Casual styles offer much more leeway. The oxblood penny loafer is a classic and can be your summer go-to with anything from light-wash denim to tan, navy and even colourful chinos. Ditch the socks and cuff the hems for a Dickie-Greenleaf-on-the-Riviera feel.

Tan Shoes

Tan is brown’s most casual tone. “It’s best on more relaxed styles like brogue derbies or boots,” says McDonald. “Tan suede shoes can also look good, but you need to wear them with fairly informal outfits.” In smarter styles, tan is a good way to personalise an outfit — the kind of look-at-me tailoring that pervades Pitti Uomo is often accessorised by a tan loafer or brogue. It’s a particularly good anchor for brighter shades of blue or to take the stuffiness out of patterns like pinstripes.

Tan works well with jeans of all shades and chinos of any colour, especially in summer when they serve to lighten your look up a bit. You can even get away with wearing tan shoes with shorts, particularly if you go with something laceless like a penny loafer or something with texture, like suede.

Blue Shoes

Blue can be an uncomfortable colour for smart shoes – though it’s a staple neutral everywhere else in your wardrobe, shiny blue leather tends to look a little try-hard. Once you step into more casual styles, however, blue is a perfect way to add some personality to looks. Textured leathers like nubuck work well in navy, says Vieira, and can even be worn as a pop of unexpected colour in black casual outfits.

Like nubuck, suede is an Elvis-approved way to pull off blue shoes; the raised nap adds a depth that you don’t get with leather, which makes blue shoes seem considered rather than flashy. So long as you don’t try to dress them up too far, blue suede brogues work well with any colour of suit (so long as it’s not black) and the same for chinos, particularly with an ankle-flashing roll.