Punchy Footwear

On the appeal of choosing loud colors for summer shoe options

There’s a general consensus among the menswear community that dressing up in the summer can be a bit challenging. The heat really limits how many pieces of clothing we can wear without sweating and feeling uncomfortable. I know I personally prefer to dress minimally during the summer for this exact reason. The less clothing I can have touching my skin, the better. The drawback to dressing in this way is that it can be tough to add visual interest to your style without the help of layering. I’ve personally found that wearing footwear in loud, punchy colors can help provide visual interest to otherwise simple or one dimensional outfits in the summer.

When I say the word punchy I think about colors like orange, yellow, salmon and teal, but any bright color that draws your attention can work well. A few weeks back, I picked up a pair of New Balance 2002r in their clay colorway and they’ve done a lot to help make my outfits more exciting. As a shorter guy I used to avoid bright or flashy shoes because of the attention it drew to my feet. But as I’ve gotten older I’ve cared less and less about looking taller and opened myself up to trying bold footwear choices.

I opted for the clay colorway (which looks orange more than anything) because it’s a warmer color that works well with my skin tone and also pairs with a lot of the pieces in my existing wardrobe. If these were available in a mustard yellow I would’ve heavily considered buying them as well. Here are a couple of examples of outfits that I’ve documented recently with my New Balance 2002r:

The pop of color that comes from the shoes adds visual tension and makes the outfits feel more dynamic (in my opinion)

For anyone wondering about the feel of these New Balances, I highly recommend them if you have over pronation or flat feet like I do. I’ve worn these around Disneyland for a whole day and also during my recent trip to Nashville. In both instances I barely felt any soreness or pain in my feet the way I normally would after a long day of walking. I love wearing my loafers but sometimes they’re not the best option when walking long distances or doing a lot of activities. Wearing a cozy, cushioned sneaker is a nice break from my more mature footwear and allows me to lean into more laidback summer outfits and just have fun with my shoes. I also really appreciate the shape of these shoes. I’m not a sneaker head by any means but I just love that the shape isn’t overly chunky, edgy, or dramatic. It has moderate curves and generous shape to it without feeling unbalanced in any areas.

This is what the shoes look like after two months of wear. You can see some of the dye from my selvedge denim rubbed off on the tongue and collar of the shoe. The suede material also provides some visual interest and depth with its dimensional texture. I switched out the orange stock laces in favor of white ones to highlight the contrast in color even more.

If you’re having trouble finding ways to give your summer outfits that added life and energy, you might find that shoes in loud and punchy colors might just do the trick for you. Here are some other examples that might help you visualize my point a little better:

The first two photos are from Pinterest and Throwing Fits, respectively. The last photo was taken by me, featuring my friends Rea and Matt.

As always thanks for taking the time to read my Substack. I’d love to learn from you about other ways that you personally add life to your summer outfits.

Take care,

Brandon