Should You Match Your Belt To Your Shoes? | A Guide To Wearing Belts

To answer this question.....your belt doesn't necessarily have to match your Dress Shoes....but it should complement them. When you are dressed in a suit or formal wear, your belt shouldn't be overwhelming and should compliment not only your shoes but your overall look.

However, when it comes to casual wear, you can go wild with the type of belt that you wear.....your belt can now become the centrepiece of your entire look!

There are a variety of different belts available in the marketplace and my goal with this post to to show that there is more to the humble belt than being a piece of leather that holds up your trousers.

Braided Belts

These are a great alternative to the plain leather belt that can be worn when you want to wear something different belt-wise that is unobtrusive. They add a textural element to your outfit and also compliments your look. Another great feature with this belt is that you are not limited to just the 6 or so adjustment holes that you have in your typical leather belt. With the braided belt, your have the whole belt to use to adjust for a more comfortable fit.

I like to match this type of belt with nice pants, a sports jacket and also a pair of dress shoes that compliment the colour of the belt for the more casual get together. 

Leatherback Ribbon Belts

When you think about these belts, you often think about where you would wear them - sailing, playing golf and wearing boat shoes. These belts are very versatile as they are in essence a reversible belt. On one side, it is all leather and means business and on the other side of the belt, there is usually a funky patterned material or a strong accents colour that could really be a conversation starter and also a centrepiece of your outfit.
Probably the biggest downfall for Leatherback Ribbon Belts is the inability to wear them for very formal events.....it is more of a casual belt.

Leather Work Belts

These belts are usually made out of the outer layer of the cows hide which makes them more tougher, stronger and stiffer than other leather belts. This style of belt is usually constructed with a snapped loop with makes it customisable as you can change up the buckle to suit your outfit or to make your belt the centrepiece of your overall look.
This Belt style is ideal for men who like to collect and show off their belt buckles.

Tooled Leather Belts

Tooling is the process of stamping a design onto the leather which is then usually darkened to make the design stand out more. Like the Work Belts, the tooled leather belts are usually made so that you can have interchangeable buckles and is once again perfect for that man who like to collect and show their buckles off.

Canvas Belts

Canvas Belts are usually constructed out of thick canvas material in various colours with metal square buckles that are of a plain, functional style. Most time, the buckle is a flat buckle containing a sliding peg, which pins the strap in place at the desired position. Perfect belt for your very casual outings like hiking, camping, fishing, etc and a staple uniform item for Boy Scouts.

As you can see, there are many different types of belts available in the marketplace today.....it all depends on what type of belt you are looking for and whether it will be purposeful for your needs.
To get back to the original question.....Yes, I think that your belt should compliment your Dress Shoes but at other times, I think that you should let you Belt be the star!

To see more info about Men's Dress Shoes, visit our website - www.mrangelshoes.com.

When Should You Wear Brown Dress Shoes?

When it comes to answering this question, you could go by the old saying - "No Brown after 6pm" But I don't necessarily think that this is 100% correct as I think that you can pull off wearing Brown Dress Shoes after 6pm. Of course, there are some events that you should NOT wear brown shoes to.....for example - to formal events like the Opera or a wedding....etc
There are 3 factors to think of when deciding whether you can wear Brown Dress Shoes or not.

Factor 1: The Occasion......How formal is the event?
Usually, I would say to stick to the darker colours but you can get away with wearing Brown Dress Shoes in the evening if they are of a darker shade of brown and if the suit you are wearing is navy blue in colour.

Factor 2: The time of the day
Usually I would only recommend that you wear Brown Dress Shoes during the day as you would usually wear lighter colours during the day and darker colours during the night.

Factor 3: The time of the year
Is it Summer? Is it Winter? During the warmer times of the year, you will tend to wear lighter colours and during the Colder months, you tend to wear darker colours.....which makes the warmer months the perfect time to wear your brown shoes.

So taking into account these three factors, there are certain times that you could pull off lighter coloured or Brown Dress Shoes. For example, if you are going to a formal event during the Summer months that starts at 5pm and through to the night and what you happen to be wearing is a lighter coloured suit like say a tan coloured linen suit, then you could definitely wear Brown Dress Shoes. But if the event is a Black tie event, then I recommend you stick to the dark shades of shoes with your suit.

I hope that you have found this post useful. If you would like to see some amazing shoe....then go through to
my website and check out the range of Dress Shoes that I have available.