Matching your clothes with your shoes is not very complicated; it is not difficult to find out what fits what. You (or your colleague) is usually the best person to decide.
While the purpose of this article is to establish a set of rules and offer advice, I am aware that this dilemma is part of style creation that can be controversial; we all have our own opinion about what fits and what does not fit and how we must comply with certain rules. With this in mind I will try to think of different opinions and I will do my best to give you some tips to ensure that your shoes match your clothing.
Here are a few tips to match your shoes with your outfit and still look very, very modern.
1. Choose shoes that are a shade darker than your outfit.
To avoid the cringe factor that often appears when combining two matching colours that differ little from each other, choose a pair of shoes that are slightly darker than your outfit – for example, a bright red shirt with cherry red shoes. The difference in colour will hardly be noticed, but ensures that the two types of red do not clash.
2. Try to style an outfit with small variations in colour.
Worried that it looks too made up? Choose a single colour (such as the yellow colour below) as a starting point and further choose colours that are a little different from each other when you put together your outfit with your shoes for a modern look.
3. Make sure your shoes are not the same colour and the same material as your outfit.
Be careful when matching the materials of your outfit and shoes. Instead, opt for shoes in the same colour as your outfit, but made from slightly different materials, for example, silk or satin, to add texture to your outfit.
4. Try to match your casual clothes well.
Forget the rule that your shoes should only match your outfit for important occasions. It looks very good if you also do this with your casual outfit.
5. Make a statement and combine patterns.
Not everyone has a garment with patterns and a pair of shoes with the exact same pattern in their closet (as you can see below), but sometimes you just have to make a statement, and there is no better way to do that than by combining garments with the same pattern. Steal a J.Crew style trick (a brand that likes to make matching shoes and clothing) and combine a few other colours and prints in your outfit when you’re on the move. Be careful when combining similar prints that do not differ much from each other (for example, a leopard coat and shoes with a different leopard print).
6. Keep your outfit neutral with colourful shoes
Sneakers come in all sorts of colours and shades. Unless you wear completely white, black or red sneakers, chances are that your speaker rack contains every colour of the rainbow. This can make it difficult to get dressed in the morning or it can be very easy. The solution for having so many coloured shoes is to wear an outfit with a neutral colour. This way you can regularly wear many types and colours of sneakers. It is easy to wear a black outfit with green, blue or grey shoes. You could also just wear a white blouse and jeans and sneakers of your choice. Don’t worry about the colours of your outfit. It makes your life a lot easier if choosing your shoes is all you have to do.
7. Socks can make or break an outfit.
Socks are becoming increasingly popular and it’s for a good reason. If people care what they wear on their feet, they also want something that attracts even more attention. This has led to people wearing striking socks with prints that match sneaker designs. Don’t be too fanatic by the way. Socks are the crucial part of the wardrobe, are often overlooked and can make or break an outfit. The best advice is to keep it simple, but there are socks with prints, different textures or the normal white socks that also look great with sneakers. Make a good choice, because the wrong choice can ruin the fantastic look of your shoes.
8. Learn which shoes you can wear with a neat outfit.
People who like sneakers, more often than not, don’t like to wear formal shoes, or at least not all the time. This has led them to wear sneakers in combination with nicer outfits. It is now a great thing to wear sneakers under a suit – but only if you have found the right pair. Nobody wants to look like the one who has decided to wear basketball shoes to the gala. But, if it is well executed, you can get away with wearing a pair of not too striking running shoes, such as the Adidas Pure Boost or even the Air Jordan. These shoes can be combined with normal pants but can also be worn in the office without strict clothing regulations. The goal is to not look like the person who ran to work and quickly put on different shoes for working time. You can do this by choosing a sneaker that doesn’t look too crowded and can be part of the rest of your outfit. Don’t worry if you stand out because others will look at your shoes for the right reasons. Get some inspiration from the Gucci outfit below, should you earn enough money ;-).
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