What Shoes to Wear With Linen

Linen is matte, textured and relaxed. Shoes that share those qualities look right with it. Shoes that don't — glossy, sharp, stiff — look like they walked in from another outfit. That's the whole principle. The rest is detail.

Flat tan sandals: the default

If you own one pair of shoes for linen, make it flat tan leather sandals. Kolhapuris count, and are arguably the best version. Tan is the colour of vegetable-tanned leather, which is as natural a material as linen is, and the two have been worn together in this climate for a very long time. They work with every colour on the rail, including the difficult ones.

A dress makes the case most simply. The Cocoa Linen Swing Dress with strappy flat sandals is a finished outfit with nothing else added.

What shoes go with wide-leg linen trousers?

Wide-leg pants cover most of the shoe, so what matters is height and toe. A little lift — a low block heel, a flatform, a thick-soled sandal — keeps the hem off the ground and the leg line long. The Plum Linen Co-ord Set has button detailing at the ankle hem of the pants. It would be a shame to let that drag on the floor. A block heel in tan or a pair of juttis both show it off.

What shoes go with a maxi skirt?

The skirt in the Cocoa Linen Co-ord Set is maxi length with a front slit, which means the shoe is visible with every step. Flat sandals in the day. For the evening, a low heel or a metallic flat. Avoid anything with an ankle strap that cuts across the slit's line — a slide or a simple two-strap sandal is cleaner.

Sneakers: yes, with conditions

Plain white or off-white, low-profile, clean. They work with cropped tops and denim, with shorts, and with relaxed shirts. They don't work with the satin pieces, and they fight anything with frog buttons. Chunky running shoes are for running.

The Chartreuse Linen Piped Set — camp collar shirt and mid-thigh shorts with brown piping — is the natural sneaker outfit. White sneakers keep it sporty. Tan sandals pick up the brown piping. Either is right.

Juttis and mojaris

The easiest way to take linen toward an occasion. A plain or lightly embroidered jutti under a linen co-ord or wide-leg trousers reads festive without the outfit changing at all. Keep the embroidery tonal if the outfit has detail of its own.

For men

The same logic, fewer options. White sneakers or tan leather sandals with camp shirts and shorts. Suede or unpolished leather loafers — no socks showing — with linen shirts and trousers. The Russet Linen Camp Shirt with stone trousers and sneakers is about as reliable as an outfit gets.

What to avoid

Patent leather. Pointed stilettos. Heavily polished black formal shoes. Anything that squeaks. They aren't bad shoes — they belong to a sharper, shinier fabric than this one.

Cash on delivery available. Easy 7-day returns.

Frequently asked questions

Can I wear heels with linen?
Block heels and wedges, yes. Matte leather or suede rather than shine. Thin stilettos look too formal for the fabric.

Black shoes or tan with linen?
Tan with almost everything. Black only when the linen itself is black, ink or slate.