Don't You Step On My Blue Suede Shoes!

"You can do anything, but lay off my blue suede shoes!"

The King wasn't wrong to be protective of his blue suede shoes: They're a classic choice that always bring out something special in your outfits. Not only that, but they never get quite as much attention as they deserve; so they never run the risk of being "overdone."

We love our blue shoes as much as Elvis did, so we want to share two of our favorite ways to wear this less-than-common piece. We'll start with...

As seen above, blue shoes pair beautifully with a classic khaki, which opens up a lot of options for your cotton chinos as well as sand / khaki jeans and dress trousers.

The easiest blue and khaki outfit combination tends to be blue "heavy," involving a navy blazer and white or light blue shirt.

Choice of tie and pocket square can be the deciding factor in such an outfit: Blue choices here commit you to an overall "blue" outfit, while tie/square choice complementary to the khaki pants (such as mid brown, burgundy, or even green) will result in a more evenly balanced outfit.

 OPTION 2: TONAL BLUES

Do you really love blue? We certainly do, which is why we often go all the way! Blue shoes can be paired tonally with classic blue jeans or dress trousers for a total blue look, without looking as "on purpose" as a more niche all-brown look.

As with the khaki outfits seen above, the final effect will be decided in the details: Smaller pieces such as your shirt, tie, pocket square -- and notably your socks -- will decide if you totally dive into the deep blue pool, or pull back a bit.

See for example the blue suede loafers seen below, worn with burgundy socks that have blue undertones -- an excellent complement to a burgundy tie and / or pocket square, to give more color and balance to the outfit.