All In The Details: Black leather shoes CAN be interesting! (Leather Shoes, part II)

(This is Part II of Leather Shoes in our ongoing series, All In The Details. Check out Part I here.)

Hey gents,

Here’s a twist on the old standby.

If you’ve been reading EG for any length of time, you’ve probably caught wind of my disdain for black leather shoes as the all-in-one solution for every dressy occasion. I think brown leather is much more versatile and interesting, and most men should avoid black unless they’re funeral directors, undertakers, or comic book super villains.

Aaanyway, black has its place in every man’s wardrobe but I think it should be used sparingly.

I can see why guys gravitate towards black shoes though. It’s difficult to go wrong; at the same time, it’s pretty damn boring if you ask me… especially if you have other choices.

One thing I do really love is MIXING black with brown tones.

I can hear it already

The throngs of dudes all going “Say whaaa” because they grew up hearing you shouldn’t wear black and brown together.

Well, good thing you’re an EG reader, because when done correctly, black and brown can be ultra awesome together.

When it comes to shoes, here’s just one example: black leather shoes with a natural-colored sole.

Combining the old basic black leather dress shoe and sexing it up a bit with the contrasting sole is the simplest, classiest way to mix the two colors in your shoe.

And doesn’t that just look infinitely more interesting?

By the way, I took this photo at a Nordstrom Rack somewhere in Indiana while I was out there visiting the future in-laws, and in my haste, I forgot to take note of the actual shoe brand and model.

I was trying to snap it quickly because I didn’t want a sales associate to see me, but lo and behold, one walks right up to me as I took it and asks if I need help finding anything. Ha! Didn’t see her coming. Awkward.

But at least I was able to get this visual example for you!

I do believe it’s an Allen Edmonds model, though I can’t say for certain. Try a little Googling and let me know if you can find this shoe on the interwebz, and I’ll share it here on the site.

(Editor’s note: Thanks to BJ for the link in the comments, and Kevin for confirming. It’s the Allen Edmonds Players shoe, available here.)

Here’s another that I’ve been eyeing for a while, in a loafer style from LL Bean Signature.

“So do you still hate black leather shoes?”

I wouldn’t say hate… that’s a strong word. I still don’t like them as the standard solution for all outfits because that’s way boring.

BUT! If you want to wear them, have to wear them, or are in the market for a pair, look for a black leather shoe with a contrasting natural sole to give your kicks a nice little… kick.

In other news

You may notice articles have been a little slow lately. Sorry about that! I’m working on a new project for EG (think Graduating Your Style but even more in-depth, interactive, visual, and interesting), and doing other little upgrades to the site. It will pick back up again soon, promise.

I’m still interacting plenty on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr, so come by and say hi!