# What to wear with blue suede shoes?



## Quasar (Jun 1, 2010)

Hello everyone. I'm new here but did briefly read up on commentary regarding the seasonal vs. year-round suede shoe debate. I've never worn navy suede shoes, just ordered a pair, and hope they will work out well for the spring/summer. If so, what options would you suggest for spring/summer and for that matter fall/winter wear? I have the common, allelic (genetic) mild to moderate color-blind issues that many men have, so I tend to stick to solids and colors that I can more easily identify. This makes dressing more eclectic kind of a scary option for me, although my color-blind issues are mild. Please advise, and thank you! :confused2:


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Sideburns and a pompador?


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## Quasar (Jun 1, 2010)

Funny, but it seems you have an engrained picture of what that may or should look like. Bally/Ted Baker, etc make variants of blue leather/blue suede shoes, so I'm sure there are some more worthy suggestions out there. Anyone?


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## David_E (Apr 18, 2010)

Might make an interesting alternative to white bucks with a seersucker suit.


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## ZachGranstrom (Mar 11, 2010)

Bottoms: khakis,white chinos, blue jeans.

Tops: sport shirts with traces of blue,... light colored polos/shirts?


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## Quasar (Jun 1, 2010)

Thanks guys. Those are good ideas. I meant to add I'm in my 30s and not too traditional a dresser (I tend not to wear suits at this point). I did wear a seersucker shirt today, however; they're kind of hard to find here. I was afraid to consider khakis but glad that may be an option.


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## Youngster (Jun 5, 2008)

Flanderian said:


> Sideburns and a pompador?


You beat me to it. Go full Elvis man!


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## balder (Jan 23, 2008)

Youngster said:


> You beat me to it. Go full Elvis man!


Just do'nt let anybody step on them!!


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## camorristi (May 9, 2010)

You might find this thread helpful:
https://askandyaboutclothes.com/com...5143-Paul-Smith-Brogues&p=1104488#post1104488


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Quasar said:


> Thanks guys. Those are good ideas. I meant to add I'm in my 30s and not too traditional a dresser (I tend not to wear suits at this point). I did wear a seersucker shirt today, however; they're kind of hard to find here. I was afraid to consider khakis but glad that may be an option.


Seersucker is hard to find in Charlotte, NC? Now that does rather surprise me" Check your local PRL and BB retail stores and you will find more than you could ever wear.


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## WouldaShoulda (Aug 5, 2009)

Youngster said:


> You beat me to it. Go full Elvis man!


I thought that was Carl Perkins...


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## Flanderian (Apr 30, 2008)

Quasar said:


> Funny, but it seems you have an engrained picture of what that may or should look like. Bally/Ted Baker, etc make variants of blue leather/blue suede shoes, so I'm sure there are some more worthy suggestions out there. Anyone?


Specificity? Blue suede shoes cover a lot of ground. (Hmmm . . . ?) Iv'e seen more formal oxfords in blue and casual slip-ons. Their style affects what they can be worn with. If they are more casual, you can treat them pretty much as you would a dark blue tennis shoe, and wear them with any casual clothing (khakis, reds, whites, blues.) you would wear the sneakers with.

(Guilty secrets: I own and love a pair of olive suede brogues.)


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## Quasar (Jun 1, 2010)

Hey guys! Thanks again for the replies. They are very helpful. Thanks Camorristi for the link! I did overlook that initially. Eagle2250, you are probably right regarding seersucker. I guess I just haven't shopping around enough! 

Flanderian, the type I ordered were more casual. While I didn't want to spend much for my first pair and decided against the Bally loafers, the ones I did order are more like driving moccasin types. I think you're right about how casual I can get. I just sometimes overthink the options and tend not to wear more "daring" shoes. The advice is helpful, though.


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## Andy (Aug 25, 2002)

Quasar:

Blue shades are not normal colors for men's shoes (except for a couple of years in the 50's when the song was popular)!

Here's what I have in the downloadable *The Encyclopedia of Men's Clothes* (have your copy yet?):
*COLOR:* *Only* black, brown (light brown - tan, medium brown - chestnut, and dark brown - mahogany), or cordovan (this color is also called burgundy, or oxblood). Save the exotic colors for ladies shoes, if you wear ladies shoes!

*Black* goes with black, gray, navy.

*Brown* goes with all earth colors and is a sophisticated look with navy and gray.
 
*Cordovan* goes with just about all colors.

In certain circles brown shoes are not worn after 6 pm. Amongst those same circles only traditional black shoes are worn with the more dressy double breasted suit for the same reasons that the more "casual" button-down collar shirt is never worn with a double breasted suit (nor after 6 pm)!

More about Brown shoes! Brown shoes were popular with the aristocracy in the 1930s, and were also championed by the Prince of Wales and Hollywood movie royalty. 

After World War II, the conventional black shoe returned since that was military issue for all uniform colors. The exception was among upper-class European men, who continued to wear brown suede wingtip styles with their business suits. The Italian industrialist Giovanni Agnelli popularized this Continental style of brown shoes in many shades for business and casual wear.​If you do opt for blue shoes, I don't think I'd match the belt which is normal. And I'd wear them only in very casual situations.


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## Tonyp (May 8, 2007)

I have blue suede and blue leather driving mocs. I wear them in late spring and summer with jeans, White cotton chinos/Khaki's, white jeans, shorts, and on top I wear a lacoste or polo shirt or a long sleeve linen or casual sport shirt.


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## Quasar (Jun 1, 2010)

Thank you Andy for the information. No, I certainly did not have a copy of the EMClothes, but thanks for the link. Certainly it can be a tad confounding to wear clothes well all the time. Thankfully, I'm still quite teachable and have done fairly well up until now. That said, I stumbled across this site accidentally but had a question. Is this site primarily for those who wear suits and dress up all the time, or does it represent a more broad range of styles? As mentioned in a previous post, I tend to sometimes be more eclectic in dress while other times dressing more simply like Calvin Klein-styled clothes. Any advice is helpful. Thank you!


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## Quasar (Jun 1, 2010)

Tonyp said:


> I have blue suede and blue leather driving mocs. I wear them in late spring and summer with jeans, White cotton chinos/Khaki's, white jeans, shorts, and on top I wear a lacoste or polo shirt or a long sleeve linen or casual sport shirt.


Hi Tony:

Thank you for that info. That sounds more like my current style and probably what I would have tried to put together for myself once I get those shoes in---sans the white pants/jeans. I just can't get away with it. However, I do wear lots of shorts and a bit of Lacoste sportswear. This should be fun & interesting for me to say the least. Regards!


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## Quasar (Jun 1, 2010)

Andy said:


> Quasar:
> 
> Blue shades are not normal colors for men's shoes (except for a couple of years in the 50's when the song was popular)!
> 
> ...


Hey Andy: I just re-read the EMC article you highlighted. I overlooked the comment regarding exotic-styled colors. I found that funny. I would say that I normally adhere to the basic tenets of what it reports, but sometimes being inflexible and rigid in thought and practice just gets too routine. I agree with you on the purposive belt/shoe non matching style & agree that I will only wear the blue shoes casually.

The rule on Brown shoes was helpful. Every time I try to wear navy shirts with some chinos, I spend about 20 minutes debating whether I should wear black or brown shoes. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I choose black, but last time I wore a darker brown. I felt a bit uneasy all day because it was outside my comfort zone, but I'm glad I wasn't off base with that selection.


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## Fraser Tartan (May 12, 2010)

Quasar said:


> Hey Andy: I just re-read the EMC article you highlighted. I overlooked the comment regarding exotic-styled colors. I found that funny. I would say that I normally adhere to the basic tenets of what it reports, but sometimes being inflexible and rigid in thought and practice just gets too routine. I agree with you on the purposive belt/shoe non matching style & agree that I will only wear the blue shoes casually.
> 
> The rule on Brown shoes was helpful. Every time I try to wear navy shirts with some chinos, I spend about 20 minutes debating whether I should wear black or brown shoes. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I choose black, but last time I wore a darker brown. I felt a bit uneasy all day because it was outside my comfort zone, but I'm glad I wasn't off base with that selection.


If you're having this sort of extreme difficulty in choosing brown or black shoes to wear with chinos, my suggestion is to forget about the navy suede shoes.


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## Quasar (Jun 1, 2010)

That might be a good suggestion overall, but I think it'll be psychologically rewarding to conquer this fear now and have more fun with my style. lol


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