Have been seeing this more often recently, just saw one of the ESPN talking heads wearing brown shoes with a black pinstriped suit.....
Is wearing black with brown now fashionably acceptable?
- Thread starter heybatter
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Aaron:
It's my opinion the black shoes (laces), with a black pinstriped suit (w/ vest & pocket watch perhaps?), would look more suitable w/ a colorful silk tie or bow tie.
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I do it sometimes, but usually it's brown boots with black jeans, if I'm wearing a black suit I always wear black shoes.
Black pinstripe and brown shoes is a total no-no in my opinion, but some people can get away with things that are wrong. I have an ex-colleague who is genuinely handsome and very confident and he stills looks good unshaven in a hoodie with wrecked running shoes, whereas I'd look like a sad old man dressed like that. There's no problem trying out new looks, but bring along your most honest friend before you spend money. The closest to mixing black and brown I've gone is a deep chocolate brown leather jacket, deep brown belt, jeans and black shoes, but I still felt a little self-conscious. For me, there is no need to wear anything other than black shoes ever. I don't own anything which demands brown shoes.
Like Steve said, it's all about having the confidence to pull off a nontraditional look.
Are they brown shoes or a british tan? It is perfectly acceptable to wear a british tan / walnut / chili colored shoe with navy or charcoal trousers. If they are a deep traditional brown shoe and a black trouser - no go
I wouldn't take any fashion queues from sportscasters.
In an age where it's socially acceptable to wear pajamas to the bank, or jeans around the knees, wearing brown shoes with black trousers seems a bit mild.
You're absolutely right! My latest haberdashery purchase was a grey herringbone tweed sports jacket, since I've really been missing my Harris Tweeds. This new one looks a lot more stylish and modern....precisely because it doesn't quite fit and doesn't have that boxed-off, high quality look of a good HT. It's a tad tight and as short as I'd ever consider wearing, soon to be heavily wrinkled due to the fact that the sleeves ride up easily and it's about an inch too narrow in the shoulders. And it looks extremely contemporary.
Not unless it is Howie Long, that guy always looks well dressed.
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Actually, yes. This was the look. It was more of a charcoal suit.
In an age where most guys scrape whiskers and foam off their faces with a Mach 3, we still obsess over whether or not we should put a strip of tape on the spine of our W&B when we hone it on a coticule. We're destined to obsess over excellence.
You can get away with a lot more (re shoes & belts) with a charcoal suit than you can with a black one. For a black suit, really it's gotta be black shoes. (Or an exceptionally flamboyant colour ... red, yellow, purple ... but not brown.) For charcoal, I'd skip the lighter tans but otherwise it's a free-for-all. Save the lighter tans for a lighter gray on the suit.
On the other hand, wearing black shoes with a brown suit ... not my personal preference, but ... nothing wrong with that, IMHO.
Brown may go with brown, tan, blue, gray, green, etc with no problem. Black is probably a reach, at least for me. Then again, until recently, black suits in the US were relegated to servants and funeral directors! Even today most black suits have a pin or chalk stripe etc. Charcoal is interesting and I personally would wear with brown-even tan. Straight black suit - I think no. But-everyone should develop his own sense of style-most clothing rules are good for IBM employees and folks who could care less but still want to look good- if you care enough to work out what works for you then go with it. The worst that can happen is embarrassment, shame, ignominy, perhaps loosing a client, promotion, future or current spouse, being the subject of office gossip or even potential institutionalization!!
Good one...you had me going for awhile and I thought you were serious! Or how about a black belt with brown shoes or vice-versa, he he ha haaaaaaa! You guys crack me up....nice to see a little humor posted sometimes.
Seriously, if anyone is doing this, IMHO, they are making a fashion statement that they are clueless. And wearing brown shoes after 6pm another no-no. Ask Frank Sinatra he refused to deal with anyone that made this blunder after 6.
Black jeans and a very light tan suede jacket goes well, especially with a black polo-neck underneath. Great look.
No brown shoes after 6pm? Purlease...
No brown shoes after 6pm? Purlease...
I rest my case.
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