What Type of Denim
First let’s chat about the denim. In my opinion, darker denim is the best choice for dressing up. I’ve mentioned this in other videos, but the lighter wash the jeans are, the harder they are to dress up. The lighter the wash, the more casual the jeans are. And the more distressed the denim is, the more casual it is. I kind of compare it to sweatpants, and here’s what I mean. Imagine a scale that goes from sweatpants, all the way up to dark denim. Now. we’re probably not gonna wear nice oxfords with a pair of sweatpants. So, because it’s a lot harder to dress up something that casual, the question is, at what point along the scale CAN you start wearing dress shoes with jeans?
In terms of blue jeans, consider that the lighter the color is, the closer to sweatpants they are on that scale. Same goes for distressing. The more rips and wiskering, the more casual they are. As we move up the scale towards darker blue, the dressier we get and more appropriate we get in terms of dressing them up.
What Kind of Shoes?
Now, let’s talk about the shoes. There is such a thing as a casual dress shoe so let me elaborate on that. The more designs broguing the shoe has, the more casual it is. Here’s an example, all these little holes are what’s called Broguing. Some might simply call this pair of shoes Brown Brogues. Or this pair, Brown Wingtip Brogues. The overall message I want to send is that the more medallions and wingtips a shoe has, the more casual it is, and that makes it perfect to wear with jeans.
Oxford vs. Derby
Another thing I’d like to clarify is the difference between an Oxford and a Derby, (or Blutcher as some call it). The Oxford uses closed laces, where the Derby has open laces. Meaning the piece of leather with the lace holes is an extra section sewn on top like this. It allows you to be able to stick your finger up inside. Generally speaking, the Oxford will always be a more formal shoe than the Derby because of this design.
I Avoid Black
Next, I would personally avoid wearing black dress shoes with jeans, period. Now, this isn’t necessarily a hard-fast rule, but black dress shoes always have a look that’s way more formal than brown, even in the same exact shoe. Because they appear dressier and more formal, in my opinion, they don’t go with jeans as well because the whole thing just looks off and out of place. I just think it’s a little too much for jeans and since there’s so many options in Brown and Burgundy you can go with, there’s no need to wear black. Thanks for watching the video!
