Are you surfing the internet to decide what color to wear with your charcoal suit for formal occasions? 

If yes, then you are in the right place! We are here to help you out. 

Wearing black shoes is the most secure choice for formal events. The charcoal suit and black shoe combination never goes out of style.

Okay, then what about other colors of shoes to wear with a charcoal suit?

You can also go for lighter shades or slightly richer shades. A pair of dark brown shoes can also do wonders for your appearance as you head out for casual events.

Let's explore more about casual styles and what color shoes to wear with a charcoal suit.

How to Choose the Right Shoe Color For Your Charcoal Suit

Consider the occasion

The dress code is the most important consideration when choosing shoes to go with a suit. It is essential to dress up according to the occasion- whether it is a wedding reception or a business meeting- your suit and shoe colors will vary.

• Example:
• For most formal settings, you can wear black leather shoes or dark brown shoes with a charcoal suit.
• Shoes with lighter brown tones, as well as oxblood and burgundy shoes, can be worn in casual settings.
• A black suit looks chic and is a requirement for really formal situations where underdressing is a distinct possibility. Though black is the norm for formal gatherings, however, dark brown shoes are an acceptable substitute.
• Even though a charcoal suit does not favor a casual event, a two-piece suit is fine for more casual styles.
• If you are heading out to a wedding reception, wearing a charcoal suit with light brown or tan shoes would be an ideal choice.
• Darker suits with dark shades of oxblood or burgundy shoes are more suitable for social occasions. They work best in smart casual settings.
• Keep your black shoes and dark brown shoes for formal days.

Choose based on your personal style

When you wear suits, it speaks a lot about your personality and style. When you understand what to wear according to your occasion, what suit color and shoes to wear, it presents your elegance. It is important to know what to wear with a light gray suit, gray suit, blue suit, or navy suit, and what fits well in a brown shoes combination.

Complementing accessories

Choosing the right accessories will bring a good finish to your final look. Make sure to wear it according to your shoe style. A black tie will be a great match if you wear black shoes. A deep burgundy belt will enhance your look with pairing shoes. Bring smart casual settings to your look by wearing a watch.

Choose your Shoe Colors Wisely

Black Shoes

Black footwear is optimal for formal meetups. When dressing with such professionalism, the selection of dress shoes is also crucial. The combination of a charcoal suit and the black shoe is the pinnacle of professionalism in the office. It goes very well with business meetings, job interviews, and any black-tie wedding. 

Black Oxford shoes are among the most popular options for formal attire. Derby shoes are more casual than Oxford shoes but are still suitable for business environments. Oxford shoes are aesthetically pleasing due to their closed lacing system.

A pair with this level of formality is not essential when accessorizing charcoal suits. When in doubt, black shoes can never go wrong, especially with charcoal and the usual black suit. The safest bet is to dress in a pair of classic black shoes.

Burgundy Shoe

Burgundy is a deep and powerful hue of red. In more sophisticated yet still informal social settings, a charcoal grey suit with a crisp white shirt in a deep burgundy color looks great. It gives you a "relaxed" but still chic look to your overall dress-up.

Burgundy shoes or darker shades of brown can be too eye-catching to be used in business-professional environments. A dark shade and profound variety of red that distinguishes it from other similar colors is the bluish-purple color that also reads very clearly. The colors with a reddish-purple undertone give off an easygoing and friendly vibe.

They are a good choice if you want to make a charcoal suit look less formal and more casual, which is exactly what you might want to achieve.

Oxblood Leather Shoes

Similar to burgundy, oxblood is a deep crimson hue, a darker shade. Nonetheless, it has less of a purple hue and more of a dark brown hue.

For formal or casual settings, oxblood-colored shoes pair well with a charcoal suit. They are sufficiently deep shades that are appropriate for the majority of formal occasions. You can always appear more casual than dress shoes in black or dark browns. This is the reason why oxblood formal shoes are typically regarded as more elegant than burgundy ones.

However, darker tones of oxblood shoes suit better for semi-formal and smart-casual events. But, you can wear oxblood shoes with a charcoal suit to a formal event; if you are confident.

Shoe Material is Important

Choosing the appropriate shoes for your charcoal suit necessitates careful consideration of the dress code. Regardless of the hue, some shoe materials appear more casual than others. The contrast between a charcoal suit and dark brown cowhide shoes and dark brown suede shoes, for example, is remarkable. Suede shoes are more likely to be worn in a "smart-casual" setting.

Suede styles are the way to go if you want a more casual look with your suit. These suit fabrics are typically wrinkled and less shiny. Tweed, linen, corduroy, and chino are a few examples. For more formal events, shoes with a smooth, dark grain of leather, such as black or dark brown, are ideal. When wearing a formal worsted wool suit, dress shoes made of polished calfskin or cowhide are often more appropriate.

What not to wear with Charcoal Suits

Navy Shoes

A charcoal suit does not go well with the blue dress shoe. As charcoal is an intense shade of grey suit, it requires a formal look. Navy shoes are more likely to represent summer weddings and casual events. You can pair up your navy suit or light grey suit with navy shoes.

Light Brown Shoes

Brown shoes do not match well with a charcoal suit. It is not quite appealing to pair up a charcoal suit with brown shoes. Brown shoes put off a relaxed vibe and more casual styles. However, brown shoes look great with navy blue and light gray suits. It looks good when you pair a brown suit with dark brown shoes.

Tips for Wearing Shoes with a Charcoal Suit

• Keep it simple
• Consider the fit of the shoe
• Match the belt color with the shoe color
• Match shoes with other accessories
• Importance of maintaining proper shoe care