When did the tacky practice of wearing brown shoes with blue suits become accepted?

Was this a Wall Street thing? I think it looks absolutely hideous! Black shoes only with blue suits.

I'll even go a step further and say I would never wear any shoes other than black or cordovan shoes with a business suit.

"Back then" (1920's - mid-1950's) it was perfectly acceptable to wear brown shoes with blue suits.

Navy or midnight blue, that is almost black, should only go with black leather.
From light blue to rich royal blue the combination with brown leather certainly was/is fine.
You'll find plenty examples in period illustrations. I love the look.

I think it was in the 1960's (or even later?) that some probably originally local practice made a big taboo out of blue&brown.


Source: gentlemansgazette.com


Source: vintagedancer.com

Really there is nothing right or wrong when it comes to clothing, only small violations against some people's idea of convention.

It was, and still is, common in the UK to wear brown shoes with blue suiting (moreso in Summer). Some don't casre for it, but it was very common back in the day. The notion of it being 'wrong' seems more like 'fashion rules' to me than any recognised dress code. The City of London is perhaps different - the often misunderstood "no brown in town" rule applied to the Square Mile only, and even that largely at a time when you'd regularly see men in black lounge who were neither on their wat to a Freemasonry event nor employed as undertakers.

This is why I've avoided wearing blue trousers entirely thus far. Threads like this talking about how tacky it is to wear brown shoes, and equally angry threads talking about how black shoes with blue should be avoided at all costs cause you "look like a bruise".

F'n pick one...

The Jackal said:

This is why I've avoided wearing blue trousers entirely thus far. Threads like this talking about how tacky it is to wear brown shoes, and equally angry threads talking about how black shoes with blue should be avoided at all costs cause you "look like a bruise".

F'n pick one...

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Pick one if you must (I prefer to do either as suits my mood), but for the sake of all that is good, understand that your preference is your preference, not a rule All Others Must Follow. It's amazing how many fashion bloggers can't comprehend such a simple notion.

Edward said:

It's amazing how many fashion bloggers can't comprehend such a simple notion.

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It's amazing how many people here can't comprehend such a simple notion.

The Jackal said:

It's amazing how many people here can't comprehend such a simple notion.

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Well, quite. (And my comment was not directed at you specifically, more at the 'you' / 'one' in genertal!). I wonder if it's a male thing... no matter the hobby, it seems somehow many men always feel a need to have certainty - right and wrong, asllowed and not allowed, good and bad. Rules. It's almost a form of being on the spectrum.

Edward said:

Well, quite. (And my comment was not directed at you specifically, more at the 'you' / 'one' in genertal!). I wonder if it's a male thing... no matter the hobby, it seems somehow many men always feel a need to have certainty - right and wrong, asllowed and not allowed, good and bad. Rules. It's almost a form of being on the spectrum.

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It may be a male thing, but there does seem to be a trend in most hobbies where people take on an air of elitism and try to determine what is and isn't the right way. In the long run I think all it really does is suck the fun out of it.

I do this cause I like it, if it gets to the point I'm upset about it, I need to move on

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

The Jackal said:

It may be a male thing, but there does seem to be a trend in most hobbies where people take on an air of elitism and try to determine what is and isn't the right way. In the long run I think all it really does is suck the fun out of it.

I do this cause I like it, if it gets to the point I'm upset about it, I need to move on

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

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Absolutely. It's something you see in almost any hobby too: believe me, reenactor Farbes have nothing on Rocky Horror stitch-Nazis!

Brown shoes as has been proven above, are fine with blue uits, not sure where the doubt lies. In Italy, a blue suit will usually come with dark brown horn buttons, and with these you will naturally wear brown shoes. Black buttons only for the more formal suits (and still looks cheap IMO) and blue buttons a no-no.

If Claudio says it is OK then it's OK with me, he is in my eyes certainly the most stylish well dressed man on the FL!

D

Some attire is really a matter of preference, and there's plenty to show that brown shoes with blue whatever has been a common, accepted thing for at least 100 years.

Other attire is absolutely ironclad in its rules and observance. Like, for example, white tie. Only a boorish, self-aggrandizing, narcissistic, jackass, nincompoop toddler would appear in white tie that wasn't perfect.

The Jackal said:

This is why I've avoided wearing blue trousers entirely thus far. Threads like this talking about how tacky it is to wear brown shoes, and equally angry threads talking about how black shoes with blue should be avoided at all costs cause you "look like a bruise".

F'n pick one...

Click to expand...

Well, as Frank Zappa famously stated..."Brown Shoes Don't Make It"

scotrace said:

Some attire is really a matter of preference, and there's plenty to show that brown shoes with blue whatever has been a common, accepted thing for at least 100 years.

Other attire is absolutely ironclad in its rules and observance. Like, for example, white tie. Only a boorish, self-aggrandizing, narcissistic, jackass, nincompoop toddler would appear in white tie that wasn't perfect.

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I was always a black shoes with anything blue or even a Navy blazer with grey slacks. But then in a moment of throwing caution to the wind....my moment of wild abandon.....I wore brown brogues with my navy blazer, mid grey slacks and really liked the look. It dressed it down a bit. Now it is my 'goto' ensemble.

Putting the expression: "tacky practice" into a thread title, if that's not incendiary, then it's at least, light blue touch paper, stand well clear. Is there any other tacky practises that I should do well to avoid?

GHT said:

Putting the expression: "tacky practice" into a thread title, if that's not incendiary, then it's at least, light blue touch paper, stand well clear. Is there any other tacky practises that I should do well to avoid?

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Anything mentioned on this forum. Also, the opposite of anything on this forum.

In all seriousness, it doesn't really matter. Someone, somewhere, will think what you are wearing is wrong. I've long since stopped caring what people think that aren't close to me. And even the people close to me only have so much sway in my decisions these days.

I LIKE brown shoes with blue clothing.

So, there.

Everyone, please feel free to like, dislike, or feel indifferent to whatever you want.

The Jackal said:

Anything mentioned on this forum. Also, the opposite of anything on this forum.
In all seriousness, it doesn't really matter. Someone, somewhere, will think what you are wearing is wrong.

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Have you heard of the British actor Stanley Holloway. If you go onto YouTube and search for Brahn Boots, Monologue, you will hear Holloway reciting Brown Boots, only he does it with a broad cockney accent, hence Brown pronounced Brahn. This is Brahn Boots as close to cockney as the written word will allow:
BRAHN BOOTS
(R.P. Weston / Bert Lee)
Stanley Holloway (Monologue)


Our Aunt Hanna's passed away,
We 'ad her funeral today,
And it was a posh affair,
Had to have two p'licemen there!

The 'earse was luv'ly, all plate glass,
And wot a corfin!... oak and brass!
We'd fah-sands weepin', flahers galore,
But Jim, our cousin... what d'yer fink 'e wore?

Why, brahn boots!
I ask yer... brahn boots!
Fancy coming to a funeral
In brahn boots!

I will admit 'e 'ad a nice black tie,
Black fingernails and a nice black eye;
But yer can't see people orf when they die,
In brahn boots!

And Aunt 'ad been so very good to 'im,
Done all that any muvver could for 'im,
And Jim, her son, to show his clars...
Rolls up to make it all a farce,

In brahn boots...
I ask yer... brahn boots!
While all the rest,
Wore decent black and mourning suits.

I'll own he didn't seem so gay,
In fact he cried most part the way,
But straight, he reg'lar spoilt our day,
Wiv 'is brahn boots.

In the graveyard we left Jim,
None of us said much to him,
Yus, we all gave 'im the bird,
Then by accident we 'eard ...

'E'd given 'is black boots to Jim Small,
A bloke wot 'ad no boots at all,
So p'raps Aunt Hanna doesn't mind,
She did like people who was good and kind.

But brahn boots!
I ask yer... brahn boots!
Fancy coming to a funeral,
In brahn boots!

And we could 'ear the neighbours all remark
"What, 'im chief mourner? Wot a blooming lark!
"Why 'e looks more like a Bookmaker's clerk...
In brahn boots!"

That's why we 'ad to be so rude to 'im,
That's why we never said "Ow do!" to 'im,
We didn't know... he didn't say,
He'd give 'is other boots away.

But brahn boots!
I ask yer... brahn boots!
While all the rest,
Wore decent black and mourning suits!

But some day up at Heavens gate,
Poor Jim, all nerves, will stand and wait,
'til an angel whispers... "Come in, Mate,
"Where's yer brahn boots?"

Reminds me of an aunt who had a right go at her daughter for turning up at our grandfather's funeral in black jeans!