How to Match Your Shoes to Any Outfit
The right pair of shoes pulls a look together. On the other hand, the wrong pair of shoes can take a fashionable, carefully curated outfit and make it, well, a lot less fashionable. Knowing which shoe completes and compliments the colors and styles in your closet is crucial to putting together a stunning outfit, and we’re here to help you do just that! Here are a few tips on how to find the perfect pair of shoes to match any outfit.
How to Match Shoes with Pants
For ladies, matching shoes with pant colors is a little trickier than it is with guys’ shoes and pants. Not only do you need to take the color of your trousers into account, you also have to factor in the style and cut of the pants too. One thing we can say for certain, though, is that women’s black dress shoes go with just about everything. It doesn’t hurt to have a few different pairs in your closet for different outfit options; simply swapping in a pair of black Mary Jane shoes or black pumps with a bit of a heel can change the vibe of a look completely! If you prefer something with a pop of color, don’t worry, we have options for you too!
Next time you wear your favorite navy pants, try matching them with a pair of women’s red sandals or fun purple pumps. Navy is a super versatile color that goes with all sorts of different shades, making it perfect for fun color team-ups like these. Gray is another color that can be worn with all sorts of fun shades for a fun range of vibrant looks that don’t completely overwhelm your outfit. Not all pants are this versatile, though. With brown and tan pants, you’ll want to stick with dark browns and blacks. For lighter shades and khaki pants, you can get away with a stylish white or nude shade in addition to these darker colors. You’ll wear a similar color scheme with white pants, too. Dark browns and blacks, nudes, and white on white are all great looks with white jeans, pants, or leggings. On the other side of the spectrum, your black pants and leggings will go great with other black styles as well as whites. All of these are just suggestions, though; get creative with your look and feel free to mix and match your colors to your heart’s content. You never know where you’ll find your new favorite outfit!
How to Match Shoes with Dresses
Picking out shoes to wear with dresses is pretty similar to choosing shoes to go with pants except for the fact that you’re slightly more limited by formality. Sneakers and dresses are definitely a look, but it’s one that should be rocked on the weekend or to more casual occasions. Same goes with women’s casual slip-ons and women’s sandals. Right now, we’re going to focus on tips for styling women’s dress shoes with dresses to create outfits that can be worn to the office, on date nights, to parties, or really any formal event you may have coming up. For black dresses, you have lots of options, but right now we’re loving black dresses with nude shoes. A tan or nude shoe can give your foot an elongated look, adding a bit of extra height to your pumps or high heels. You can also pair your black dress with women’s navy blue dress shoes or another more vibrant shade to add a pop of color to your look. Black is a super versatile color, so have fun with it! Women’s red shoes also look stunning with a chic black dress, and you can paint your nails a matching shade for an extra touch of glam.
Going slightly lighter than the classic little black dress, your navy blue dress will go great with a wide variety of colors including brown, tan, and nude. If you’re looking to dress up your navy blue dress, you can swap in a white, gold, or even red shoe. Metallic tones also look great with green dresses, though we might skip the red in this case. You can also wear your other neutrals like black, tan, nude, and white with green. In fact, neutrals can be matched with most colors, including red, burgundy, yellow, and gold, so having a set of dependable neutral-shade shoes in your wardrobe should keep you ready for any color dress that is in your future.
How to Match Shoes with Suits
A good rule of thumb for choosing shoes to wear with suits is to pick a shade that’s slightly darker than the color of your pants. If you prefer to keep your closet simple, having a couple pairs of men’s black dress shoes or dark brown wingtip shoes should keep you covered for a wide variety of suit colors. If you’d like to switch up your suit shoes for different looks, though, here are a couple of color pairings we recommend. Try matching your light grey suit with brown shoes in a slightly darker shade; if they’re dark enough, you can wear these brown shoes with a charcoal suit too! For a tan or blue suit, black shoes are likely your best bet, though dark brown shoes are also a great option if your suit is more of a navy color.
An exception to the darker shade rule is wearing a black suit with white shoes. You can actually wear white shoes with just about any color of suit, though this look tends to be less formal. We recommend a men’s white shoes outfit for smart-casual events or weddings that feature a less formal dress code, but maybe not that important business meeting you’ve been prepping all year for. Navy suit shoes are similar in that you can wear them with tons of different colors, except they still have that extra bit of professionalism that white shoes often lack. You can wear men’s navy dress shoes with suits in shades from light and dark grey all the way to red in some cases. The only color pant that we wouldn’t wear navy shoes with is black. As far as men’s shoes that go with everything go, navy shoes get pretty close.
How to Match Shoes with Accessories
The other major fashion player that we haven’t mentioned yet is, of course, your accessories. We’re talking jewelry, belts, socks, hats, and more, anything you might add to your look to add an extra touch of style. Believe it or not, matching your socks to your shoes is important, and is key to putting together a fashion-forward look. Luckily, when it comes to black and white shoes, you can go with almost any color. For a fun pop of color in your look, you can match a bright colored sock with your tie or shirt. Brown shoes, on the other hand, are a little trickier. Matching browns can be difficult, so skip the brown socks and try a navy shade instead. Finally, let’s talk belts, you don’t even need to have your belt match your shoes at all! When picking out a belt, make sure it matches your shirt and pants. If your belt matches your pants, and your pants match your shoes, you’re good to go!
What are your favorite color shoes to show your style? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to tag us in your photos on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!