What color shoes to wear with khaki pants?
What color shoes to wear with khaki pants? Khaki pants are a men’s wardrobe staple and a great casual alternative to jeans. But what color shoes can you wear with khaki?
While brown is the hottest shoe color to wear with khakis, it’s not your only option. Other great shoe colors to pair with khakis are burgundy, navy or white. You can also go with different colors of sneakers , since khaki is a neutral. On the other hand, black shoes should not be your first choice.
Below, we’ll discuss the best color shoes to wear with khaki pants, why they work so well, and what you should keep in mind when pairing the right shoes with your pants.
Note: This article may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and buy something, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to me. All opinions are my own.
The Best Combination: Khaki pants with brown shoes
Your best bet is to wear brown boots with khaki pants. Khaki itself is a lighter shade of brown, and the easiest way to match your shoes is to stay within the color family. This is not only the easiest combo, but also the most attractive.
Wearing a classy brown dress shoe with khaki pants creates a cohesive, well-thought-out look. You look like you know what you are doing. (Whereas, pairing black shoes with khaki pants usually seems like a mistake. More on that later.
Tip: Make sure you match your brown shoes with a brown belt!
medium brown boots with khaki
One of my favorite combinations with khaki dress pants is leather cognac shoes, but other medium browns like chestnut or copper look great.
dark brown shoes with khaki
A deep chocolate brown makes for a great contrast with your khaki pants. Whether you go with a pair of work boots or a classy pair of dress shoes, dark brown is a great choice.
light brown shoes with khaki
Beige shoes, brown shoes, or light colored shoes can also look good, provided you have at least some contrast between the shoes and the pants. Otherwise, the leg will look like it’s lengthened into a leg.
The Runner Up: Oxblood/Burgundy Shoes
It should come as no surprise that oxblood and burgundy are the next best shoes to wear with khaki trousers. They are Brown’s closest cousins!
They are both deep shades of red that pair exceptionally well with light browns like khaki. They are often mistaken for each other, but they have important differences. Burgundy has more purple undertones (and is often described as a purplish red), while oxblood is usually darker and leans more toward brown on the color spectrum.
Navy Shoes with Khaki Pants
One of the biggest staples in men’s style is pairing khaki pants with a navy blazer. Clearly, they would pair equally well with navy shoes – especially for casual wear.
Navy and khaki are complementary colors, which is why the colors go so well together. They provide a perfect eye-catching contrast.
Pair your khakis with navy suede loafers or boat shoes for a preppy look. Alternatively, wear navy plimsolls for something more casual.
white sneakers with khaki pants
Go for a more casual outfit and wear your favorite white sneakers with khaki chino pants. White sneakers and khakis are both one of the most versatile wardrobe essentials that you can match with almost anything, including each other.
Bonus points if your white sneakers are looking a little worn (but not overly torn).
Of course, you wouldn’t wear this to the office (unless they have a casual dress code), but it’s a great look for any casual occasion.
Comment: When you wear white sneakers with khaki pants, you don’t need to match the belt to your shoes. Rather, I suggest you choose a brown belt that is slightly darker than the pants, or a canvas belt.
Colorful sneakers with khaki pants
You can also go with colored sneakers for a youthful casual look. Red, green, and blue shoes can work especially well with khaki chinos. However, the color of the shoes should match the rest of your outfit.
An easy way to wear colorful sneakers with khakis?
Keep the rest of the outfit neutral. For example, if you wear red shoes with your khakis, you can wear a simple white shirt or gray T-shirt. Alternatively, wear another item in the same color family as your shoes, such as a green shoe with a green T-shirt. (Don’t obsess about being matchy-matchy, though.)
You may also like to know:
Should You Wear Black Boots With Khaki Pants?
For ages, one of those unwritten style rules was not to wear khakis with black dress shoes. However, many of the old style rules have been rewritten or tossed in the trash.
So how to wear black boots with khaki pants ?
OK, most people shouldn’t be trying this combination. They are not the best shoes to wear with khakis.
Unless your fashion eye is the most finicky, this combination is a potential recipe for disaster. Guys, the risk/reward ratio is heavily tilted towards risk here. Essentially, there’s about a 99% chance that black boots with khaki trousers will look awful. If you’re one of the 1% who does, the dress will still look better with brown shoes.
In fact, when you wear black leather boots with khakis, you will mostly look like you don’t have a pair of brown boots and are getting by with what you have.
You’ve been warned, but if you still want to try it, keep the following tips in mind:
- Pairing black shoes with khaki is safer, with khaki being more earthy in appearance.
- This works best with flashy shoes that are okay with being the center of attention.
- Black shoes work better with light colored rather than dark khaki pants. (Though still not ideal.)
- Black loafers or moccasins are safe because your skin acts as a buffer between the shoe and the khaki pant leg. For this reason, you can easily wear black shoes with khaki shorts.
- Black sneakers can be fine, especially when paired with a black shirt.
- Don’t wear black stockings with khaki pants. Match your socks to your pants, not your shoes. A darker shade of brown would work better.
With that said, if you have any other shoe option available from this list, I would highly suggest choosing that one instead. Your black shoes will look even better with black pants.
What Kind of Shoes Should You Wear With Khakis?
The world is your oyster, my friend. Khakis work with any kind of shoe. Some great combinations are with:
- brogues
- loafers
- Chukka shoes
- chelsea boots
- plimsolls
- monk strap shoes
- sneakers
What socks should you wear with khaki pants?
You may have heard that you should match your socks to your pants and not your shoes. So does this mean you should wear khaki socks?
The truth is that your socks don’t have to match your pants exactly, but they should complement them. The standard is to be one shade darker than your pants, so you would opt for a darker shade of brown in this case.
If you’re wearing navy, white, or colored shoes, you can also choose a patterned sock that blends both colors. This can sound incredibly flattering. For example, if you wear white shoes, your sock might have a gray argyle pattern with white stripes. If you wear navy shoes, your socks may have a navy-brown stripe pattern.
Also, if you are wearing brown shoes with khakis, you can also have some fun with it and wear a contrasting color like olive, red or purple.
So… what color shoes with khaki pants?
Ultimately, the choice is yours. Brown is a safe and flattering option, but any other shoe on this list will make a great match with your khaki pants.
Though burgundy can give your look a bit more panache than typical browns. The combination of navy and khaki will never let you down. And don’t be afraid to wear your favorite white or colored sneakers.
Khaki is versatile enough to go with just about anything (besides black).
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