Suit, Shirt and Tie Color Combinations: A Simple Guide

Most suit, shirt and tie color combinations go wrong for one of two reasons: too little contrast between the pieces, or too many colors competing at once. Fix those two things and the rest is taste. The rules below are the ones a good shirtmaker or tailor applies by eye, followed by a grid of combinations for every common suit color.

What colors go together in a suit outfit?

Colors go together in a suit outfit when the lightness steps down from shirt to tie to suit, or from shirt to suit to tie, and when the colors you add either sit close together or sit opposite each other on the color wheel. Lightness matters more than hue. A navy suit, white shirt and dark red tie works because each piece is clearly lighter or darker than the one next to it.

Treat the suit, the shirt and the shoes as the neutral base. Navy, gray, charcoal, brown, white and light blue barely count as colors in menswear. The tie and the pocket square are where color goes, and one strong color is usually enough.

Color wheel basics for suits and ties

Three color relationships account for nearly every good tie and shirt pairing. You do not need to name them to use them, but knowing them makes it easier to see why a combination works or fails.

Blue sits opposite orange, which is why navy suits look so good with rust, copper and burnt orange ties. Purple sits opposite yellow, and red opposite green, so a lavender shirt takes a gold tie well and a burgundy pocket square lifts a green tie. Keep complementary colors muted in business settings; full-strength opposites are for parties.

The combination grid: suit, shirt and tie by suit color

Find your suit in the left column. Any shirt in the second column works with any tie in the third, as long as the tie is darker than the shirt. The shoes column runs from most to least formal.

Which shirt colors work with a suit?

White and light blue shirts work with every suit and every tie, which is why most men should own several of each before buying anything else. Pale pink, lavender and ecru add warmth and suit most occasions short of the most formal. Fine stripes and small checks in those same pale colors count as solids for pairing purposes when seen from a few feet away.

Common combination questions, answered

What color tie goes with a navy suit?

Burgundy is the best tie color for a navy suit, followed by navy, green, brown and gold. Navy is a dark, slightly cool blue, so warm ties (burgundy, rust, gold) create contrast and cool ties (navy, green, purple) create harmony. Almost the only tie that struggles with navy is a bright royal blue that sits too close to the suit without being clearly darker or lighter. Our guide to navy suit combinations covers shirts, ties and shoes in more detail.

What color shirt goes with a gray suit?

White and light blue shirts go with every gray suit, and pink and lavender work with charcoal and mid gray. The darker the gray, the more contrast the shirt can carry: charcoal with a crisp white shirt looks sharp, while a light gray suit looks better with a soft light blue or pink than with stark white. See gray suit combinations for each shade separately.

What tie goes with a white shirt and a navy suit?

Almost any tie goes with a white shirt and a navy suit, because the white shirt is neutral and the navy is dark. Burgundy, navy, bottle green, brown, silver and gold all work; a navy grenadine or a burgundy repp stripe is the safest business choice. The combination is so forgiving that it is the best outfit for testing a bolder tie, such as a rust or a pattern with several colors.

Can your tie be darker than your suit?

Yes, your tie can be darker than your suit, and often should be with mid gray, light gray, tan and mid blue suits. A navy tie on a mid gray suit or a dark brown knit tie on a tan suit is a classic pairing. The rule that matters is the one between tie and shirt: the tie should almost always be darker than the shirt, because a pale tie on a darker shirt looks like a costume.

How to mix patterns: stripes, checks and dots

Mix patterns by changing their scale. Two patterns of the same size, such as a fine striped shirt and a fine striped tie, appear to shimmer and fight, especially on camera. A narrow-striped shirt with a wide-striped tie, or a small check with a large paisley, gives each pattern room. Keep it to three patterns at most, and let only one of them be bold.

Texture counts as a quiet pattern. A wool knit tie, a grenadine or a flannel suit adds depth without adding another color, which is useful when you want interest but no risk.

Which suit, shirt and tie combinations should you avoid?

Avoid combinations that remove contrast, add too many colors or look like a uniform. The examples below are common, and each one has an easy fix.

• Too many colors. A pink shirt, a green tie and an orange square on a blue suit is four colors; drop one.
• Novelty and very bright ties in business settings. Save them for parties.
• Shiny satin ties with matte wool suits. The sheen looks cheap in daylight. Choose a matte silk, grenadine or knit.
• A white long tie with a white shirt. It reads as costume; the only white tie in formalwear is the white bow tie of white tie dress.
• Shirt and suit too close in tone, such as a light gray shirt with a light gray suit.

How to choose combinations for your coloring

Match the contrast of your outfit to the contrast in your own coloring. Look at your hair, skin and eyes in daylight. If there is a strong difference between them, such as dark hair with fair skin, you can carry high-contrast combinations like a charcoal suit, a white shirt and a near-black tie. If your hair and skin are close in depth, whether both light or both deep, softer steps usually look more natural: a mid gray or navy suit with a light blue shirt and a mid-tone tie.

The color of the shirt sits next to your face, so it matters most. If a stark white shirt makes you look tired or washed out, try an off-white, a soft light blue or a pale pink. If pastels look weak on you, go back to crisp white and stronger tie colors. Your suit color matters less than the shirt and tie for this, which is another reason navy and charcoal suit almost everyone.

Seasonal combinations: spring and summer, autumn and winter

Lighter, softer colors look natural in strong daylight, and deeper, warmer colors look natural in winter. In spring and summer, try light gray or mid blue suits, pale pink and light blue shirts, and ties in light blue, pale yellow or linen and cotton textures. In autumn and winter, try charcoal, brown and navy flannels with ties in burgundy, bottle green, rust and brown, often in wool or knitted silk.

Texture follows the season too. A shiny or crisp tie looks right with a smooth summer worsted, while a wool challis, a knitted tie or a grenadine sits better on flannel and tweed. Matching texture to fabric is a quiet way to make an ordinary combination look considered.

Which combinations suit each occasion?

Formal and serious occasions call for more contrast and fewer colors; social and daytime occasions allow softer contrast and more color. The table below gives one reliable combination for each.

For specific dress codes, see our guides to what to wear to a job interview and wedding guest attire.

The tailor's view: how to judge a combination

Tailors and shirtmakers judge combinations in daylight, at a distance and with the pieces touching. A tie that looks right in your hand can disappear against a shirt or clash with a suit fabric that has a hidden colored thread. When you order shirting or a suit, bring the ties you wear most and hold them against the fabric.

For tie patterns and textures, see how to match a tie to your shirt and suit, and read the best suit colors if you are still deciding which suit to buy.

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