Can men wear women’s shoes?- If you are like me, then you may have thought about this. This is a debatable topic that has different answers, but we don’t have the exact, yes or no answer till now. But don’t worry today I will answer this unanswered question in a simple way for you.
Can men wear women’s shoes?
Yes, men can wear women’s shoes if it fits well. Women’s shoes like Chelsea boots, sneakers, and desert shoes are some options that men can wear and style with most of their outfits. However, men should avoid wearing women’s shoes that come with high heels and with bright colors like pink, yellow, etc as it will look odd, and it’s hard to match them with any men’s outfit.
wearing women’s shoes doesn’t look odd if you know what shoes to wear and what to avoid. There are a lot of women’s shoes that almost look the same as men’s shoes.
Today I will give you the list of women’s shoes that you can rock with most of your outfits as men. Also, the list of shoes that you should avoid.
Before that, I think you should know that what benefits and you get from wearing women’s shoes. And also, the cons of wearing women’s shoes.
Benefits OF WEARING WOMEN SHOES
Fits you well if you have a thin fit
A lot of men struggle in finding the right shoes for their feet in the men section as most men’s sizes only have a specific size. But you can buy the same shoes in the women’s section.
Shoes like Jordon 11 are sometimes out of stock for the size of male or female, but either men and women can wear the same shoes and can style it with different outfits.
Besides Jordon 11, there are a lot of shoes like these which you can men can wear from women’s shoe collection.
You will be surprised to know that in some cases, women’s shoes can fit better in men’s feet if he has small and thin feet. Women’s shoes are made for thin and the width of women’s shoes is also less than men’s shoes. But the purpose of that is only to meet the average requirements of women’s feet.
However, there are men and women in the world who don’t match this measurement. Men who have thin feet, feel more comfortable in women’s shoes.
More color options
You will get more color options and patterns in women’s shoes. You can try different colors and match different outfits with different shoes.
Cons of wearing women shoes
You might get judged
Mostly women’s shoes are recognizable, but now you get a lot of options in women’s shoes, just like men and there is hardly any difference. But sometimes the difference is visible when you opt for women’s shoes that have straps or too much design on the shoes.
Shoes like running shoes and workout shoes are almost similar for both men and women, except in colors and shape.
Uncomfortable for wide feets
As discussed above women’s shoes are perfect for men who have thin and short feet. However, if you are men with short feet but your feet are wide then you may feel uncomfortable in women’s shoes.
Women’s shoes are made less wide than men’s shoes because women have light and less wide feet than men.
Difficult to style with men’s clothes
This is the issue you may find when you wear women’s shoes as a man. Women’s shoes come in different colors, mostly bright.
You will also see patterns on the women’s shoes often, which makes them hard to style with different outfits.
However, there are shoes that I will describe below that comes in earthly colors for men and women that suit most outfits.
Women shoes that men can wear
Converse and vans
Converse and vans are the shoes that both men and women can interchange. The converse is usually unisex shoes. if you are a man then, you can wear women converse freely, doesn’t matter if it’s your girlfriend’s or your sister’s.
When buying chuck Talor converse shoes, the men’s size is plus one than women’s size. If you usually wear 9 size shoes then you need to get -1 size for your feet. For women, it’s -2 sown i.e is 7 size.
Similarly, vans are another great choice. Vans are classic pair of shoes and mostly come in black, red, and blue for both men and women. And you will notice no change after you wear women vans on men’s feet.
You can wear women’s vans with casual outfits and as well as with semi-formal outfits like chinos and polo shirts.
Chelsea boots
Chelsea boots are a classic pair of boots that earlier only come in men’s edition, but now it comes in the women segment also.
Because of their simple elegant style, men can wear women’s Chelsea boots because there is no major change between both segments.
However, there are options in the women segment of Chelsea boots, that come with patterns on the inside strap and zips. Besides that, women’s Chelsea boots have higher heel soles than men’s Chelsea boots, but not all Chelsea boots have this. Avoid this at any coast if you are men.
Chelsea boots come mostly mainly in brown shades for both men and women. Besides that, they come in black color.
You can wear women’s Chelsea boots with jeans, overcoats, and sweaters in winter or fall freely. You will notice no difference if it satisfies the points above.
Here are some – most comfortable Chelsea boots in the world
To check more winter boots, see here – Winter shoes for Men
Sandals
Sandles or sleepers is another women’s footwear that men can wear. Go with simple sleepers or sandals instead of those that have designs and patterns on them.
you can wear these with shorts whenever you go outside.
Trainers
Trainers are another women’s shoes that men can wear. Women can also wear men’s trainers because there look similar and has the same fabric and material.
You can wear these women trainers with chinos and shirts for the best look. You can also wear them with shorts and a t-shirt.
Running shoes
Running shoes is one shoe that is hard to tell if it’s men’s or women’s. You can wear Women running shoes freely with joggers.
Avoid wearing running shoes that have patterns all over the shoes if you are men. Instead, go with dim colors.
Running shoes made by new balance and Nike, Adidas is easily interchangeable between men and women.
Brochure
Brochure is a stylish formal shoe that earlier used to come in men segment only, but now women also have these iconic shoes in their wardrobe.
A man can easily rock the women’s brochure shoes as these shoes resemble more manliness, doesn’t matter if it’s women pair.
These are semi-formal shoes that you can wear with semi-formals or and with formals.
If you want to know how many types of formal shoes are there then check here –Types of Men’s Formal Shoes
Penny, tassel loafers
Women Loafers are another shoes that men can wear without any fear of judgment.
Loafers also come in men segment are very popular nowadays, as you can wear them with most of your outfits.
But before opting for women loafers as men, you should look for a flat sole with a square shape. Avoid loafers with round and high heel soles.
Here is the guide for summer shoes for men –Men’s Summer Shoes 2021: Trending shoes 2021
Desert boots
Dessert boots are a universal boot that men and women can wear. These come in sued for both men and women.
Men can wear women’s desert boots, and similarly, women can also wear men’s desert boots.
There is no difference in these shoes for men’s and women’s versions and you can freely wear them.
Check out the guide for styling suede shoes –Can you Wear Suede Shoes in Summer?
Boat shoe
Boat shoes are another universal shoe that both men and women can wear without any gender fear. Boat boots can go well with casual outfits.
A man can wear women’s boat shoes with most of their casual outfits. And unlike other shoes, there is no change between men’s and women’s boat shoes that is visible or noticeable.
Espadrilles
Women’s Espadrilles are the best shoe type that you can wear if you are men. you can style espadrilles with a lot of different outfits if you are men.
You can style espadrilles with suits, shorts, jeans, and chinos.
The only thing you need to make sure of is that espadrilles are not open in the front and are not with straps. You can wear women’s espadrilles if it is simple without open straps and open in the front.
Men’s espadrilles mostly come in a simple form with a close front. You will also find women’s espadrilles like this as an option in most brands. It’s hard to notice the difference between the espadrilles of women and men of the same style.
Here is some helpful guide for wearing shoes without socks – Is It Ok To Wear Shoes Without Socks ?
Women shoes to avoid wearing if you are men
Heel or naked oxfords
If you are men, you should avoid wearing women’s high heels or naked oxford shoes. These shoes are specially designed for women s, instead, you should go with simple oxfords.
Thigh-high boots
Thigh-high boots are specially designed for women and don’t go well with men’s personalities. Thigh-high boots come all the way up to the knee.
Gladiator Sandals
Men can wear women’s sandals that are flat and have straps. Avoid wearing gladiator sandals because the design of these sandals is made to compliment the women’s outfit.
Convert women shoes into men shoe size
If you are planning to wear women’s shoes or want to buy women’s shoes then you need 1.5 sizes bigger than your men’s shoes.
If you usually wear 7 sizes in men’s shoes, then you need 9.5 size women’s shoes for you. This is the only thing you should keep in mind if you are a man who wants to wear women’s shoes.
Besides that, you should also keep in mind that shoe sizes differ from country to country and brand to brand. So, if you consider the brand size and try it first to know your perfect size.
Difference between men’s and women shoes
Shape
“Last” is the main difference between men’s and women’s does. Last is the glue that is used to gives shape to the specific shoes.
Last help the companies to make the shoes best for specific foot according to gender. This is the difference that is technical between both the shoes but has an impact on the shape of the shoes.
Check out the difference between – Derby vs Blucher
Size
Usually, companies make 7 to 13 shoe sizes for men and 6 to 11 for women. However, there are special cases where custom shoes are made for tall and short guys.
The first, difference between men’s and women’s shoes size is the availability. Women’s shoes only come up to 11 sizes, while men’s shoes come up to 13 sizes.
The second is the size in itself. What I mean by that is, a women’s shoe of 8 sizes is not the same as men’s shoes of the same size.
Companies who make shoes for both the sexes, also provide different shoes in the same number. You will also see the change in -shape.
Width
This is another main difference between women’s and men’s shoes. Women’s shoes are wide than men’s shoes in the palm or forefoot area and are tighter from the heel area.
The reason why shoes are made like this is because of the shape difference between men’s and women’s feet.
Ankle support
This is the slight difference between both the shoes. Most of the women’s shoes come with more ankle support because women’s feet are soft and flexible than men’s.
The foam material is also used more in women’s shoes to give extra comfort to the soft feet. Hiking boots are the best example of this.
However, today companies make both men’s and women’s shoes comfortable and supportive. These companies are mostly running shoe companies.
Color
The availability of colors in women’s shoes is a lot more than in men’s shoes. Men’s shoes come in earthly tones while women’s shoemakers focus more on bright and light colors.
Besides that, the patterns and combinations are also more in women’s shoes than men’s shoes. The reason for that is, most women buy shoes as a fashion statement and also buy different shoes to match different outfits.
In the case of men, the men do not have different styles for fashion, one pair of white sneakers can work with almost all outfits in men’s wardrobe.
However, there are some categories of shoes like- Chelsea boots, oxfords where you see similar color options for both men and women.
Types
Though there are companies that make shoes for both sexes, but the types of shoes they make are different for both men and women.
Conclusion- At last, I want to say that you can wear women’s shoes if you want. The only thing you should keep in mind is that the shoes fit you well, and they are no color patterns on the shoes. Sneakers, loafers, and running shoes are easy to use shoes for any gender, either of both sexes can wear them because the difference is negligible.
