Green shoes are a particularly unusual color that tends to be found among artisanal shoe brands. As they’re quite rare, it’s often difficult to know how to coordinate them with other trouser colors.
However, this guide will provide you with everything you need to know so you can match your green shoes with trousers:
- Green Shoe Coordination Overview
- Matching Green Shoes With Different Trouser Colors
- Printable Shoe & Trouser Coordination Download
Either scroll down to read more or use the links above to jump ahead. Meanwhile, head to the menu below if you want to see other color coordination guides.
Matching Trousers With Green Shoes Overview
As we move away from the classic colors of black, various browns, and burgundy, we enter a world of colorful footwear. There’s a trade-off to be had at this point: while we gain colorfulness, uniqueness, and variety, we lose versatility.
It’s important to note that uncommonly-colored shoes cannot be worn with everything or at anytime, unlike black or brown shoes. Green shoes fall under “uncommon” for sure.
If you are just starting to build a shoe wardrobe, we kindly redirect you to read up on how to pair black, dark brown, light brown, and burgundy shoes. You can find these guides in the menu above. If you’re looking to expand, let’s talk about green shoes!
Not all greens are created equal. There’s loden, bottle green, kelly green, mint, and a host of others. Diving into each shade available is beyond the scope of even this article, but we’ll do our best to remind you how important it is to consider hue when getting dressed.
Be selective when buying green shoes. Even a cursory look on the Internet tells us that there’s a host of garbage out there.
NOTE: There are exceptions to every rule.
Use your good judgement, and feel free to leave us a comment if you have questions!
Read on for full explanations and reasoning of the above coordination suggestions. Or, click here to go see our Ultimate Shoe & Trouser Color Coordination Matrix showcasing how to match any color shoes with any color trousers.
How To Coordinate Green Shoes With Different Trousers
Best Trouser Matches
Beige
If you’re headed out in a pair of chinos, you can definitely throw some green on your feet and let the shoes do the talking. The green shoes will definitely stand out, so be sure you coordinate the rest of your outfit expertly.
Blue
Blue and green are cousins; you can’t have green without blue. That being the case, the two colors can be quite compatible depending on the shade of each. Medium blue trousers with kelly green suede loafers, for example, would be phenomenal.
Jeans
If you’re wearing denim casually in the summertime, why not toss on some mint nubuck penny loafers? If you’re dressing it up for dinner with the significant other, why not throw on some dark green derbies? Come on, live a little. Just know that lighter jeans will pair more harmoniously with lighter greens, and darker jeans will be better with darker greens.
Tan
Tan and green are two Earth tones that will look great together in a casual environment. Pair away; we suggest a medium-to-dark green.
White
White trousers, while only acceptable in the States between Memorial Day and Labor Day, are insanely versatile. We shouldn’t be surprised that any shade of green shoe will pair wonderfully with them. Bright or muted, suede or leather, any green shoe will do.
Acceptable Trouser Matches
Light Grey
Tread lightly with this combination as there are many factors to consider. Light grey suit with loden oxfords? Eh, not so much. Light grey jeans with forest green driving loafers? Yes, indeed!
Red
Extreme judiciousness must be exercised here unless you want to become the sartorial butt of a Christmas-themed joke. We suggest a blue-red trouser (not yellow-red) with a deep green shoe.
Navy
Another case where hue selection is critical, pairing navy trousers with green shoes is no easy task. Keep the green to a loden shade to keep things safe, bright green with navy trousers will not work.
Dark Grey
It’s not that dark grey and green don’t mesh well per se. It’s just that dark grey trousers tend to be dress trousers, so you need to keep this combo casual.
No-Go Trouser Matches
Black
Black trousers and green shoes will look terrible. We’d expand on that, but there’s not much more to say.
Olive
This combination would be too much of the same thing. At that point you’re only one step away from It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia‘s Green Man. Not the end of the world if you’re a fan of the show, but we wouldn’t show up in an office in so much green unless it’s St. Patrick’s Day.
Brown
While we’re good with tan and green, brown trousers and green shoes looks a little too tree-like for our taste.
Free Printable Download For Reference At Home
Feel free to download a one-page printout of these guides for your convenience so that you can use it at home!
What Next?
Now that you have read about the how to match trousers with green shoes, check out some related guides below:
- Shoe & Trouser Coordination Homepage
- Top 10 Best Men’s Dress Shoes
- Most Comfortable Dress Shoes For Men
- Bespoke Unit Shoe Homepage
"I wasn't sure about investing in green shoes. I was worried that green shoes would be too hard to match with my wardrobe. However, I'm delighted to see that there are a few good options."Rating: 5.0 ★★★★★
I’m literally researching this question on account of a couple costumes I’m planning: the Riddler, and a fusion of a Rabbi and a leprechaun (Purim and St. Patrick’s Day are the same day in 2022). But while planning this, I considered getting actually presentable green dress shoes that I could end up using again later. Now I need some info on belts.
I hope this guide on green shoes was helpful in your search. Indeed, green is a bit more versatile a shoe color than most would imagine.
Rafael
Does the same rule apply for coffee brown/olive green two tone boots?
Hey there James,
Broadly speaking, yes, these same guidelines can be applied to those boots you mention. Naturally, you’ll want to gauge how it looks in person and make adjustments as necessary.
Rafael