In a man’s wardrobe, there are no pants (used for day wear) that a pair of brown full-brogues cannot compliment. You can pair them with jeans, khakis, trousers and even your suits. Not only can you wear them with all these different types of pants you can also pair them with literally every color of pant, except black. Think about all of the possibilities you can put together! Talk about a bang for you buck, right!!? It’s the one-stop-shop type of shoe. However, the question is: why don’t more men own a pair? Probably because in most people’s limited minds, they think that black is the most versatile color and maybe that was true back in the 50’s when people only wore black, gray and navy suits. But it’s the 21st century and it’s no longer stylish to be super conservative and only wear black shoes with navy suits, to wear old man tassel loafers and not have a brown shoe in your collection. On the contrary, IT IS ESSENTIAL to own a brown dress shoe or you have no idea of what you are doing when it comes to dressing yourself!!!
Top Pair: Gaziano & Girling
Left Pair: Edward Green, Photo Courtesy Of: Leffot
Right Pair: Edward Green, Photo Courtesy Of: Leather Soul
Like I have stated before, something about the brogueing gives it a very different feeling to the average dress shoe, a much more casual feeling. Not in the sense that it’s too casual to be dressed-up with a suit but more the feeling that it’s a beautiful dress shoe that can easily compliment the right pair of jeans or casual khaki type pants. The art of wearing a nice pair of dress shoes with your casual attire is not easy and many times people can take it too far and look like they are trying too hard or just wear a pair of pants and dress shoes that would not go well together to save their life. So what’s nice about the brown full-brogue is how much more easier it is create that transition from dress to casual.
I have posted some pictures for you so that you can see what you can pair brown full brogues with and how simple it is. My shoes are by Paul Smith and the model is called ‘Starr.’ While mine are a style with a slightly thinner sole, I definitely prefer something a little bit thicker, like the two above by Edward Green. A thicker sole still allows you to dress it up but just makes it even easier to dress it down. From the pictures you can see that it is very easy to wear brown shoes, let alone brogues. They compliment most colors as well as offer great contrast when you play with various shades of brown. A good example of that would be the lighter colored Edward Green shoe, above, paired with a navy suit. The contrast between those two colors will definitely spice up your outfit and have you stand out from the crowd.
I know I always say that if you don’t own such and such then you should definitely get it but if you really don’t own a brown brogue, preferably full-brogue, then your wardrobe is seriously lacking on a practical scale. It’s like dress clothes purchasing 101: 1. Brown brogues; 2. Black shoes; 3. Navy suit; 4. Gray suit and 5. Black suit. Those alone create an infinite amount of outfits and looks!!!
IMHO, dark brown derbies would be a better choice for an all-around day shoe, due to the fact that it's sleek enough to wear with the sharpest and sleekest of modern day suits, while being comfortable and friendly enough to pair with raw denim. From personal experience, brown full-brogues look fantastic with denim, but rather odd with tailored suits worn for formal events like board meetings or church weddings. Not totally wrong, but something just doesn't "go".
Fresh.True Queen
Bwaaahaha, can you raise your arms in that grey suit? Maybe you should talk to suit_snob about how to get clothes that fit. Nice shoes.
Dear Anonymous – Hhhmmmmm, insults and compliments in the same comment. Interesting. Well, you are right about one thing: the suit was a tad snug, but yes I could raise my arms, thanks for your concern. Being an in-betweener in sizes, I much rather prefer a little snug to too loose. I hate loose things and wearing things that are too big, so when faced with the dilemma of sizes for off the peg suits, I air on the side of small and since I am a thin guy, I can get away with it! Rarely will I take advice on how suits fit since 95% of people in the world wear their suits too big (and baggy), even when they are getting bespoke!-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"
Great stuff. I have always wanted tO know more about quality made shoes. I just started my own collection. I find your post great. I have a few questions for you.
Alex – Thank you! I will look forward to your questions. You might have some of them already answered though if you read more through my blog. All the best.-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"
Justin,Thanks for the extensive shoe polishing tips. I'm looking forward to using them on my collection soon. I was wondering if you could tell me who the designer of the shoe you use as your example for the "most versatile shoe – the brown full-brogue." It's a beautiful shoe as well as a beautiful shade of brown. Thanks in advance — keep up the great work!
Dear Christian – Not sure if you are referring to the shoe that I am wearing or at the top of the post? Either way, mine are Paul Smith's and the one at the top of the page are Gaziano & Girling's. Glad that you enjoyed the shine post. -Justin, "The Shoe Snob"
This was absolutely brutal. But unfortunately I have to agree with Ms style snob.