Men: The Brown Shoe Debate

Few things have changed as much in men's fashion like wearing brown shoes... with everything.

I picked up a GQ Style Manual a few years ago that had a great quote from designer Domenico Vacca about wearing brown shoes (and nobody does men's fashion better than the Italians). 

“Many Americans have this idea that if you put on a dress shoe, it has to be black. But Italians - and I myself, especially - very rarely wear black shoes, except for very formal occasions like weddings and funerals. I’m almost always in brown shoes, because they just work with everything.”

— Domenico Vacca

A quick modern update (that any man can do), is to opt for brown shoes. 

What shade of brown?

My favorite is anything in a carmel-like color (exactly like the brogues in the picture shown above).  A lace-up shoe is dressy and can "up" your casual look, while slip-ons and loafers are best in very casual settings. 

Yes, men don't wear as many pinstripe suits or blue shirts with the white collar and cuffs (unless you want to look like Gordon Gekko), but the brown shoe is here to stay.  It's versatile, timeless, and it makes getting dressed sooo easy. 

Pssst - If you really want to push the fashion envelope, then try wearing brown shoes with black as well.  Again, what color?  The lighter the better so we can see (and appreciate!) the juxtaposition. 

Do you wear brown shoes with navy and gray?  What's your go-to pair of shoes?  Let me know your favorites in the comment section below!

Ryan Reynolds' Fashion Faux Pas

I don't follow Ryan Reynolds so I don't know a lot about his sense of style, but I can tell you this - he was a perfect illustration of what not to do when on The Tonight Show promoting Deadpool!

As I was watching him last night, I couldn't focus on anything he was saying because I was so distracted by his tie flipping around.  A tie bar is a subtle addition that shows your eye for detail, but it does serve a purpose ----- it's supposed to keep the tie clipped to your shirt. 

At one point, Ryan's tie actually flips over because the tie bar is so heavy and isn't secured to his shirt.  There are some other fit and style details that I would have liked to helped him with, but he's not a total walking fashion faux pas.

Here's what Ryan got right:

• A tie bar should never be wider than the tie.  Shorter is okay, but longer looks sloppy and shows you don't know what you're doing. 
   
• You don't want to wear a tie bar too high or too low.  As a guide, it should sit between the third and fourth button on your dress shirt (right in line with your pectoral muscles), and yes, it should clip both ends of the tie to the button placket on your shirt. 
  
  With Ryan, I would have adjusted it so it didn't sit at the same height as his pocket square and the rippling on his suit jacket, which leads me to...

What Ryan got wrong:

• The suit jacket is waaaaaay too tight.  I know he's playing a super hero and needs to look muscular in that red body condom, but the suit is too tight across the arms... and he's not even reaching forward!  It's also easy to see this in a light-colored suit, which is modern and fashion forward, but not flattering when it pulls across the arms. 
  
  You should be able to comfortably move your arms forward in a suit jacket or sport coat.  You shouldn't be swimming in it, but the fabric shouldn't pull or ripple.  Again, that's distracting and the only thing I could look at. 
   
• Still talking about the suit jacket, you can see it in one of the other clips, but his shirt sleeve doesn't peek out at the end of the jacket.  I think this is happening because he's a little more muscular and didn't buy a new shirt or suit to accommodate his new body, so everything is a little too short.  
  
  A shirt sleeve shouldn't get lost inside the jacket.  Ideally, an inch of the shirt sleeve should peek out from underneath the suit jacket. 
   
• While I loved the fact that he wore brown shoes with his light-colored suit, I would have suggested some carmel-colored shoes (instead of very dark brown), which are a bit more versatile and not so heavy and dark.  But the real faux pas is his dark brown socks!
  
  If you're not doing a pop of color or a funky pattern with your socks, then they should match your trousers, NOT your shoes. 
  
  When he sat down, we could see his dark brown shoes with his dark brown socks, which was too much of a contrast with his light-colored suit.  It looked off and way too clunky. 

Ryan, I know your wife doesn't work with a stylist, but maybe we should connect? 

Did you like this post?  Click here to check out the list of Wardrobe Assets & Liabilities for Men.