Danger said:

What color pants would match them?

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Don't think match, think "go with".

Like others have said, blue jeans and brown shoes are my favourite for casual, for dress I'm not sure.

I have to agree that the shades are highly relevant. As Prince mentioned, brown is a big word with a broad definition. Lighter colours certainly work with pretty much any shade of brown, but so do some dark colours. I agree with RyanM14 that navy blue looks great with a variety of shades of brown. Of course, the style of shoe is important as well. Are we talking about an oxford or a loafer? If it's a casual driving moccasin, you can pretty much pair it with anything.

I've worn brown oxfords with both gray and navy suits before.

Lighter brown shoes work with blue jeans. For something dressier, brown shoes work with olive, brown, and khaki. And be sure to match your leathers!

Nick Danger said:

What color pants would match them?

Can I wear brown shoes with blue jeans? What other colors?

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Brown shoes go with almost everything.

Do not wear them with black pants. Do not wear them with black pants.

Do not.





Other than that, it's a matter of taste.

IMHO, any "earth tone" pants (brown, tan, green, olive ...) will work with any brown shoes. Blues and greys can be a bit trickier, but work well as long as you keep to the "similar darkness" guideline (I won't say "rule"); so, think of darker brown shoes with darker pants & jeans, and lighter brown shoes with lighter pants & jeans.

(Think along these lines for all non-black shoes ... dark brown, tan, burgundy, oxblood, &c ...)

Doc's answer is pretty succinct. But OP really didn't elaborate enough. There are a lot of shades of brown. Dark brown. Chestnut. Walnut. Tan. Also, what kind of shoes? Dress lace ups? Loafers? Are you looking for guidance for up dressing up or going casual?

Thanks for all the advice, guys!

I think I'm going to pass on the brown shoes for now. I don't have enough pants they will match. I only have a couple of pairs of jeans that are blue - most are shades of grey or black. I don't have many dress slacks in the right shades either.

The shoes I was considering were these, which are a chocolate brown:



Seems like I need to hold off for a while until I have a bit more cash to add some other pieces to my wardrobe, like pants and socks.

Nick

I'm resurrecting this old thread because I finally bought some brown shoes. I am still not exactly sure which pants of mine go with the shoes, but at least I can offer a picture now. I bought a pair of Allen Edmonds Park Avenue shoes:



The sales person suggested that they would match navy or grey slacks (anything from light grey to charcoal.) I also think they will look great with blue jeans.

How about my burgundy slacks, or my forest green?

I know not to wear them with black. I got that message loud and clear when I first started this thread months ago.

This is my first pair of Allen Edmonds (well, one of two I bought during the recent sale) and I'm impressed with how well made and comfortable they are.

Thanks to all of you with a better sense of color than me for your helpful suggestions.

Nick

Lots of good advice here; the answer really depends on the shade of brown you are discussing.

One item in particular bears repeating: brown shoes and black pants, don't do it. Not now, not ever.

professorchaos said:

Lots of good advice here; the answer really depends on the shade of brown you are discussing.

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I know it's hard to tell the exact shade from the picture I posted, but it's a fairly dark, chocolate brown. I think the shoes look great with my grey slacks. It's mostly the burgundy and forest green slacks that I'm unsure about.

Nick

Forest gree? Should be OK. Burgundy? Stay with black.

As I was reading thru this, I was going to suggest Oxblood/Cordovan, or what AE calls Merlot. Very versatile as they will go with blue, gray, and even the forest green depending on shirt/tie/jacket choices.

professorchaos said:

brown shoes and black pants, don't do it. Not now, not ever.

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I would not wear them in a boat.
I would not wear them with a goat.
I would not wear them here or there ...

brown can go with anything. and yes brown can even go with black trousers. however, to pull of a brown shoe with a black suit takes a bit of confidence and panache.
but it can be done! and it should be done!