When it comes to matching your dress shoes and belts, there are rules that you should abide by, and then there are rules you can consider bending. With the right combination of technicality and personal flair, you can achieve a well rounded, stylish outfit.
Let’s begin with a lesson on when and how to mix and match.
Dressing Per Occasion
Something to keep in mind is that the severity of these rules largely depends on the occasion you’re dressing for. For instance, dressing for a black tie event will require flawless matching of your shoes and belt, versus dressing for a casual day at the office is a more effortless pairing. Being mindful of where you’re going in your outfit will help guide your matching.
Perfectly Paired Leathers
The general rule of thumb is to always match the color of your belt with the color of your shoes (this goes for all leather accessories). To put it simply, match your black belts with your black shoes, and brown belts with brown shoes. Wearing contradicting leathers will only take away from your ensemble, therefore, this is one rule that should not be broken.
A slight tonal difference between your brown belt and shoes isn’t a make or break. In fact, mixing similar shades of brown can add an appealing amount of contrast to your look. If you’re considering this, ensure the brown hues don’t clash.
Oxblood is another popular leather. Again with this, matching oxblood leathers together will provide for the sharpest look. Alternatively, an opposing black leather can give a nice distinction to your outfit.
Essential Metal Matching
Matching your belt buckle hardware with the metal on your shoes will aid in streamlining your outfit. This rule mostly pertains to dress boots with metal eyelets or the buckle on a monk strap dress shoe. For further assistance with matching your metals, our style guide on how to match your leather metals and accessories can help!
Our best recommendations.
Black Brilliance
Oftentimes, a black dress shoe and black belt combo is put together for fancier occasions. For this, the highly regarded black Beaverbrook Oxford’s with Hartt’s new handmade black leather belt is a timeless pairing. If you’re really looking to impress in this outfit, read up on how to achieve a high gloss shoe shine and you’ll be sure to turn heads.
Beaming in Browns
To reiterate, don’t mix your black and brown shoes and belts. Instead, matching browns together will portray a thoughtful outfit. The brown Westmorland Derby’s match almost perfectly with our brown leather belt. This pairing is so spot on that it will stand out in your outfit.
Outstanding Oxblood
Oxblood not only offers a splash of color to your outfit, but exudes a confident sense of style. When considering what to wear with your oxblood shoes, a matching oxblood belt (or vise versa) is bound to make a sophisticated statement. Our premium leather oxblood belt paired with the waxed oxblood Brewer’s Boot is a winning combination.
Now that you know the do’s and don'ts of matching your leathers, it’s time to implement it in your styling.