Eric writes:
My problem seems almost too basic. I am having a problem finding a good pair of shoes for my new black jeans & pants. I generally wear casual clothing and generally in fall shades. I don’t have the money to buy shoes in every color that might match shirts I wear. The navy blue topsiders and brown Clarks that I own look awful with black pants. The most common shoe that I see with black jeans is black Adidas (Sambas, I think) and black Chuck Taylors. I find Chuck Taylors way too uncomfortable and I would do Sambas, but I am hoping you might know of a shoe that is casual, but not sneakers like my other shoes that goes well with black jeans. All the shoes I am finding that I like are a more natural fit for blue jeans or are white and might quickly get too dirty.
Something you learn quickly about black clothes is how difficult they are to match to anything. You buy them thinking they’re neutral, but they’re not. You can wear grays and whites and vary texture, but all of a sudden, you realize you have a black, grey and white outfit, and you’re desperately looking for a red scarf or something so you don’t look like an undertaker.
That said, black is the traditional color of going out at night, and of artsiness, so it isn’t without value. One shoe you can pair both with black jeans and trousers is a Chelsea boot. It’s not the kind of thing you would wear in a business context, but it could certainly be paired in the evening with your good jeans or with a pair of black or gray trousers.
