10 BEST Ways To Wear Brown Shoes With Black Pants

Can you wear brown shoes with black pants? It’s a question men have been asking for years. I find that most men (myself included) typically try to only own one pair of dress shoes if possible. And typically, those formal shoes are brown, not black. They can wear those brown dress shoes to work everyday, and to the occasional formal event when necessary. 

At the same time, most men try to own just one suit if possible, and that suit is typically navy or black. So, most men have quite a predicament. It is one of the commandments of men’s fashion: Thou shalt not wear a pair of brown shoes with black pants. But what if that’s all you have in your closet? Personally, I’d say bite the bullet and buy yourself a nice pair of black shoes like a pair from Alden.

However, if you don’t have the funds to do that right now, or you just don’t want to buy more shoes, here are some tips on the best way how to style a brown pair of shoes with black pants. I’ll break it down into three categories: Formal Wear, Business Casual, and Casual Wear.

How To Wear Brown Shoes With Black Pants

Formal

Brooks Brothers Tan Suede Loafer 

If you’re heading to a wedding or any other formal occasions, you can never go wrong with a black suit, crisp white shirt and tie. If you want to wear a brown shoe with your black suit next time, your best bet is to go with lighter shades of brown or tan suede loafers.

Typically with men’s suiting, you want to draw the eye up to your tie and face. You don’t want the shoe to stand out too much. YOU don’t want to stand out too much, period. However, over the past 20 years, the simple rules of suiting have changed and men have been given a lot more leeway. Tan shoes make the overall look more casual, so this look would be a good choice for a summer or outdoor afternoon wedding. Plus, brown loafers are typically pretty comfortable, so you’ll feel a little better on your feet.

Just make sure you break them in ahead of time if you’re going sockless, which I recommend for Spring/Summer events. And, if you decide to wear socks, keep them dark navy or black with no patterns. Your light tan color shoes will be drawing enough attention.

G.H. Bass Suede Wingtip Buck

Suede softens up the look of a shoe compared to a shiny leather, so a suede wingtip can “dress down” a black suit if the event’s dress code is not black tie. To make the wingtip look even more casual, try a cotton linen suit like this one from J.Crew.

The combination of a suede wingtip and a black linen suit is another great choice for an event where a suit is preferred, but you have some liberty with how dressed up you want to get.  

Check out this option from G.H. Bass, who have been making quality shoes for over 150 years. This shoe will never ever go out of style, and you can wear them to a wide variety of events and functions. Just be careful not to wear them in the rain or mud – suede is a pain to keep clean.

Allen Edmonds Monk Strap

If you’re not a fan of suede, your other option is a light brown monk strap. Between the suede loafer, suede wingtip and these, monk straps are the most formal option. You will have to be very confident to pull these off with a black suit.

And please, even though the general rule is to match your belt with your shoes, don’t by any means wear a brown belt with brown shoes and black dress pants. I prefer not to wear a belt at all when wearing a suit. Suit pants should fit you perfectly and a belt shouldn’t be needed. A light walnut colorway in the monk strap shoe like the ones from Allen Edmonds are an excellent choice and are great quality. 

Business Casual

Red Wing Moc Toe

Once you leave the Formal realm, pairing a brown shoe with black pants becomes a bit easier. My favorite combination is the classic Red Wing Moc Toe in the Oro Legacy colorway with a pair of skinny or straight leg jeans.

Since the Moc Toes have an almost orange tint to them, they don’t look like traditional brown boots. Plus, the Crepe Wedge sole adds a nice contrast that looks great from far away. This is a style of shoe that you can wear in different ways from anywhere to a construction job site or warehouse to an office business meeting in the city. They are a bit heavy and take months if not years to break in, but I love a good challenge. These boots always look good, and they stand out even more with black pants outfits. 

Alden Indy Boot Snuff Suede

New England-based Alden makes some of the best dress shoes out there. They also make slightly more casual footwear like their Indy Boot in Snuff Suede. This is a more formal boot than a Red Wing and goes very nicely with black pants. Try pairing them with a black corduroy pant from Bonobos and a herringbone blazer for a sophisticated look for the office or a nice date night dinner. If you want, you can also pair them with a black wool suit in the winter time. 

Double RL Suede Cowboy Boot

This is a pair of boots I’ve had my eyes on for years. The Double RL Suede Cowboy boot features a rough out suede sourced from Ralph Lauren’s working cattle ranch in Colorado. These boots go perfectly with a skinny jean from a brand like Acne for a very hip and stylish look.

I honestly don’t know if I’m cool enough to pull it off – especially living in the suburbs. But if I ever get invited to a hipster dinner in the East Village in Manhattan, I think I might be able to make these work. Plus, the fact that Western wear is becoming more popular these days means you won’t get a lot of weird looks if you’re wearing them up in the Northeast. 

Casual

Timberland 6” Premium Boot

The Timberland 6” Premium Boot is making a furious comeback in the men’s style world. Not only is this classic incredibly popular again, but Louis Vuitton’s creative director just did a collab with them at Paris Fashion Week as well. A pair of Wheat Timbs with some black jeans is a great rugged look that you can wear both on the work site and casually. The Timberland boots are durable, waterproof, and surprisingly comfortable.

New Balance M2002RXG Tobacco

This predominantly brown sneaker by New Balance goes great with a wide leg pair of black trousers like the ones you can get at Uniqlo. Baggy dressy black pants are very in style right now, and a lot of guys are pairing them with sneakers to dress them down a bit. The New Balance M2002RXG blends light and dark brown hues for casual shoes that are subtle and lowkey. Match them with a baggy sweatshirt or jacket and you’re all set.

LL Bean Boot

I’ve owned a pair of LL Bean Boots for about 15 years and wear them with a pair of black chinos all the time. This is a look that goes well at the office when it’s pouring rain outside and you don’t want to have wet feet all day. The tan/brown colorway goes great with black pants whether you roll up the cuffs or leave them down (I prefer to roll them up).

The only issue with the Bean Boots is that once the sole wears down, they get very slippery. Fortunately you can get them re-soled if you send them back to LL Bean for a small fee. It’s definitely worth it as they clean up your boots as well and give you a new pair of laces.

Red Wing Iron Ranger

This is a boot I have owned for a few years now and can say that they get better every time you wear them. The Hawthorne Muleskinner suede looks awesome the more you scuff them up. I like to pair my Iron Rangers with black jeans or chinos, but they basically look great with any black pants except for suiting pants. A fun fact about Red Wing boots in general: you can take them to your local Red Wing store and they’ll clean them up / condition / waterproof them for you. 

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