Kayla Young
There are a load of different shoe styles (and boots!) that black pants can look great with. Which style and color of shoe you choose to pair with your black pants will depend on the season, the occasion, and the rest of your outfit.
Now we’ve written a separate article on what shoes to wear with black jeans, and if your black pants happen to be black cargo pants, we’ve got you covered here, too! Both articles go over different shoe styles and colors, so we’ve covered the very casual styles in those two articles.
In this article, we are going to go over what color shoes to wear with black pants that are more dressy, as opposed to casual looks.
We’ll also look at those colors in different styles. So no matter what the occasion, you will find a pair of shoes to go with your black pants!
Let’s get started!
Contents
Are Brown Shoes OK With Black Pants?
You can most certainly wear brown shoes and black pants together.
This is one of those general fashion rules that people came up with a long time ago, like ‘no white after labor day’. Incidentally, both of these general fashion rules are totally outdated.
Fashion trends change.
The ‘don’t wear brown with black’ is a classic example of what may have been a thing at one time, but is no longer current.
Brown and black look great together! And we will give you some tips on how to wear brown shoes with black pants a little further down.
What to Consider When Choosing Shoes to Go With Black Pants
Black is neutral, which means it goes with pretty much every color.
But how do you narrow down your options if every color goes with black pants?
Apart from the color, you also need to consider:
- The occasion
- Your personal style
- The rest of your outfit
- The season
- The style of the shoe.
Even if you have a color that looks great, if your shoes are inappropriate for the occasion or the season, it doesn’t matter what color they are, you will look totally out of place.
You don’t want to be wearing strappy sandals in the middle of winter, or knee-high boots in the summer.
And while a pair of bright yellow stiletto pumps can make a real statement, it’s not the kind of statement you want to make at someone’s funeral!
Also consider your personal style and the outfit you’re wearing the shoes with.
We’ve selected a lot of different styles of shoes as examples, some more casual and some more formal. you should not have a problem finding a pair that suits you and what you need them for.
You want to match the formality of the shoe with the occasion. At the same time, you also need to make sure that not only do they go with your outfit and the event, but that you look and feel comfortable wearing them.
It doesn’t matter how cute the shoes are or how amazing the outfit looks together lying out on the bed. If you are not accustomed to walking in very high heels, don’t choose high heels.
Choose flats for more casual occasions or go for a lower block heel for more formal occasions.
Block heels give you a lot more stability and are a lot more comfortable to wear than narrow pointy heels.
You want to match the formality of the shoe with the occasion. At the same time, you also need to make sure that not only do they go with your outfit and the event, but that you look and feel comfortable wearing them.
What Color Shoes To Wear With Black Pants
We are going to break it down into seven groups of colors and show you some examples, as well as give you some pointers on how to style your black pants with each of these color groups.
1. Black
Although Black is technically a neutral color, we’ve given it a category all its own.
You can never go wrong with black shoes and black pants.
Black can be casual, but black is one of the few colors that can also go super formal. It also does not matter what other colors you have in the rest of your outfit: black will always go with black pants for any occasion.
If you are ever in doubt as to which color to choose, go with black and it’ll never steer you wrong.
2. Neutral Colors
Neutral colors are colors like beige, brown, or taupe. Like black, neutrals go with everything. As long as you have something else in your outfit that is neutral (and it doesn’t have to be the same neutral color), whether it’s a clothing piece or an accessory, it’ll all come together.
Neutrals with black pants are less formal than black. Perfect for an office environment or social function, but stick with black if you are going super formal.
Nudes are part of this neutral group as well, but the bonus with a nude shoe is that you don’t have to match it with anything. A nude shoe is meant to blend into the background and let the rest of your outfit be the star.
Just make sure that when you choose a nude shoe, it matches your skin tone. It can be a shade lighter or darker, but get as close as possible to the color of your skin.
While looking for nude shoes, pay no mind to the name of the color on the box or what they call it online. Choose a color that matches your skin.
Whether the shoe color is called peach or tan, camel, beige or brown, if it matches your skin tone – it’s nude for you.
Whether the shoe color is called peach or tan, camel, beige or brown, if it matches your skin tone – it’s nude for you.
3. Light Non-Neutral Colors
Light non-neutral colors are any of the colors on the color wheel in a lighter shade. These include violets, sky blue, mint green, pastel yellows, and any of the colors in between, like dusty pink and cornflower blue or peach.
If you are going for a lighter non-neutral colored shoe or boot, just make sure you tie in the color of your shoes with the rest of the outfit with either a clothing piece or an accessory.
Because black is … well black! The stark contrast between your black pants and a light-colored shoe will definitely get your shoes noticed.
So best pair the duo with something that matches the shoes so your outfit looks like a cohesive ensemble, and not just random clothing pieces you threw on because it was laundry day.
If you are going for a lighter non-neutral colored shoe or boot, just make sure you tie in the color of your shoes with the rest of the outfit with either a clothing piece or an accessory.
Just a note on white shoes with black pants… although white is also technically a neutral, the difference between black and white is the most stark contrast between two colors possible.
So when it comes to matching shoes to black pants, we put white in the ‘non-neutral light color’ group.
This means that if you’re going to wear white shoes with black pants, make sure that you have something else that’s white in your outfit to pull everything together.
4. Dark Colors
You can get away with wearing a darker-colored shoe with black pants without having to get matchy-matchy because there’s not as much of a contrast.
As long as your shoes and the rest of your outfit are in the same tonal range (i.e. warm colors or cool colors), you’re good.
5. Bright Colors
Black pants make the perfect neutral backdrop to showcase a pair of statement shoes or boots. You can wear any bright color of footwear to give your outfit a pop of wow.
If you are going for a colorful shoe with black pants, keep the rest of the outfit black or monochromatic, as in different shades of greys.
Whether they’re orange pumps, cobalt blue ankle boots, or lemon yellow strappy heels, let your shoes do the talking!
5. Clear Shoes
Clear shoes are kind of like nude shoes. They go with everything as well, and they let your dress be the center of attention. And like nude shoes, they also make your legs look longer and you don’t have to worry about matching accessories.
Clear shoes can be worn for both casual events and more formal, celebratory occasions, like birthday celebrations or a fancy night out.
But unlike nude shoes, which can work for even the most formal of occasions, clear shoes are not as appropriate for the more serious formal occasions.
Clear shoes are also definitely just a spring/summer thing.
6. Metallics
Metallic shoes look great with black pants and are best suited to more formal celebratory occasions, like a New Year’s Eve party, a fancy dinner date, or a girl’s night out.
They are, however, less appropriate for more professional or serious formal occasions, like the annual board meeting, a funeral, or a court appearance.
If you are wearing all black (or just black and white), then you can wear whatever metallic color you want – silver, gold, copper, champagne or rosegold, etc.
If you have other colors in your outfit or planning to wear jewelry, make sure they are in the same tonal range.
For an outfit with warm colors, go with shoes that are gold, copper, or a champagne color that leans more toward gold.
If you have cooler colors in your outfit, opt for shoes in silver, rose gold or a champagne color that leans more toward pink.
Conclusion
Any color of shoe or boot will go with black pants. But you need to choose not only the right color but the right shoe style for the occasion, the outfit, and the season. And make sure it’s something that YOU feel comfortable wearing!
Good luck!
