Fashion By Color: Colored Shoes

Despite the time-honored position of black, men's fashion is becoming more and more acceptant of non-black shoes for both casual and formal attire. What was once territory of ramp models and monochromatic costumes has crossed the border to "ready to wear" on the streets. Is it time for you to invest in a new pair of non-black shoes? It most definitely is if all you've got to show on your shoe rack is a row of kicks in every shade of black.

Black Against the Wall
All things considered, there is really nothing wrong with black. It is classic a color in fashion as you could want, and it goes with pretty much any outfit you could concoct. Perhaps the only fault of black is that it's so classic that it has become boring, predictable. And since fashion is all about what's new and novel, there always has to be something there to balance out the black. Enter the colored shoe.

Now that fashion manufacturers use an extremely wide range of processes to make their wares, there's a greater than ever selection of colors for just about any article of clothing in existence, including shoes. From black to white and every color in between, there's at least one pair being sold somewhere in the land of retail. Should you go get them?

Fact of the matter is that there are cases where black simply isn't the best choice. It's the safe choice, that's true, but there's an even better one out there if you were only to look beyond the selection of noir. Gray suits, for example, can work with black but are at their sharpest when worn with brown leather accessories. And it's not alone.

Shoes, from a style perspective, at least, can be extremely useful for providing contrast to your outfit. Is your outfit too light and casual? Dark shoes can help ground it. Do you have a look that's way too formal for the occasion? Break up the color with a light color on your shoes. Exploring other options like white, beige and navy help you do all that.

What Colors Should You Get?
Begin your shoe collecting from the complete opposite end of the color spectrum and then work your way back to black. White shoes, while they might sound counter intuitive and very easy to soil, are a very sartorial choice in a number of outfits.

Canvas sneakers or boat shoes in white work well with casual outfits made of dark pants and a light shirt for a dark light dark contrast set. Leather ones, loafers, preferably, but lace-ups can be pulled off as well, notch up the dandy factor with dark shorts or a white suit. They're not exactly outfits you are likely to wear every single day of the week, but you will definitely make a memorable style statement every time you put them together.

Brown, beige and all their variant shades work very much like white, except that they are much better executed when they have some texture to them. Suede and nubuck come in handy here because they have natural depth and texture, which add interest to a color that would otherwise have been ho-hum. Try a pair of high cut shoes in beige nubuck or, even better, a pair of those brown work boots that have been all the rage this whole season.

Navy blue looks like a poor imitation of black when done with leather, so pick up a pair in canvas or some other fabric that's consistent with navy's 'relaxed' image. Sneakers are the classic choice for navy, but boat shoes are also a good alternative that add a shot of preppy refinement to the mix. Wear 'em with chinos and lose the socks, and you'd fit right in with any Ivy League set.

As you can see, there's a whole world of style options and fashion-friendly outfits outside of black. It may take a little practice and at least a few attempts to get it right, especially if you're not used to wearing these colors on your feet. Bringing yourself to all new sartorial heights, however, is well worth all that effort and time.