# dark brown suede shoes in summer



## HoustonTEX (Mar 21, 2005)

I have some dark brown suede loafers that i like to wear with stone and white khakis during the warmer months. My wife say they are winter shoes and don't look right. I say they are year round loafers and look great. Who is right?


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## Patrick06790 (Apr 10, 2005)

You are, but don't tell anybody.

I think of suede in general as anything _but_ a winter shoe, as winter around here is fairly sloppy.


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## bigCat (Jun 10, 2005)

Suede is 24x7x365.

You are right.


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## Foghorn (Feb 2, 2005)

My wife dislikes dirty bucks in the summer. I wear them less, because of that, in the summer but I still think they are great with seersucker.
F


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## ksinc (May 30, 2005)

I have two pairs of Alden plain-toes - one is AF#28 dark brown suede and the other is 9432S in dark brown aniline calf. I decide which to wear by matching to the weight of my trouser fabric. I wear the suede with the 8.5 Bills and cords. I wear the aniline with lighter fabrics - the 6.5 for example. 

So, I would say I tend to agree with your wife. Although, I wouldn't call them 'winter shoes'. Maybe three-season shoes? Which means I would skip summer. Sorry.

A winning strategy is tell your Wife you agree with her and need to buy a different pair to wear in the summer.


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## Trimmer (Nov 2, 2005)

ksinc said:


> A winning strategy is tell your Wife you agree with her and need to buy a different pair to wear in the summer.


An excellent idea, although I tend to agree with your wife. Darker brown leather and suede is for the 'darker' times of year. Strictly speaking if you are venturing out after dark in summer you should wear darker shoes.


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## Keith T (May 15, 2006)

I used to think that way, but now I wear my suede shoes year-round. I just like them too much to limit them to winter only. 

Surely we can agree that fall is okay-- and if fall is okay, then why not early spring, right? So maybe you can leave them in the closet from May through August in your quest for marital bliss....but you really shouldn't have to, IMO. 

And what about the Duke? I believe he is normally credited with making it acceptable to wear suede with suits. Anybody know if he put a seasonal limitation on this preference of his? (OP mentions wearing with khakis, of course.)


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## JLibourel (Jun 13, 2004)

As I understand, according to the traditional "Rules," darker suedes are inappropriate for summer wear. However, this rule may in all probability be flouted with impunity these days. I note that even as strict a sartorial purist as Manton admits to doing so. I do too, but only on cooler, overcast summer days.


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## Foghorn (Feb 2, 2005)

What about desert boots? 
F


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## A Questionable Gentleman (Jun 16, 2006)

JLibourel said:


> darker suedes are inappropriate for summer wear. .


So I would think. The really dark chocolate shades would be out(ish) during the summer while the really light tobacco shades would be out(ish) during winter. My conundrum is that I have a pair of semi-brogues that are smack in the middle. They're pretty much the same shade as those Kabbaz is pictured wearing on page 25 of the new issue of _Classic Style_. Where do these fit in? Are they all season wear? Can they support a khaki poplin suit?


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## Old Brompton (Jan 15, 2006)

I believe you want a lighter, 'tobacco' suede brogue or loafer for the lighter months.


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## A.Squire (Apr 5, 2006)

HoustonTEX said:


> Who is right?


You'll never win this one. I can see it now, you and your wife out with a few other couples and invariably your brown summer suede loafers come up...'His online clothing buds say they're perfectly appropriate'...check please!


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## Tom Rath (May 31, 2005)

Squire is right, everyone has their own opinion on this subject. I wear my dark brown suedes all year long. I dont subscribe to the theory that dark shoes are meant only for winter wear, or else id never wear dark brown/black calf or shell shoes in the summer either. 

And the reality for men who wear suits to work all year, is that we have more dark shoes than we do light shoes. And for those of us that favor navy and gray suits, we need to wear dark color shoes at times, regardless of the time of the year. 

I think that many people associate dark brown suede with cold weather because you so often see them paired with flannels and tweeds in the winter. However, I think they look equally as nice with a tan linen or navy cotton suit. To each his own though.


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## Murrah (Mar 28, 2005)

You could try explaining to her that you agree with her, but wearing them when most others don't is your attempt at sprezzatura...you'll probably get the same look my wife gives me.


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## yachtie (May 11, 2006)

_IMO_ while lighter suede is definitely limited to the summer months, darker suede can be worn anytime. Depends on the slacks with which they are worn. E.g. not with sky blue linen but fine with tropical charcoal worsted.


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## Leather man (Mar 11, 2007)

I love suede so much that I wear it whenever I can - i.e. when I have a day off work , and when the weather the is dry enough ( not too worried about the odd shower). I always used to think suede was a summer through to autumn shoe oddly enough but now wear it most seasons b ut not so much in the winter - too wet here. Dark brown suede can look in IMO with summer weight trousers especially with linen trousers or even summer weight cotton trousers so I'd go for it!

LM


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## Tom Bell-Drier (Mar 1, 2006)

It must be something about the British weather because this is exactly my viewpoint on suede and the months in the UK that it is possible to wear.


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## I_Should_Be_Working (Jun 23, 2005)

If you live in the South, dark suede is primarily for Fall and Winter. Other climates might be different. You wouldn't wear white suede in the Winter, would you?


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## Cleveland Brown (Feb 13, 2006)

HouTex,

It may be a regional thing, or it may be a girl thing.

My Wife and I had the exact same conversation Sunday when I was packing for a trip. I was about to pack some loafers in a medium brown, maybe you'd call it tobacco (it's a bit less red than rusty color), but way darker than dirty bucs.

She told me the same thing:"They're wintery and hot. Why would you wear them when it's warm out?"

I did the honorable thing and immediately put them back, coward that I am. However, I totally disagree with Her take but I was in too much of a hurry to clandestinely pack them into my bag after She left the room. In fact, I think maybe She was lingering to see if I would do just that. Hah! I proved her wrong!


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## StevenRocks (May 24, 2005)

HoustonTEX said:


> I have some dark brown suede loafers that i like to wear with stone and white khakis during the warmer months. My wife say they are winter shoes and don't look right. I say they are year round loafers and look great. Who is right?


Listen to your wife on this. Lighter colored suede works in the summer, but darker shades just look wrong.


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