It's Official: The Best Shoe Color to Wear With Blue Jeans Was Considered "Dated" a Year Ago

By Swedan MargenNovember 18, 2025

One could very easily argue that any shoe color goes with blue jeans. While this may be true, I happen to think that certain ones really take denim to the next level. Of course, you can't go wrong with denim plus black, white, or red shoes, and although everyone has been focused on chocolate brown and burgundy as of late, the shoe color Elsa Hosk just wore is a bit of a departure. While walking around L.A. in a Valentino leopard coat and blue jeans, Hosk went with an unexpected shoe color choice: cognac—cognac leather pumps by The Row, specifically. And as you'll see in the photos below, the warm tone of cognac contrasts beautifully with cool blue denim.

I don't know about you, but I wasn't giving cognac brown much thought this time a year ago. Like many, the chocolate brown trend was taking up the majority of my brain space, and cognac, the medium-brown color that lies somewhere between camel and espresso on the color wheel, wasn't one I was seeing all that much. That said, it has started to creep back into relevance, with eternally buzzy brands such as The Row, Miu Miu, and Reformation leaning into it with their winter 2025 shoe offerings. Not only that, Hosk is an authority when it comes to shoe color trends (and everything else fashion-related).

To see how perfect blue jeans and cognac shoes look together, keep scrolling, and shop cognac brown shoes for your own collection if Hosk convinces you to invest in a pair.