The Pocket Tomboy’s Guide to Wearing Multi-Colored Shoes


 

Today's blog post is a guest post written by Layne Crawford a.k.a. The Pocket Tomboy, a blogger and fashion consultant who has earned a coveted spot on DapperQ’s 100 Most Stylish list for 2017. Their mission is to help folks feel good about themselves through fashion and have fun while doing it. You can follow them on Instagram @thepockettomboy or on Facebook.

 

 

Even if you consider yourself a fashion newbie, you probably can come up with decent outfits with solid black or brown shoes - but what if a multi-colored pair catches your eye? People really notice what you have on your feet, and multi-colored shoes make a statement about the wearer before onlookers even glance at the rest of the outfit. Although multi-colored shoes (especially dress shoes) can be a bit intimidating to wear, I’m here to tell you that you can rock ‘em in many ways, from more casual looks to black tie affairs.

 


Think of the pieces that make up your outfit as if they were each characters in a big budget superhero flick. Your shirt, pants, socks, accessories, and shoes should all create that same sort of cohesive synergy between them, each supporting and complementing one another. When wearing multi-colored shoes, those shoes become the Captain America of your outfit (or Superman, if you’re a DC person). It's all about maintaining balance.

 

The Falconers in Peregrine Brown have a combination of mocha, mahogany, black, and cream: an easy go-to would be to pair with them with black chinos or black denim (for more casual looks). Because of the Peregrine Brown’s autumnal color palette, bring out your inner Hemmingway and go with a classic Fishermen’s sweater in beige or bone. If you don’t have one of these iconic sweaters in your dresser, I highly suggest picking one up. They can be had at every price point to fit whatever your budget is - not to mention the fact that often high quality, handmade vintage ones can be lurking in your local thrift store. 

When opting for black denim, you can go more casual on top. I like the look of Fred Perry’s Bold Tipped Polo shirt in black. The white tipping breaks up the monochromatic look of the outfit so you’re not all in black like your days as a middle school goth kid - not to mention the fact that it plays well with the cream in the Peregrine Brown Falconers in a way that gives the outfit some 1960s mod inspiration.


For late summer or early fall, go lighter on the bottom with cream, light khaki, or dark khaki chinos. Hunter Green is a color that sometimes gets forgotten about, but I love the preppy look of it when pairing it with khaki. Although this dress shirt does have an all-over pattern, it will not distract from the Peregrine Brown Falconers. You can play with small patterns on top when wearing multi-colored shoes, but I would avoid anything loud like bold vertical or horizontal stripes and paisley prints. Pin dots and foulard patterns get my seal of approval, and that’s both for shirts and neckwear.



I live in Florida, so in the summer (and let's face it, the majority of the year) when I’m not at work, I’m wearing shorts. Sure, most of the time when I’m wearing shorts, I’m trying to be cool and casual, but I also enjoy dressing up shorts for brunch dates. The Falconers in Kestrel Tan are great for wearing with shorts. Ditch the jorts, cutoffs, and cargos and go for a pair of slim-fitting chino shorts. Because of the Kestrel Tan’s lighter tones, you can play with a lot of different colors. Of course, light khaki and navy shorts will pair well, but you can also experiment with light pink. With light pink or khaki shorts, I’d go for a navy or white linen shirt (Sleeves rolled up to show some forearm), tucked in with a light brown braided leather belt, or for added flair a preppy needlepoint or embroidered belt with a whimsical pattern like this one by Smathers & Branson or this one from J. Crew Factory that is much more affordable. I’m personally not into showing socks when I’m wearing my Falconers with shorts, so I always wear no-show socks to have that sockless look without having my feet getting sweaty and gross. 


A Chambray suit with a white shirt is a staple for warm-weather weddings, garden parties, and even proms, and although this is a classic, put-together look, it tends to lack personality. The color-blocking on the Falconers in Kestrel Tan is perfect to pair with a light chambray suit and will give this simple look a huge boost in character.


You don’t need to be someone who obsessively reads GQ or marathons episodes of Queer Eye to know that black dress shoes are a wardrobe staple. What you might not know is that a tonal shoe like the Falconers in Raven Black is even more versatile. Of course, they look fabulous with more conservative styles, but they’re a shoe that can carry you from the boardroom to the bar. For more dressed-up looks, I like the Falconers in Raven Black paired with a grey check patterned suit, but casual styles are where you can really experiment with these shoes. Everyone looks a hell of a lot cooler in a leather jacket that fits them properly. Pin roll a pair of grey or faded black jeans, pop on a leather (or vegan leather) jacket over a white tee and you’ve easily upped your badass quotient. When you pin roll denim, you’re showing off your shoes and your socks - this is the time when you can let your funky side out with some patterned socks.



It doesn’t matter if you want to capitalize on the recent colorful and chunky dad shoe sneaker trend with a pair of Adidas Yung-96 or you want to wear a more sophisticated dress shoe like the Falconers in Peregrine Brown, Kestrel Tan, or Raven Black - when you bring multiple pops of color on to your feet, you have a lot of style options... just remember to keep your wacky, Weird Al-esque floral button-downs in your closet.



Looking for more great fashion tips? Read our other articles like The Pocket Tomboy's Top Five Dapper Fashion Don'ts or The Tomboy's Guide to Dressing Better. 
Ready to go shopping for some shoes that will take your wardrobe up a notch? You can check out the Falconers here or browse the full Tomboy Toes collection of masculine dress shoes in smaller sizes meant for women, trans men, and non-binary people with smaller feet.

 


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