What Colour Shoes to Wear with Your Suit?

A great suit comes to life when you wear it with the right pair of shoes. But what is the right shoe? Short answer: something that complements the suit’s colour, sharpens its silhouette, and matches the tone of the occasion. Get these right, and you’ll look fantastic, whatever the occasion.

In this guide, we’ll explore the best shoe colour options for a range of suit shades, from navy to beige via green and burgundy, and explain which settings best fit each pairing. After reading, you’ll have the knowledge to choose a suit and shoe combo you can wear with confidence.

Here are the suit colours we’ll cover:

• Grey
• Blue
• Black
• Brown
• Green
• Beige
• Burgundy

What Colour Shoes to Wear with a Grey Suit?

Grey suits are versatile and slick, making them a deserving staple in modern wardrobes. From light ash tones to deep charcoal, grey offers a neutral base that pairs well with a wide variety of shoe colours. Selecting the right shoe can transform a grey suit from boring-corporate to wedding-appropriate in seconds, so here’s how to choose well.

Black Shoes with a Light Grey Suit

Black shoes add polish and formality to a light grey suit, creating a crisp, well-defined contrast. This pairing leans towards classic and traditional, with clean lines and a refined edge, making it ideal for occasions when you want to keep things sharp and professional without being overly formal.

When to wear

• Office or interviews
• Formal daytime events
• Funerals

Brown or Tan Shoes with a Light Grey Suit

Tan or brown shoes bring warmth to a light grey suit, lending a relaxed and refined feel to the outfit. The contrast adds interest without overpowering, creating a balanced and contemporary feel that’s perfect for spring and summer occasions.

When to wear

• Weddings
• Garden parties
• Smart-casual events
• The races

Black Shoes with a Dark Grey or Charcoal Suit

For a classic, fool-proof pairing, wear black shoes with dark grey or charcoal. These strong, confident shades with black footwear feel authoritative and grounded, making the combo a reliable bet for important or traditional events.

When to wear

• Business meetings
• Evening events
• Formal ceremonies
  
  
  

Burgundy Shoes with a Dark Grey or Charcoal Suit

Burgundy shoes add personality to darker shades of grey without going over the top. The subtle red tones bring flair while keeping the overall look formal and consistent with itself. This combination is a smart way to show confidence and personal style without breaking dress code conventions.

When to wear

• Weddings
• Dinner parties
• Office

What Colour Shoes to Wear with a Blue Suit?

Blue suits are contemporary classics, for good reason. They’re stylish, confident, and work perfectly in work and social settings alike. Depending on the shade, blue suits can be dressed up or down, and your choice of shoe colour will determine the overall tone.

Brown Shoes with a Navy Suit

Brown shoes and navy suits are an iconic pairing. The warmth of brown slightly softens the formality of navy, making it a stylish and versatile combo and a great choice when you want to strike a balance between professionalism and personality.

When to wear

• Weddings
• Creative office environments
• Dates
• Daytime formalwear

Black Shoes with a Navy Suit

Black shoes with a navy suit keep things refined and conservative. While not as common as navy and brown, this pairing works well when you want something formal. An ideal combo for traditional work environments or formal ceremonies where subtlety is more important than style.

When to wear

• Corporate settings
• Funerals
• Traditional formal events

Tan Shoes with a Light Blue Suit

A light blue suit is fresh and light, and pairing it with tan shoes completes the contemporary, seasonal look. This shade brings a gentle contrast to enhance the suit’s relaxed charm, creating a youthful, fashionable pairing ideal for modern dress codes, particularly in spring and summer. 

When to wear

• Summer weddings
• Destination weddings
• Outdoor events
• Smart daytime dressing

Burgundy Shoes with a Royal Blue Suit

This bolder pairing brings to life a bolder suit. Burgundy shoes and royal blue combine vibrancy and elegance, creating an exciting look that’s ideal when you want to make an impression. 

When to wear

• Fashionable weddings
• Evening receptions
• Creative professional events

What Colour Shoes to Wear with a Black Suit?

Black suits are the epitome of formalwear: sleek and no-nonsense. While they offer less flexibility in terms of colour pairing, they deliver more impact. That’s why shoe choice here is simple but significant.

Black suits call for black shoes, always. It’s the most formal option, and it ensures your outfit remains sharp and uninterrupted. Lighter or warmer shoes also usually disrupt a black suit’s overall aesthetic.

When to wear

• Black-tie events (with shirt/tie)
• Evening weddings
• Funerals
• Awards ceremonies

What Colour Shoes to Wear with a Brown Suit?

Brown suits are warm and bring a sense of individuality. They’re especially popular in autumn and countryside settings, bringing a stylish alternative to grey or navy. Matching shoes in a similar colour family creates a consistent and confident look.

Brown suits pair best with other warm tones like dark brown, tan, or burgundy. These shades blend well with brown tailoring and create a rustic, relaxed, or elevated look depending on the shoe. We recommend avoiding black shoes with brown suits: the combination can look too stark or formal.

When to wear

• Country or barn weddings
• Autumn events
• Less formal office settings

What Colour Shoes to Wear with a Green Suit?

A green suit is a bold choice, and whether you're wearing sage, emerald or another shade, the key to pulling it off lies in choosing shoes that balance the boldness with elegance.

Green suits pair well with earthy tones like brown, beige, or tan. These shades contrast without clashing, keeping the combination grounded and stylish. As with brown suits, avoid black shoes as the contrast can feel too harsh.

When to wear

• Garden parties
• Outdoor weddings
• Creative work events

What Colour Shoes to Wear with a Beige Suit?

Beige suits are a distilled summer style. They’re light, breezy, and ideal for warmer months, and are brought to life with shoe pairings that echo their relaxed formality. Pair beige with brown or tan shoes for tonal balance, or lean towards making more of a statement with white.

When to wear

• Summer weddings
• Beach ceremonies
• Daytime events

What Colour Shoes to Wear with a Burgundy Suit?

A burgundy suit is a confident style statement, bringing richness and depth that stands out from the usual palette. The right shoes will enhance the decision to wear burgundy rather than competing with it, and structured styles in similarly rich tones are your best bet.

Choose deep, rich shoe tones. Black shoes keep things sharp, while brown shoes add character and enhance the warmth of the outfit. Avoid light colours like tan, which may clash with the richness of the suit.

When to wear

• Evening weddings
• Autumn or winter formalwear
• Stylish parties

Pick the Perfect Pairing

The colour of your suit sets the tone for your outfit, but the right shoes make a significant contribution to the complete picture. Getting the combination right can shift your aesthetic from incohesive to undeniably stylish.

We hope this guide has helped you to better understand which shoe shades will complement your suit, and to make a choice that will let you attend your event, whatever it is, with confidence.

Whether you're heading to a ceremony or updating your formalwear wardrobe, coordinating your footwear is key. For more inspiration, why not check out our men's shoes collection?