What Color Socks Should You Wear With Brown Shoes?

You’ve picked out a nice pair of brown shoes, but what color socks do you wear with them? The exact answer depends on the rest of your outfit, the occasion, and your personal sense of style. However, there are some general sock-shoe pairings that are always acceptable. Keep reading to learn what socks go with brown dress shoes and how to style them for a wedding, work, or a casual event. We even got expert insight from professional stylists Melissa Young, Nejla Renee, and Anouska Dannin on coordinating your socks and shoes with your outfit.

Picking Socks for Brown Shoes: Quick Tips

Color analysis expert Anoushka Dannin recommends pairing brown shoes with warm-colored, patterned socks. “Maybe a warm burgundy,” says Dannin, or earth tones like olive or brown. You can also try a neutral (e.g., gray, navy, khaki) or bolder purple or blue. When in doubt, match your sock to your trouser—not your shoe.

Section 1 of 7:

15 Best Socks to Wear with Brown Dress Shoes

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Wear gray socks with brown shoes for a neutral pairing. If you’re wearing a gray suit or gray trousers with brown shoes, ground the two neutral tones with a pair of gray socks.
- Trouser color: Light or dark gray
- Sock color: Fossil or charcoal gray
- Shoe color: Cognac, walnut, bronze, or medium brown
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Wear brown socks with brown shoes for a monochromatic look. Brown goes with brown, as long as the tones aren’t clashing. If you’re wearing a brown suit or brown pants with your brown shoes, commit to the monochromatic style with a pair of brown socks that are near the shade of your trousers.^{[1]
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- Trouser color: Mocha, caramel, or chocolate brown
- Sock color: Caramel or sepia
- Shoe color: Caramel or coffee (mid-brown)
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Wear blue socks with brown shoes for a colorful contrast. If you’re wearing light blue or blue trousers, accent them with light or mid-blue socks. Blue and brown are both colors associated with formalwear and sophistication. A calm blue sock with a brown shoe offers an interesting contrast without being ostentatious.^{[2]
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- Trouser color: Light blue or blue (not navy)
- Sock color: Light or mid-blue
- Shoe color: Tan or chestnut
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Wear olive-green socks with brown shoes for an earthy look. Green and brown are both earth tones, and work great when styling an outfit for autumn, notes Young.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Melissa Young
Freelance Fashion Stylist

Expert Interview} While it’s generally recommended to match your sock to your trouser, if you’re not wearing olive-green pants, olive-green socks are still an option. Pair with coke-brown trousers, or with chinos for a casual outing.^{[4]
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- Trouser color: Green, beige, or coke brown
- Sock color: Olive green
- Shoe color: Tan, caramel, or coke
5
Wear khaki socks with brown shoes for a simple pairing. If you’re wearing a brown suit, brown shoes, and brown socks, try to disrupt the monotony by varying the shades of brown. A khaki-colored sock paired with slightly darker trousers and shoes is a safe, no-stress combination perfect for spring or summertime events.
- Trouser color: Sandy brown or tan
- Sock color: Khaki
- Shoe color: Tan
- Bonus Tip: Texture is another way to add variety to a monochrome outfit.^{[5]
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  Research source} For example, wear a corduroy suit with brown oxfords, or wear brogues with a wool suit.
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Jordan Stolch
Image Consultant & Style Advisor
Jordan Stolch is an Image Strategist, Style Advisor, and the Founder of MiKADO - a concierge personal styling firm. With over a decade of experience, Jordan specializes in helping people eliminate the confusion and insecurities associated with how to dress in order to build a powerful image and use clothing to their strategic advantage. Jordan trains entrepreneurs, business leaders, and corporate executives in the foundations of "power dressing", from some of the country's preeminent companies such as Morgan Stanley, Deloitte, Berkshire Hathaway, Universal Music Group, Starbucks, and Disney. She works with clients both in-person and virtually, teaching them how to take the confusion out of style so they can operate at a higher level. Jordan earned her BA in Psychology from the University of Waterloo and studied Merchandise Marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIDM).

Jordan Stolch
Image Consultant & Style Advisor

If you don’t like dress shoes, try brogues. A brogue is a nice step down from a really polished dress shoe. It keeps a suit feeling a bit more fresh and everyday. It’s not so formal, but it's still really polished.
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Wear navy socks with brown shoes in fall and winter. Navy suits and trousers are common for the workplace and dressier occasions like weddings. “If the suit is navy, then the socks should complement it,” advises Renee.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Nejla Renee
Fashion Stylist & Image Consultant

Expert Interview} Wear navy socks and medium- or dark-brown shoes for the best match.
- Trouser color: Navy
- Sock color: Navy (doesn’t have to be an exact match)
- Shoe color: Mahogany or hickory
- Fun Fact: It used to be taboo to wear brown shoes with blue pants or on any formal occasion, resulting in the Victorian-era saying, “No brown in town.” However, many people pull off the pairing of brown shoes and blue trousers at formal events today.^{[7]
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Wear burgundy socks with brown shoes for rich, subtle contrast. The warmth of a red shade like burgundy helps bring out the red undertones in certain brown shoes.^{[8]
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Research source} If you’re planning to wear shoes in a reddish-brown or auburn-tinted shade like cognac, copper, or mahogany, make a bold move with a burgundy sock. Pair with any dark-colored trouser (besides black).
- Trouser color: Chocolate brown or navy
- Sock color: Burgundy
- Shoe color: Cognac, copper, or mahogany
8
Wear purple socks with brown shoes to stand out. For casual evening events, consider donning a rich purple sock with your favorite pair of medium- or dark-brown shoes. The unusual color choice suits brown more than bright shades like yellow or pink. Add another purple detail on your tie or a casual purple jacket to tie everything together.^{[9]
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- Trouser color: Khaki, corduroy brown, or charcoal gray
- Sock color: Dark purple or plum
- Shoe color: Burnished brown or bordeaux
- Bonus Tip: Save this bold sock-and-shoe combination for occasions where streetwear or statement outfits are appropriate, like outings with friends or casual parties.
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Wear orange socks with brown shoes for a warm look. While it’s unlikely you’ll wear orange pants, orange socks work with pants in the orange color family that are closer to yellow or brown. If you choose to match your socks with your tie or pocket square, pair them with neutral pants in gray or white.^{[10]
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- Trouser color: Brown with orange undertones, gray, or white
- Sock color: Bright or deep orange
- Shoe color: Cognac or copper
10
Wear pink socks with brown shoes for a bright statement. If you’re attending an event with a pastel dress code, consider pink socks as a perfect way to fit the theme. Go for a full-on monochrome look with a pink suit and brown shoes, or tone things down by wearing pink socks with gray pants.^{[11]
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- Trouser color: Pink or gray
- Sock color: Salmon or rose
- Shoe color: Chili or medium brown
11
Wear teal socks with brown shoes for a refreshing look. Teal is a blue-green color, meaning it combines two of the common color options to pair with brown shoes. Because it’s calm and soft, but also colorful, it works with various pants colors like green, blue, and dark gray.^{[12]
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- Trouser color: Spearmint, baby blue, or dark gray
- Sock color: Teal
- Shoe color: Chocolate or dark brown
12
Wear mustard socks with brown shoes to match undertones. Shades of brown have warm undertones, ranging from yellow to red. Bring out the warmth in your shoes by wearing mustard socks.^{[13]
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Research source} Pair the socks with a neutral trouser in gray, brown, or dark yellow.
- Trouser color: Gray, brown, or yellow
- Sock color: Mustard
- Shoe color: Cognac or copper
13
Wear red socks with brown shoes for a romantic look. Opt for red-orange socks that add a pop of color and passion to dark purple or gray trousers. Alternatively, pair brick-red socks with a dusty brown-green hue like ebony.^{[14]
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Research source} Complement your red socks with a brown shoe that has red undertones.^{[15]
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- Trouser color: Eggplant, charcoal gray, or ebony (green)
- Sock color: Red-orange or brick red
- Shoe color: Mahogany, chili, or bordeaux
14
Wear patterned socks with brown shoes for a playful look. Wearing brown dress shoes doesn’t have to be stuffy. Pick a striped, polka-dot, or argyle-pattern sock to add a touch of whimsy to a casual going-out look. As for what color patterned sock works with brown shoes, consider any of the above—just match the intensity of the sock with the right pants and pick your shoes from there. Also, avoid clashing patterns—if you’re wearing patterned trousers, wear a solid-color sock, and vice versa.
- Trouser color: Any color but black
- Sock color: Any color but black or white
- Shoe color: Any shade of brown
- Bonus Tip: Patterns involve classic motifs like stripes or polka dots. Novelty socks feature quirky icons like cacti, beer mugs, and tacos.^{[16]
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  Research source} Stick to patterns when going out of the house, not novelty socks.
15
Go sockless with brown shoes to channel casual comfort. For decades, celebrities have set the trend by going without socks on the red carpet. You don’t have to be famous to skip socks, as long as the event you’re attending is casual and the weather’s warm enough.^{[17]
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Research source} If you’re not ready to commit to putting bare feet in your nicest brown shoes, wear no-show socks.
- Trouser color: Khaki or gray
- Sock color: Not applicable
- Shoe color: Tan, camel, or caramel

Section 2 of 7:

Matching Your Socks & Shoes to the Occasion

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Stick to neutral and traditional socks for formal occasions. If you’re attending a wedding or other formal event that calls for cocktail, dressy casual, semi-formal, or formal attire, keep your socks neutral. Go for gray, navy, khaki, brown, or olive-green socks that complement your suit or trousers. Add brown dress shoes of the appropriate medium or dark shade.^{[18]
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- As a general rule, wear darker brown shoes on formal occasions—unless the dress code specifically calls for a pastel or light-colored theme.
- “If you are wearing brown shoes, you should have a matching brown belt,” adds Renee.^{[19]
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  Expert Source
  
  Nejla Renee
  Fashion Stylist & Image Consultant
  
  Expert Interview} This small detail helps your overall outfit look polished and thoughtfully put together.
When you’re on vacation, going out with friends, or attending a casual daytime event, feel free to pair your brown shoes with colorful socks. Hues like burgundy and light blue work nicely with brown, as do patterned socks featuring hints of copper, green, or purple.^{[20]
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Even if brown shoes fit your personal aesthetic, some dress codes demand black shoes. Specifically, a formal dress code like black tie or white tie requires men to wear black dress shoes.^{[21]
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Section 3 of 7:

Do you match socks to your pants or shoes?

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Match your socks to your pants to lengthen your silhouette. While there’s some debate on the topic, traditionally, the common advice is to match your socks to your trousers. The reasoning is that this helps lengthen your silhouette by extending the line of the trouser past the hem, to the shoe—meaning you look taller. It also helps the eye transition from fabric to footwear.^{[22]
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- Wearing socks that match your shoes could result in a look resembling a boot, and shorten your visual line.
- Wear brown socks with brown shoes when your trousers are also brown or a lighter shade like khaki. Try not to match exactly. It’s more interesting to look at slightly different shades.

Section 4 of 7:

Can you wear black socks with brown shoes?

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You can wear black socks with brown shoes, though it’s uncommon. One of the older rules of menswear is to avoid mixing black socks and brown shoes.^{[23]
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Research source} But if you want to go outside the norm, feel free to wear black socks with brown shoes and a dark trouser. For most formal occasions, switch to black shoes or wear charcoal gray socks instead of black ones.
- If you’re planning to wear black socks with brown shoes, stick to medium or dark brown shoes, such as chestnut or hickory.

Section 5 of 7:

Can you wear white socks with brown shoes?

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You can wear white socks with brown shoes in casual situations. White socks are seen as athletic and, therefore, not popular in terms of formalwear. However, you can get away with wearing white socks and brown shoes if your outing is casual. Just pair them with light-brown shoes and light-colored trousers, such as beige chinos or light-wash jeans.
- For dressy events, swap white socks for a khaki, tan, or camel color instead.

Section 6 of 7:

What to Avoid

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Avoid wearing athletic socks to formal or dressy events. Wear athletic socks to the gym, the grocery store, and any other low-key place that lacks a dress code.^{[24]
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Research source} In the workplace, they could be seen as unprofessional. They’re also too casual for most events and could stand out awkwardly when you’re wearing a suit or slacks.
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Don’t wear socks with obvious holes or tears. Before selecting a pair of socks to wear with your brown shoes, try them on and examine them for holes or tears. It’s fine to wear slightly holey socks around the house, but when you’re dressing up, you want to look as polished as possible.
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Avoid wearing socks that are below mid-calf if you don’t want to show skin. Most dress socks are mid-calf and made of a thin material so they fit under a tapered ankle and won’t show skin when you cross your legs. Unless you’re going for the sockless look, make sure your socks are at least mid-calf to avoid an awkward ankle or calf exposure.^{[25]
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Section 7 of 7:

Sock, Pant, & Shoe Matching Cheat Sheet

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Wear navy socks with navy pants and brown shoes. Follow the general rule of matching your socks to your trousers by pairing navy with navy. The socks don’t have to exactly match your trouser color—a slightly different shade adds visual interest.
Wear gray socks with a gray suit and brown shoes. Pick charcoal gray socks if your suit is dark gray. If it’s light gray, opt for a lighter hue for your socks, like smoke gray. Be sure the color of your shoes similarly complements the brightness of your outfit.
Wear beige or no-show socks with white pants and brown shoes. With a white suit or white trousers, you can get away with going sockless—especially in the summertime. If you’d prefer to wear socks with your brown shoes, choose a beige or tan color that’s lighter than your shoe color for the best match.
Wear light blue socks with a blue suit and brown shoes. Find blue socks in a color that’s close to that of your suit. Take care that your socks aren’t much lighter than your pants’ color, or they could create a jarring contrast. Socks a shade or two lighter are ideal.
Wear navy or brown socks with jeans and brown shoes. If you’re wearing regular denim jeans, wear a navy sock to elongate your legs and create the illusion of height. For any other jean color or wash, find brown socks that match the brightness or darkness of the jeans. Your socks probably won’t be showing like they would be with dress pants, anyway, since jeans often cover the ankle.

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Don’t be afraid to try something different when pairing socks with brown shoes. Wear what makes you feel confident and reflects your personality.

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