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Q. I've always been told never to wear black and navy blue together but I've seen a lot of men wearing black shoes with their dark navy blue pants. Is that acceptable dress or a fashion mistake?/p>
A.Black and blue are perfectly OK to wear together, and actually the preferred combo. I'm not sure exactly when the aesthetic changed, but I do remember when cordovan or brown were acceptable choices for navy./p>
Where to wear?
Q.I have a psycho friend that jumps on everyone and ANYONE who wears grey and khaki together.Particularly grey shirts, and khaki cargo pants. Is this a fashion no-no? My other question relates to shoes, can I wear black casual oxfords with blue jeans?
A.That's OK -- we all have a psycho friend or two. ;) Grey and khaki are perfectly acceptable combo. If you have more problems with your buddy tell him/her that "The Gap hath made it so."
Black casual oxfords are perfectly OK for jeans.
Where to wear?
Q.What is the proper fit/tailoring of slacks, and what is the proper way to wear slacks? We're all pretty much in agreement about the length of the bottom, and the break at the top of your foot. But, there's some discussion about the fit on the other end:
around the waist. Where is it supposed to hang from? The narrowest part of the waist? Riding the hip bone? Where is the waist line supposed to be relative to the belly button?
A.The proper way to wear slacks is on the waist -- the horizontal line from your belly button.
Mixing and matching
Q.I'm a terrible dresser. I have all these "nice" clothes in my closet, but when it comes to putting them together, whether its going to work or even casual dress I'm at a loss. Are there any sites that could help me?
A. A book that you might find helpful is Chic Simple's Men's Wardrobe. Probably the best way to learn how to mix and match clothing is hands-on. I suggest the next time you go to the store you get a salesperson to help you put outfits together. If you buy clothing and accessories from one source it also makes it easier to coordinate. Sometimes the problem is in having too many clothes. I think people only wear about 20% of their wardrobe -- the rest just sits there taking up space.
Shoes for a white suit
.I own a white suit and I would like to know what color shoes to wear with it. I think that it would probably be a pair of white shoes, and if that is correct, where can I find them?
A.I think a light tan would be better. Usually during warm weather the best shoes to wear with a white suit are bucks. Try Hush Puppies and Brooks Brothers
Four-Button Suit
Q.What is the proper way to button a four button sport coat or suit?
A.I've seen it worn with the top three buttoned and the bottom one open, which is in line with how many three button suits are worn (top two buttoned, bottom open).
Shoes for Gray Suit
Q.I was wondering what color shoes I can wear with a gray suit. I have been told black, but I have also seen dark cherry type color. What color do you recommend?
A.Black is best. However; cordovan (dark cherry) is not bad if the gray suit (sport coat, etc.) is casual. If the suit is dressy, black is best.
Funeral tie; shoes
Q.What is the proper tie to wear to a funeral? What is the proper style and color of shoes to wear with a navy blazer and gray slacks?
A.The proper tie for a funeral is simply one that is very conservative. The shirt should be white, gray, or light blue...none of the 'new' shirt colors are normally worn.
If you are wearing a blue blazer and gray slacks you may wear black or cordovan shoes. Just everyday brown shoes are not normally thought to be appropriate.
Shoe colors
Q.Is their a standard on what color of shoe you should wear with a particular color suit? I know black is the most widely worn color shoe, but what color suit goes with a burgundy shoe? With what color suit would you not wear a black shoe?
A.Black shoes go suits that are black, blue, taupe, and colors (burgundy, etc.)
Cordovan (burgundy leather shoes) goes with blue, khaki, some brown tones}
Brown shoes go with tan, khaki, light green.
No black shoes with white, off-white, etc. or pastels.
It is hard to have a standard. So many times the tones and shades in a suit/sport coat/slacks can dictate color of shoes. Also, the highlighting through shirt/tie selection will change shoe selection.
Matching colors
Q.To what do guys match the color of their socks? Their pants? Their shirt?
A.Socks should tie an outfit together, but don't need to match anything. Men's hosiery should complement the entire ensemble. Dark socks -- esp. black are a good bet with suits. You can add prints or color to express your personality. Here's a general guideline for shoes:
Shirts and pants don't need to match anything really -- they should complement each other. You can do this with contrast -- say a white shirt with black pants. Or with varying shades of the same hue -- like a dark charcoal gray pant with a lighter heather gray sweater.
Some questions and answers are edited for brevity and spelling and to conceal identifying information of the readers.
