23 Men's Shoe Rules to Live By (2024)

23 Footwear Tips That Will Keep You Looking Good

23 Men's Shoe Rules to Live By (1)

Updated on 02/13/18

What are the shoe style rules that men need to follow to be sure they look great and they are wearing the appropriate footwear? Here are the guidelines that can give you confidence in what you're wearing on your feet.

Color Rules for Shoes, Socks, and Belt

  1. Your shoes should be darker than your pants. The darker your suit, the darker your shoes. This simple rule will keep your choice appropriate for formal, business, and casual outfits. Get a pair or two of black shoes, they will go with any choice but navy pants, in which case you need dark brown or black Bordeaux (reddish-brown). You can wear brown shoes with brown pants, but they should be darker than the pants.
  2. Match your socks to your shoes. They should be a nice bridge between your shoes and your pants rather than a contrasting color.
  3. Your shoes should match your belt. Don't pair a brown belt with black shoes or vice versa.

Best Shoe Styles

  1. When in doubt go conservative over edgy. You don't want to spend good money buy shoes that will look dated in just a few months.
  2. Loafersgo with just about anything.
  3. Wingtipsare cool again.
  4. Buy a nice pair of brownoxfords, they go with almost anything.
  5. Make sure you have one great pair ofboots.

Shoe Buying Rules

  1. Always choosefitover style. You won't look great if your feet hurt.
  2. When in doubt go conservative over edgy. You don't want to spend good money buy shoes that will look dated in just a few months.
  3. Your shoes should be the most expensive part of your wardrobe. Always spend money on shoes rather than shirts or pants
  4. Splurge once a year on that pair of shoes you really want.

Sandal Rules

  1. No socks with sandals.
  2. Buy new flip-flops each summer.
  3. No flip-flops at work. Unless you work at a surf shop.
  4. Don't wear sandals if you have gross feet.

Boot Rule

  1. Cowboy bootsdon't work with suits. Unless you are a real, honest to God cowboy.

Sneakers and Athletic Shoe Rules

  1. Be careful when wearing sneakers with khakis, you run the risk of looking older than you are.
  2. Be fitted forrunning shoesif you're going to push yourself. You need to know you are getting the right mechanics for overpronation, support, and cushioning. Go to the most serious running shoe store in your area to get properly fitted by experts who care about your running.
  3. Replace your workout shoes at least every six months.
  4. Try out the newathletic shoetrends before training with them. Walk around in them in the house and take them out only for short runs at first. Buy them at a serious running shoe store that has a generous try-out and returns policy.

Shoe Appearance Rules

  1. Your dress shoes should always be shined and looking good.
  2. Know how to shine your shoes, and if you can't do it, find a professional shoe shiner. You'll get great looking shoes and an interesting conversation.
23 Men's Shoe Rules to Live By (2024)

FAQs

How many pairs of shoes should a man own? ›

The average American male owns 12 pairs of shoes. Whether that seems like a lot or a little to you, it brings up the question of how many pairs of shoes does a man really need. Apart from any specialized athletic shoes, we believe the number to be at least six.

What color sneakers go with everything for men? ›

One of the men's shoes that go with everything is the athletic/trainer shoe. You probably are thinking they're meant for fitness things only, but no, they pair well with most casual outfits, too. For multipurpose usage, we recommend sticking with neutral colors like black, white, and maybe grey.

How often do you really look at a mans shoes? ›

Andy did like he was told, buffed those shoes to a high mirror shine. The guards simply didn't notice. Neither did I... I mean, seriously, how often do you really look at a mans shoes?

What color of shoes go with everything? ›

Neutral-hued shoes are fantastic because they go with anything, including all colors, patterns, and prints. In this case, it's best to stick to basics like black, white, cream, beige, brown, and gray, or switch things up and choose navy, which, yes, is considered neutral, too. Why are neutral colors best for traveling?

What is a reasonable number of shoes to own? ›

The traditional rule of elegant dressing recommended seven pairs of shoes, that is, as many pairs as there are days of the week.

How many shirts should a man own? ›

My advice is get the basics, make sure they fit and get the best quality you can afford. Anywhere between 8-12 dress shirts should be more than enough to get you started.

Should my shoes match my shirt or pants? ›

Shoes with bright colors should be matched or complemented with muted tones in the pants or shirt. Wear the right style of shoes for the right occasion, even if they don't lend you the style you want. It's always better to wear a neutral color of the right shoes than to wear the wrong shoe type.

What color sneakers go best with jeans? ›

As a rule of thumb, it's best to stick to dark colours – you're aiming for subtle, not jarring. Colours like burgundy, dark brown, dark green and, of course, black, will all work nicely. An exception to this rule is white minimalist sneakers, which will always perfectly complement slim-cut black jeans.

Can you tell a lot about a man by his shoes? ›

They can tell us more about your personality – if you're outgoing and extroverted, practical, creative, or traditional, for example. The choice that you make about what shoes you are going to wear really reflects your personality, and research shows that women judge men by their shoes twice as much as men judge women.

What does a man's shoes tell you about him? ›

A man's shoes give insight to his taste and preferences. They signify his socio-political status in society, his ethnicity and cultural roots. Shoes are a mark of wealth, power and class and speak languages that are hidden beneath the surface.

Is it OK to wear the same shoes every day? ›

Due to daily use, our shoes or slippers will end deformed and deteriorated in the same areas, especially inside and on the sole. This damage implies that we start to step correctly, and our feet will start to suffer pain or pathologies (as well as other structures such as the knee, hip, or back).

What shoe color goes best with every outfit? ›

Black, beige, and grey shoes go with anything. Since they are all neutrals, you can wear these colors to offset a more vibrant outfit. Of course, with these neutrals, you can either mix and match or keep them in a similar tonal family. For example, there can be warm beiges and cooler beiges.

What colour shoes are attractive? ›

  • Black Shoes. Hands down, no questions asked, black is the most formal shoe color. ...
  • Dark Brown. Arguably just as dressy as black but offering superior style, dark brown shoes are one rung down the formality scale from black. ...
  • Burgundy. ...
  • Navy Blue. ...
  • Charcoal Grey. ...
  • Cocoa Brown. ...
  • Tan. ...
  • Beige.

What is the rule of 3 shoes? ›

Whittling down your favourites to just a few pairs can be tough, so we're sharing a favourite travel tip: the '3 shoe rule. ' Yes, you guessed it – the '3 shoe rule' is only pack THREE pairs of shoes. For a summer vacation, this typically means a pair of sneakers and two pairs of sandals – one dressy and one casual.

How many shoes does the average person own? ›

show the average to be around 12 pairs with women owning about twice as many as men do. The thing to keep in mind here beyond fashion is that both men and women often own shoes they don't wear (2/3 of women; half of men). About 20% of affluent women own more than 50 pairs of shoes, compared to only 4% of men.

Is it OK to have 2 pairs of shoes? ›

Alternating between two pairs of shoes can help to build the strength of our intrinsic foot muscles by allowing our foot to have to adapt to different shoes. This intrinsic strength is important for strong feet and prevention of injuries such as plantar fasciitis.

How many pairs of sneakers does the average man own? ›

On average, each American owns six pairs of sneakers. Interestingly, eBay's study found that men have a larger sneaker collection than women. Women owned six pairs on average, while men owned one more on average at seven pairs.

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