I’ll go over the rules for matching your shoes to your watch and belt in this article.
Like a lot of menswear rules, the rules regarding matching your belt to your shoes are a little archaic and rather flexible.
The main thing is to comprehend these standards, but also to recognize that you can bend and break them to suit your preferences and personality.
So, let’s get down to business with the rules. They’re quite straightforward.
The first rule is that your leathers must match. As a result, brown leather shoes and a brown leather belt are required.
The second rule is that you should match your metals. So there’s a silver belt buckle and a silver watch.
It’s quite straightforward.
Let’s look at some examples from the actual world.
Example number one. Assume you’re wearing black shoes, such as black cap toe Oxfords, and a silver jubilee bracelet watch. In that case, a black leather belt with a silver buckle is your best bet.
On the other hand, if you’re wearing brown leather shoes and a watch with a brown leather strap and a silver case, a brown leather belt with a silver buckle is the way to go.
However, imagine you’re dressed in brown leather shoes and a brown leather watch with a gold case. You’ll want to replace the silver buckle with a gold buckle. So, a brown leather belt with a gold buckle that coordinates with your watch and shoes.
So far, it’s been rather straightforward, but you might be thinking that not all shoes are brown or black.
How about a pair of grey suede shoes or a pair of blue suede shoes?
That’s an excellent question!
Both of those colors appeal to me. So, let’s use that as an example.
Assume you’re wearing a pair of dark blue suede shoes. Let’s say you have a watch with a gunmetal case and a Navy leather strap. A dark grey canvas belt with a gunmetal buckle would look fantastic in that case.
The key isn’t to match everything flawlessly. You don’t have to have a blue suede belt just because you have blue suede shoes. The idea is to choose colors that complement each other well.
You might also wear a black on black watch and a black belt with this outfit. That gray belt with the black buckle, for example.
Navy, gray, charcoal, and black all look great together, so any combination of these colors will seem polished and put-together.
I believe you get my position.
Let’s go through those rules again quickly.
The first rule is to match your leathers, and the second is to match your metals.
Keep in mind that they are just suggestions, not hard and fast rules. Recognize them, experiment with them, and then feel free to break them.
Now I’ll go through several methods to break the rules I just discussed, as well as answer some of the most often asked questions.
So, the most common question I get is, “I have a pair of black shoes and a brown belt; can I pull off this combination?”
And the answer is, no.
Brown is a warm tone hue, while black is a cool tone color. As a result, they don’t work very well.
It’s merely that a black belt goes well with black shoes.
Another question that is commonly posed is this one. Is it better to match the belt to the shoes or the shoes to the belt?
And the answer is that the shoes should always be the most important component in this situation.
Why?
Because they are frequently more expensive, and that is what people will notice.
Let’s look at one area where you might be able to start breaking the rules.
Is it necessary to wear a two-toned belt with two-toned shoes?
No, you do not need to match perfectly. The goal is to match the color scheme and overall atmosphere.
The formality is something else to consider when putting the belt and shoe combination together.
Wear them with a more casual belt because some boots are made to be worn casually. You don’t want a perfect match when you wear casual belts with casual shoes.
But, for now, let’s talk about gray, like in a casual gray loafer. It’s usually tough to find a belt that perfectly matches this.
In this case, you can wear a black suit if you want to dress up for the evening and go for a more formal look. If you want to wear something during the day, you can bring in something that is a contrasting color or something that doesn’t even come close to matching.
A dark blue belt will suffice. It has a cold tone, which, along with the cool tone in the gray, makes this ensemble truly stand out.
Next, we’ll discuss shoes that are a little more difficult to match, such as oxblood. Going for an oxblood belt is a no-brainer.
Can you, however, wear black? Is it possible for you to wear dark brown?
Look at the sole for an answer. Yes, you can wear a black belt with a black sole and an oxblood upper because the black and oxblood are complementary colors.
Let’s take a closer look at this pair of shoes.
Blue suede shoes with a dark brown sole are another example. Brown belt will serve you well.
Let’s look at what happens when you have the same color but various shades.
Is it possible to combine the light and dark browns? Yes, if you are confidence in your abilities.
That is a crucial rule. You must be self-assured when wearing these various combos.
The basic rules I mentioned earlier, such as matching leathers with leathers and metals with metals, are the foundations, but you can bend and change these rules.
Have fun with your belts at the end of the day.
