I have an 'assessment day' lined up with a tech contractor. I typically wear this sort of get-up when I'm trying to look professional - smart blue or white shirt with khakis and sometimes a tie. I'm sure it sounds informal to some but in my experience it's what people in my field look like. And a full-blown suit seems a little OTT given it's not a one-on-one interview.
My question is, what shoes do I wear with it? I usually wear boots, which doesn't get glances in academia but would probably look off in a professional setting. What sort of footwear matches this? Before anyone mentions it, despite my generally awful dress sense I'm aware of the cardinal rule of matching belt with shoes.
You can't go wrong with brown oxfords. They'll work with either a suit or business casual. Brogues are also a reasonable choice, but you'll want a fairly delicate pair, as a big chunky pair of country brogues will dress down the rest of your outfit. I wouldn't suggest derbies - they can work, but they're also very easy to get wrong.
>>6011 Thanks, I wasn't actually aware that black shoes and khakis was a bad combination. I typically wear Docs with mine, as I touched upon I've been in academia (in a computing department no less) where people don't typically have a refined dress sense so it's nice to get some useful advice. I have a smart brown belt that'll go with it, is it just me or does it look bad when brown shoes/belt have a lot of 'redness' to them? I always wonder if it looks cheap.
And now I'm worrying about this chap's input >>6012 . Will I look like a bastard in brown shoes?
Black is just a bit too formal for business casual, particularly the more casual end of business casual. You'll probably get away with it, but it looks a bit half-arsed to anyone with an eye for it. Black is usually OK if you're wearing dark tailored trousers and absolutely fine with any suit.
"Never trust a man in brown shoes" is just a daft old saying. They used to be uncouth about seventy years ago and are still seen as chavvy in the City of London, but the City has a lot of unique idiosyncrasies that mainly serve to discriminate against non-Etonians. If you're wearing a suit, never wear shoes that are lighter than the suit. Dark brown shoes are fine with medium grey and navy suits, but wrong with a charcoal or dark navy suit. Black suits are for funerals only.
A dark mahogany brown with a hint of red is fine and a deep oxblood is usually OK, but a lighter orange tint looks naff. Look for variation in colour and texture - cheap reconstituted leather has a uniform appearance that natural leather doesn't.
>>6014 >and are still seen as chavvy in the City of London, but the City has a lot of unique idiosyncrasies that mainly serve to discriminate against non-Etonians
Bit harsh lad, I only went to a shitty comprehensive. You're otherwise right about it being an unwritten dress-code rule in the City; see also, white shirts. Ugh.
>You're otherwise right about it being an unwritten dress-code rule in the City; see also, white shirts. Ugh.
This sort of thing makes me unreasonably angry, I'm glad I found a way to make too much money in a different career, I think I'd have drowned an investment banker in a toilet on a coke binge had I made a go of it in the City.
>>6014 So dark shoes are too formal for business-casual but also look half-arsed? I do have a nice, smart pair of black shoes - do I take it they should never be worn with khakis?
This isn't a square mile job and I doubt such snobbery would get in the way. My area is so full of dorks I half wonder if dressing a bit badly might even be an advantage since it makes you look more the part.
I mean, nobody is going to chase you out of town for wearing black dress shoes with chinos, it's just a bit gauche. You wouldn't wear patent leather dress shoes with distressed jeans - black dress shoes with chinos is just a milder version of that mismatch.
Just ordered these for the office - they look so comfy.
I'm in a senior tech role, in an office of similar, so nobody gives a fuck as long as I'm neither naked nor smelly.
I feel for you poor bastards with rules and expectations.
I'd ban you if I didn't already know who is the one man on this site capable of wearing such horrors.
I used to wear Crocs for work and honestly, they're not even that comfortable, so I don't get why people would wear the normal ones outside of a kitchen. Birkis were much better. I think a pair of Vans or similar is hard to beat for overall comfort, and they look okay too.
>>6021 Vans don't believe in wide feet, and going up enough sizes to be tolerable doesn't work well with their stiff soles. Clown-shoe ahoy.
I generally wear stuff with steel toecaps to disguise the fact that the front 2" of my shoes are empty.
I have quite wide feet and have found the 'actual' skate shoes from Vans are more accommodating. The least chunky, most sensible looking ones are the Half Cabs and they're my trainer of choice.
I accept that your feet are probably much wider than mine though, as I fit into a safety boot merely half a size up from my actual shoe size.
I don't have wide feet but my toe next to the big toe is bent and if I wear trainers which are too wide I have to keep my middle toenail extremely short or my bent toe presses into it all day until it draws blood. The only two pairs of trainers which have ever been wide enough to cause this are Nike Free Run 2 and these pale blue suede van skate shoes I bought in the early 2000s.
