Matching your Leather Jacket and Shoes

[Bern1]

For me, belt and shoes have to match. For the rest, including the jacket, not that much thought goes into it. Sometimes a quick glance in the mirror to double check, but otherwise I don't mind black with brown. My wife prefers my black jackets but I personally don't want only black stuff, too monotone, love some brown and russet to mix it up.

Curiously, sometimes I am sensitive to the watch band, most often if I have short sleeve shirt. I have been known to change the watch I am wearing if it looks off.

 

[ton312]

This may draw some hate or laughs but....I wear chuck t's almost all the time. I have a couple pair of boots for riding but mainly I go with black or grey chucks

 

[eugenesque]

I'm quite old school. Belts and shoes have to match in terms of general colour. Regarding jackets, I think it somehow looks okay wearing a brown jacket with black dress pants and black shoes.

 

[Seb Lucas]

This may draw some hate or laughs but....I wear chuck t's almost all the time. I have a couple pair of boots for riding but mainly I go with black or grey chucks

Are chucks those 2 tone running shoe thingies that Converse make?

 

[ton312]

Are chucks those 2 tone running shoe thingies that Converse make?

Standard issue canvas tennis shoe with cap rubber toe. My only other weakness besides leather jackets, craft beer and red meat.

 

[belfastboy]

I have a hybrid answer. I own a pair of Danner boots, black leather with brown (russett) suede side panels. I wear them with my black Hercules jacket with the contrasting brown stitching. Topping it off I wear a brown/russet toned fedora. It works for me

 

[Glenville86]

Belt & boots match. Jacket & hat match. Sometimes all 4 match...JMHO

Agree with this. Belt and boots. Jacket and hat. No jacket, match the hat with belt and boots.

 

[bn1966]

I don't even think about it

 

[Monitor]

I don't even think about it

Ditto. And I don't plan to.

 

[tropicalbob]

This may draw some hate or laughs but....I wear chuck t's almost all the time. I have a couple pair of boots for riding but mainly I go with black or grey chucks

I always thought sneakers looked fine with any leather jacket. Never even thought about it. The kind of thing I've run into, though, is when I wear my brown LHB with a tie, sweater vest, trousers and wingtips, or something similar, and somebody's got to make a negative comment about it. Worse thing you can do is try to explain something to morons, so I just say,"i kind of like the way it looks." My old man used to say, "Never argue with an idiot, it just brings you down to their level." Great piece of advice.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I always thought sneakers looked fine with any leather jacket. Never even thought about it. The kind of thing I've run into, though, is when I wear my brown LHB with a tie, sweater vest, trousers and wingtips, or something similar, and somebody's got to make a negative comment about it. Worse thing you can do is try to explain something to morons, so I just say,"i kind of like the way it looks." My old man used to say, "Never argue with an idiot, it just brings you down to their level." Great piece of advice.

This I totally agree with. When you have sneakers on, it automatically means you don't need to be matchy matchy at all.

 

[Monitor]

I always thought sneakers looked fine with any leather jacket. Never even thought about it. The kind of thing I've run into, though, is when I wear my brown LHB with a tie, sweater vest, trousers and wingtips, or something similar, and somebody's got to make a negative comment about it. Worse thing you can do is try to explain something to morons, so I just say,"i kind of like the way it looks." My old man used to say, "Never argue with an idiot, it just brings you down to their level." Great piece of advice.

What do they say??

 

[Seb Lucas]

This I totally agree with. When you have sneakers on, it automatically means you don't need to be matchy matchy at all.

The only issue of for me is I don't wear sneakers. I simply hate the look. All I see is Jerry Seinfeld in 1990. It's my own personal cross to bear.

 

[jacketjunkie]

I match shoes with belt, but only when both are leather. Don't mind wearing a brown belt to grey sneakers.

Matching shoes with jacket? No.. why would you? You don't wear blue shoes to a blue suit either, do you? I actually like the look of brown boots to a black leather jacket better than both black. Both black is too biker-ish/highway police-ish for my casual environment, feels too much for me. Both brown can look good but in most cases the two leathers will have different shades of brown and it will look forced, imho.

 

[Edward]

How does burgandy/cordovan/oxblood shoes/boots look with a brown leather jacket? Is it best to stick to straight brown footwear with brown leather jackets?

Cordovan/oxblood I wear with both black and brown - as well as itself. Always works. It's the Universal Colour.

The biggest nono for me is Black and Tan. The Ancestral Voices don't like it.

The only issue of for me is I don't wear sneakers. I simply hate the look. All I see is Jerry Seinfeld in 1990. It's my own personal cross to bear.

Wore 'em for years, preferred leather boots for much of my undergraduate career, then went back to Converse until the Nike buyout.... I think the last time I bought a pair of anything close to sneakers was probably in 2005, which was a couple of pairs of TUK Creepers with a sneaker-type sole. Still have one of them somewhere. These days, in all honesty, I'm much more comfortable in a decent leather shoe with a goodyear welted sole than any sneaker. I guess the closest I get to the latter are a couple of pairs of penny loafers. Wouldn't go near slip on shoes for most of my life, but when I bought a pair a year and a half ago just for convenience when flying, it was a revelation. Now they're a real go-to in Summer.

 

[OceanBreeze]

Sneakers look a bit odd with a high end leather jacket, but I suppose it could be done once in a while. I usually wear leather shoes or boots with mine. Brown and black are both neutral colors that go well with almost anything, so IMHO wearing black boots with a brown jacket or brown boots with a black one is no big deal.

I wear several very nice belts including Saddleback, bullhide, and Will's leather but I almost never tuck my shirt in so the belt is not terribly visible. If visible, the same rules would apply as shoes.

Just my 2 cents, but I'm wondering what some true jacket aficionados have to say about this.

 

[ProteinNerd]

I often split the difference between sneakers and leather shoes/boots and just wear a pair of leather converse....

 

[hccbo]

Matching is a myth. Just one of those Urban legends we all heard in middle School. Right around the same time we thought it was a no brainer to buy a shirt and tie in the same box because they MATCHED

 

[dudewuttheheck]

The only issue of for me is I don't wear sneakers. I simply hate the look. All I see is Jerry Seinfeld in 1990. It's my own personal cross to bear.

It depends on the sneakers. Wear something clean and classic like Vans or Chucks and they look nice. Where New Balance or something similar and you are instantly Jerry.

 

[Edward]

I always thought sneakers looked fine with any leather jacket. Never even thought about it. The kind of thing I've run into, though, is when I wear my brown LHB with a tie, sweater vest, trousers and wingtips, or something similar, and somebody's got to make a negative comment about it. Worse thing you can do is try to explain something to morons, so I just say,"i kind of like the way it looks." My old man used to say, "Never argue with an idiot, it just brings you down to their level." Great piece of advice.

Depends on the jacket and the rest of the outfit for me, really. Although I've not worn a pair of sneakers in probably a decade or more, I'm a big fan of the lancer-front leather jacket and Chuck Taylors look: it's the Ramones uniform. Always looks good. My non-MC style leathers have been worn with denims as well as more dressy trousers. I like them with all permutations - though I do especially love that 30s/40s look you describe, where the leather jacket takes the place of the sports jacket. That seems to be one that throws a lot of people nowadays who aren't used to seeing leather worn with anything other than denim, and certainly not a collar and tie.