There is no denying the fact that suits are a top-tier item in men’s fashion. They have been the face of a posh and sophisticated gentleman for centuries, and it doesn’t look like the trend is ending anytime soon. Grey suits, in particular, exude an aura of elegance that’s difficult to replicate with anything else.
That said, suits on their own are not enough. You have to pair them with the right shirt and tie as well. However, shirt, tie, and suit jacket fit are what most people focus on. Very few ask the equally important question, what color shoes go with grey suits?
What To Expect In This Article?
Importance of Picking the Right Shoes for a Grey Suit
Most people don’t give much thought to the dress shoe color they’re wearing with their grey suits. As long as it counts as dress or formal, it’s good enough. While there is nothing wrong with this approach on a surface level, it is not the ideal method if you want to get the most out of your grey suit.
More importantly, spending a little time pondering what color shoes go with grey suits will have a positive effect on your final look. While this is true for most suit colors, grey is particularly sensitive to shoe color changes. The shade doesn’t matter either; grey suits, light grey suits and dark grey suits are susceptible to this attribute.
How to Match Your Dress Shoes and Suit
The first step in finding the perfect shoes to wear with a suit is to focus on a design. Look through the fit and finish of your suit and contrast it against the various designs like oxfords, derby shoes, or brogue shoes. Evaluate their compatibility and only pick the matchups that work as well as duck boots with skinny jeans.
Next, ask the other, arguably more important question; what color shoes go with grey suits? The answer to this will directly impacts your overall aesthetic, so think about it carefully. Just remember that there is no “best” answer here.
Instead, there are a number of different colors for grey suit shoes that look just as incredible in their own unique way. This will also be the right time to think about the occasion. Which event are you wearing the grey suit to?
Now, let’s discuss the most popular and effective choices at your disposal.
Grey Suit with Brown Shoes
The first color we’ll discuss is brown, and for many, this is the most sensible option.
Why Grey and Brown?
It might not look like it at first, but the grey suit brown dress shoes combo is almost as strong as the pairing of brown with blue. Brown and grey just feel so comfortable, like they’re always meant to be together.
In other words, if your answer to “what color shoes go with a grey suit?” is brown, you’ll have a super easy time looking sharp with minimal effort. This combo is so dominant, in fact, that even the type of shoes hardly matters in most cases.
When to Wear a Grey Suit with Brown Shoes?
For starters, a grey suit with brown shoes is a near-perfect choice for professional environments as office attire and as a graduation outfit. You can rock this combo on a semi-regular basis with ease, and it’ll look incredible every time. However, the elegance and overall aesthetic of the grey suit brown shoes matchup is a bit more special.
So, an alternative idea would be to only wear it for special occasions at work like executive meetings, project pitches, and such. Other than that, the ideal place to wear grey suit brown shoes depends on the shade of your suit. Here’s all you need to know about that.
Mid-Tone Grey Suit Brown Shoes
The answer to “what color shoes go with grey suits in summer?” is brown. It gives off a very calming yet mature vibe that perfectly captures the feeling of working hard during summer. Browns shoes are also the ideal choice for summer evening events that don’t have a strict dress code.
If we take the grey suit with a slightly lighter tone, we can pair it with brown shoes for summer lunch and breakfast dates as well. Plus, daytime weddings can be covered with the same combo as well. If you’re looking for a more general guideline, then any semi-formal event with a fashion-forward approach is a perfect opportunity to show off your grey tux with brown shoes.
Dark Grey Suit Brown Shoes
The first thing you have to know about rocking a dark grey suit with brown shoes is that it is better suited for the colder days of the year. Even among those colder days, the autumn season appears to be the most appropriate time. Side note, autumn is also the perfect season for wearing these shoes with leather jackets.
As for individual events, most semi-formal and cocktail events during the colder season are suitable for brown shoes with dark grey suits. One big difference between this and mid-tones is that the fashion-forward events and locations do not call for dark grey suites. Instead, these shine more in places where you need to be dressed sharp without attracting too much attention.
How to Style A Grey Suit with Brown Shoes the Right Way
What color shoes go with grey suits? Brown. How should you style them? Let’s find out.
The Basic Approach
The first method of styling brown leather shoes with grey suits is to just wear them without much thought. Do not change anything about your suit or the shirt or tie underneath. This approach takes nearly zero extra effort and works flawlessly for the most part.
The best part about this method is that if it ever fails, the results are pretty obvious. So, you’ll be able to correct the issue before heading out to the office or some event.
The only important thing to remember here is to match the glossiness of your suit. If it’s made from a slightly shiny fabric, look for brown leather shoes with a shiny finish and vice versa.
Deeper Integration
This approach requires you to put your focus on the little details. For example, let’s say you’re wearing a grey suit with a white button-up and black tie. While this look would be more than fine with a pair of brown shoes, but it can be improved by changing the tie for a dark brown one.
Another similar improvement you can make is by wearing a brown leather belt. But remember, the belt should either be the same shade as the shoes or darker. Never wear a light brown leather belt over dark brown shoes with a grey suit.
Grey Suit, Brown Shoes: What Color Socks?
First and foremost, stick to darker colors. Do not wear anything light, pastel, or vibrant. Rocking dark grey socks will create a nice balance with the suit, while going with dark brown puts more emphasis on the shoes. Attentively, dark blue socks act as an accent piece in this otherwise muted attire.
You can also wear these blue socks to improve the brown shoes black pants pairing.
Grey Suit with Black Shoes
Black is known as a universal color that works with almost everything, and that is true for grey suits as well. Here’s what you need to know about rocking a grey suit black shoes combo.
Why Grey and Black?
The biggest reason to wear black shoes under your grey suit is for its simplicity. You don’t have to worry about the time of year or the shade of shoes. Even the shade of the suit hardly matters when paired with jet black dress shoes.
It’s so simple, in fact, that the only thing you’d have to worry about is keeping your black shoes clean since they can get quite dirty in no time. (Side note; a microfiber cloth is often the best way to clean them on the go).
Aesthetics
The other main reason to answer the critical question of “what color shoes go with a grey suit?” with black is for the overall elegance. Wearing black leather shoes under a grey suit makes you look more mature and well-put-together. You look like you know what you’re doing.
Unlike other similar pairings that start looking bland in no time, a grey suit with black shoes never gets boring. Instead, it shows that you understand the intricacies of choosing a shoe color for a grey suit and still went with neutral black on purpose.
When to Wear Black Shoes with Grey Suit
The answer is simple, every time. No matter if you’re going to the office, to a cocktail party in autumn, or to a daytime art exhibit in summer, black dress shoes will work just fine.
You can rephrase it like this. The answer to “what color shoes go with grey suits?” can always be black. It does not matter what the situation is. If you can wear a grey suit to that event or location, you can pair it with black shoes.
Belt, Watch and Other Accessories
One of the biggest benefits of wearing grey suits with black shoes is the number of accessories you can try. The compatibility of black shoes extends beyond just your suit and allows you to experiment with all kinds of wristwatches, pocket squares, ties and, belts.
Think of it this way. Say you have a tie, which looks great with black suits but not so much with grey ones since their colors do not complement each other. By wearing black shoes, you are bringing that complementing color back into the equation, allowing you to fashion that tie with ease.
More Shoe Colors for Grey Suits
As far as footwear for grey suits is concerned, nothing beats the universal compatibility of black or the inherent sophistication of brown. That said, these two are not your only options, far from it.
Choosing these lesser-known colors will require more effort on the styling front, but the end results make them worth your consideration.
Navy Blue
Navy blue dress shoes are a rare sight on their own, much less under a grey suit. The trick to rocking these successfully is matching. In short, pair your navy blue suede shoes with light blue button-ups and maroon ties for a playful yet mature look.
Burgundy
Burgundy shoes are an attention magnet – making them a perfect contrast to muted grey suits. You can rock them under plain grey suits and white shirts as the accent piece of the outfit. Alternatively, you can go experimental with light pink button-ups and maroon socks.
Grey
Grey on grey, an unlikely matchup that works better than you might think. Grey shoes are ideal for muted grey suit outfits that only feature different shades grey, white, and black. Just make sure that the shoes are not the exact same shade as your suit.
FAQs
Can you wear brown shoes with a grey suit?
Yes, you can. In fact, brown shoes are one of the most compatible colors for grey suits. You can wear them to work, for events like weddings, and even to your graduation party.
What color shoes to wear with a light grey suit?
Light grey suits look their best with either tan or light brown shoes. That said, darker shades of brown are still fully compatible; lighter shades just have a better balance.
What color shoes go with a dark grey suit?
The safest option for dark grey suits is a pair of black dress shoes. Shiny dark brown shoes under a dark grey suit have a certain undeniable charm as well.
Can you wear white shoes with a grey suit?
In short, you can. But the white shoes for grey suits need be leather sneakers and other similar sports shoes. Also, you will have to swap the button-up and tie for V-necks or turtlenecks.
Final Words
What color shoes go with grey suits? A seemingly simple task that has a whole world of nuance and detail behind it.
The answer to it will directly effect the overall aesthetic and look of your attire. It will also alter where you can wear that outfit and on what occasion. If you’re looking to craft grey suit outfits with better color integration and overall synergy, take a footwear-first approach.
The easiest to manage shoes at your disposal are either black or brown. Styling them is effortless and there is no room for a mistake. But, that’s just the beginning. You can dive deeper and craft unique grey suit outfits by utilizing the less common shoe colors like navy, or beige.
