I have a dress, and I'm trying to figure out this shoe color thing.

Is it appropriate to wear red shoes with a dress that is teal and brown?

I get lost on the concept that the color doesn't have to be in the pattern.

Thanks for any help you can give.

The "weights" and the saturations of the colors have a lot to do with this. Brown, a dark neutral, should be able to support two bright colors: teal and red. If the teal is very prominent and bright, stick with a darker red. (Remember burgundy? It's a conservative neutral red, but you don't have to go that far.)

Add a neutral bag from the brown family that's lighter or darker than the brown in the dress.

Let me know if I'm making any sense at all here,

hmmmm...red probably wouldn't be my first choice. I would pry go with orange, yellow, or a snakeskin neutral before red. I guess I'd have to see it together to really judge it, though.

Id say yes if the dress is a bright teal or a chocolatey brown(or any warm brown but if the tea is paler or the brown is "colder" try a very deep red or purple