Much like the foundation of any building, the shoes you wear define your entire look. After all, many say, ‘Shoes maketh the man’. One type of shoes that has been on the receiving end of a lot of queries is the brogue. Easily recognizable by their perforated patterns on the uppers, brogue shoes are a timeless piece that should be found in every man’s wardrobe. Their versatility allows you to style them in multiple ways and keep the fashion police in line. Have a look:

Formal wear

Putting on a formal outfit is like donning armour for a battle of sophistication and style. And your armour is incomplete without a killer pair of shoes to complement your sharp suit. The brogue is often overlooked in an office setting for its much more staid and older cousins, the oxford and derby. However, brogues can work perfectly well even with a classic ol’ tweed suit. Traditional colours like blacks and browns are go-to colours for brogues.

Give your basic brown brogues a little spin with a grey tweed suit to achieve that stylish English vibe. You can take the bold route by pairing the grey with a rich oxblood shade. For a traditional black suit, add a bit of colour with a bright shirt and pair it up with shiny black brogues to give your outfit that extra oomph.

To put your question for lighter shades aside, yes, you can pair a light coloured brogue with a dark suit. But be careful while wearing two-toned brogues. They may be a great fashion statement but they’re also difficult to pair with the right colours. Pair a black and white brogue with a simple tailored suit, white shirt topped up with a paisley tie.

Casual wear

Whether it’s a casual Sunday brunch or a Saturday night out with friends, your wingtips can be your perfect wingmen. A good pair of brogues can make you look suave and charming even in a simple t-shirt. Pair your best brogues with these different bottoms to achieve a smart casual look:

• With shorts – Your summer wardrobe is lacklustre without a pair of tailored shorts paired with some nice wingtips. Keep your shirts and shorts pastel, and opt for different shades of tan for shoes for a summery look. If you’re opting for dark coloured shoes, carry the colour through the outfit. Most importantly, avoid slouchy shorts and remember to keep it crisp.
• With chinos – Coloured chinos have been the fashion statement lately for casual wear, and the right pair of brogues can make them look even better. What is important here is the colour combination of the shoes and the chinos. We suggest stick with the browns and tans for safer choices. Just match your belt with the colour of your brogues. As long as your chinos are tailored and fall just where they’re supposed to – near the ankle – you’re good to go.
• With jeans – You can never make a wrong choice when it comes to pairing jeans with brogues. Though it may seem odd, considering brogues are formal shoes and denim is the furthest from formal as can be. But it’s this contrast that brings the old English gentleman charm to a laid-back pair of jeans. When pairing them with denim, you can experiment with a lot of bold colours for your brogues. Our favourite way to style a casual look is with a rich oxblood semi brogue paired with slim fit blue jeans and beige sweater. You can also make it trendy by going for the denim on denim look complemented with a pair of brown shoes. Give it a bit more style by wearing a floral shirt topped with a denim jacket.

Ethnic wear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Festive season is right upon us and if all the above reasons were not enough for you, this segment should serve as a good incentive to invest in brogue shoes. Brogues have the potential to transform your ethnic wear to a trendy fashion statement and make you look regally stylish. Look for a well-fitted shirt kurta and pair it up with a good pair of tan brogues. Don’t forget to keep the pants tailored and ankle-length. You can take it one notch higher and experiment with florals and prints.

With ethnic wear it’s all about different textures of the fabric. How about you pair a red jacket with a rich velvet lining, with shiny black brogues and fitted black pants? You could up the ante with this one by choosing a floral velvet over a solid-coloured one.

If this style guide has inspired you to get yourself a striking pair of brogues, you can shop our formal shoes collection on our website