It is not true that men don’t care about what they wear, just like it’s not true that all women are crazy about the shoes they wear. Keeping those stereotypical ideas behind, it can be said that shoes form a very important part of everybody’s closet. They are an essential complement of your attire that can either enhance or spoil the look that you present. Choosing the right kind of shoes with your dress is just as important as choosing the right pair of jeans with your shirt. Most men have the inclination to maintain just a couple of good shoes, so that they can find something to wear to both formal and informal occasions and get done with it. There is no harm in going for a minimalist closet, buying only what you require, but then again you must choose the right kind of mens shoes.

For men it’s often a problem, because a majority of them are not aware of the different styles in shoes and they’re usually clueless about what to wear with what kind of dress. This is probably why most men stick to their classic black shoes and sneakers. Here’re a few pointers about the different types of mens shoes available in the market and when, how or where to wear them. To begin with the thumb rule is to always choose a shoe that matches with the color of your pant or is in a darker shade. Several people have the notion that socks must match the color of their shoes—it’s not necessary to be that way. Socks are like ties, they could match or contrast, but should go well with everything else. Talking of color-match you may want to match the color of your shoes with that of your belt.

If you’re wearing a pair of jeans you can practically any shoes, as long as they’re not very shiny and look casual. Boots and sneaker go well with jeans, and you can even think of wearing lug soles, sandals, or loafers with your jeans. It really depends on the kind of shirt you’re wearing with your jeans. T-shirts go well with sneakers; polo shirts go well with loafers; and boots go perfectly well with khaki shirts or other casual shirts. Again, when you’re wearing dress pants go for the shinier dress shoes. The dressier your pants are the shinier or more stylish your shoe has to get. And, of course it is a good idea to match their colours or go for a darker shade of shoes.

If, though you’re wearing casual pants, like khakis, Dockers, or a pair of chinos you could go for your classic black mens shoes, a pair of loafers, or your oxford. The shoes you’re going to wear depend completely upon the look you’re trying to present. Tassels or buckles are the dressier of the patterns, while stitching is a little on the casual side. Black mens shoes go well with navy, grey, or black colours in pants; brown shoes can be worn with tan, beige, green, brown, and such other earthy shades; burgundy shoes are a perfect choice for khaki, blue, grey, and light brown; and tan mens shoes go well with lighter shades of beige, blue, or tan or even with white.