The short answer
The best suit colors for your skin tone depend on contrast and undertone. Navy and charcoal suit almost everyone. Match your outfit's contrast to the contrast between your hair and skin: high contrast suits dark suits with white shirts, low contrast suits softer mid-tones. Warm undertones favor browns, olive and cream; cool undertones favor blue-grays, pure white, pink and burgundy.
- Navy and charcoal flatter almost every complexion, so start there.
- Match your outfit's contrast to the contrast between your hair and skin.
- Warm undertones suit cream, brown, olive and rust; cool undertones suit pure white, blue-gray, pink and burgundy.
- The shirt and tie, closest to your face, matter more than the suit.
- Test fabric under your chin in daylight and trust the mirror over any chart.
In this guide
- What suit colors look good on everyone?
- What is contrast, and how do you find yours?
- What is your undertone, and does it matter?
- Which suit colors suit fair, medium and deep skin?
- How does hair color change the best suit colors?
- Why do the shirt and tie matter more than the suit?
- How to test suit colors before you buy
- Common mistakes when choosing colors for your complexion
- Questions people ask
Put five men in the same navy suit and white shirt and it will look sharp on some and a little hard or flat on others. The difference is complexion: how light or deep your skin is, its undertone, and how much your hair and skin contrast. Choosing suit colors for your skin tone is not an exact science, and no chart beats a mirror in good light. But two ideas, contrast and undertone, explain most of what you see and make choosing fabric much faster.
Suit colors and complexion at a glance
- Safe for almost everyone
- Navy and charcoal suits, white or light blue shirts
- Contrast
- The difference in depth between your hair and your skin
- Undertone
- Warm (golden, peach, olive), cool (pink, rosy) or neutral
- What matters most
- Shirt and tie, the colors closest to your face
- Gray hair
- Lowers your contrast; softer combinations usually look better
- How to test
- Fabric under your chin, by a window, in daylight
What suit colors look good on everyone?
Navy and charcoal suit almost every complexion. Both are dark enough to frame the face and look formal, but softer than black, so they neither drain color from fair skin nor flatten the features of deeper skin. Mid gray comes close behind. Black is the most demanding suit color: it suits strong, high-contrast coloring and can look harsh on fair, low-contrast complexions in daylight. That is one reason our guide to the best suit colors puts navy first and black last.
What is contrast, and how do you find yours?
Contrast is the difference in depth, light against dark, between your hair and your skin, with your eyebrows, eyes and any beard playing a part. A man with black hair and fair skin has high contrast. A man with fair hair and fair skin, or hair and skin of a similar depth, has low contrast. Most men sit somewhere in the middle. The rule is simple: dress with about as much contrast as your face has.
| Contrast | Typical coloring | Suit | Shirt | Tie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | Very dark hair with fair or light skin | Navy, charcoal; black for evening | Crisp white | Dark or saturated: burgundy, navy, bottle green |
| Medium | Brown hair with light or olive skin; dark hair with medium-brown skin | Navy, charcoal, mid gray, brown | White, light blue, pale pink | Medium depth; can go softer or bolder |
| Low | Fair, red or gray hair with fair skin; hair and skin of similar depth | Mid gray, mid navy, soft brown, blue-gray | Light blue, pale pink, ecru rather than stark white | Mid tones and muted colors; tonal pairings |
These are starting points. A tan, a beard or graying hair can move you up or down a level.
Deep complexions add a twist. Dark hair with deep skin is low contrast in hair-against-skin terms, yet a crisp white or light blue shirt against deep skin creates strong, flattering contrast, and saturated colors such as emerald, cobalt and true red look rich rather than loud. What tends to look flat is a whole outfit of pale, low-contrast tones near the face, such as a light gray suit with a light blue shirt.
Classic
High contrast: charcoal, white, burgundy
Dark suit, crisp shirt, deep tie
Charcoal
Suit
White
Shirt
Burgundy
Tie
Black
Shoes
Classic
Medium contrast: navy, light blue, rust
Balanced and easy
Navy
Suit
Light blue
Shirt
Rust
Tie
Dark brown
Shoes
Works
Low contrast: mid gray, pale pink, navy
Soft shirt, tie gives the anchor
Mid gray
Suit
Pale pink
Shirt
Mid navy
Tie
Mid brown
Shoes
Bold
Deep complexion: navy, white, emerald
Crisp white and a rich jewel tone
Navy
Suit
White
Shirt
Emerald
Tie
Dark brown
Shoes
Avoid
Black, white, black on low contrast
Overpowers fair hair and fair skin
Black
Suit
White
Shirt
Black
Tie
Black
Shoes
Avoid
Light gray, light blue, silver on deep skin
Too pale near the face; add a white shirt or a deep tie
Light gray
Suit
Light blue
Shirt
Silver
Tie
Mid brown
Shoes
What is your undertone, and does it matter?
Undertone is the color beneath the surface of your skin, and it is separate from how light or deep your skin is. Any depth of skin can be warm, cool or neutral. Warm skin has golden, peach or olive hints; cool skin has pink, rosy or bluish hints; neutral skin has a mix and wears most colors. Undertone matters most for the shirt and tie, because those sit right under your face.
How to find your undertone in five minutes
- 1
Stand by a window in daylight
Turn off the overhead lights. Indoor bulbs, especially warm ones, push everything toward yellow and make the test unreliable.
Tip: Midday light on a bright, overcast day is ideal.
- 2
Hold pure white, then cream, under your chin
Use two shirts or two sheets of paper. If pure white makes your skin look clearer and cream makes it look sallow, you lean cool. If cream looks healthier and pure white looks stark, you lean warm.
- 3
Try a blue-gray and a camel
Repeat with a cool color and a warm one. Watch the skin under your eyes and any beard shadow: the right color makes them look lighter and more even, the wrong one makes them look darker.
- 4
Check your wrist and your sun reaction
Veins that look blue or purple suggest cool; veins that look greenish suggest warm. Skin that burns easily tends to be cool; skin that tans easily tends to be warm. Both are rough signs, not proof.
- 5
Photograph each pair
Take a photo with each color under your chin and compare them side by side. Differences that are hard to judge in the mirror are often obvious in a photo.
Tip: If nothing clearly wins, you are probably neutral, and contrast will guide you more than undertone.
| Undertone | Suits | Shirts | Ties and accents | Go easy on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warm | Navy, brown, olive, warm gray, tan | Cream, ecru, warm white, light blue | Rust, terracotta, olive, mustard, warm red, bottle green | Icy, blue-tinged pastels next to the face |
| Cool | Navy, charcoal, blue-gray, cool mid gray | Pure white, light blue, pale pink, lavender | Burgundy, navy, purple, emerald, silver-gray | Mustard, orange and camel next to the face |
| Neutral | Almost any suit color | White, light blue, pink, ecru | Most colors; choose by contrast | Very little; contrast matters more |
Classic
Warm: chocolate brown, cream, olive
Earthy and harmonious
Chocolate brown
Suit
Cream
Shirt
Olive
Tie
Dark brown
Shoes
Works
Warm: navy, ecru, terracotta
Navy warmed up by the shirt and tie
Navy
Suit
Ecru
Shirt
Terracotta
Tie
Mid brown
Shoes
Classic
Cool: charcoal, pale pink, burgundy
Rosy shirt, berry tie
Charcoal
Suit
Pale pink
Shirt
Burgundy
Tie
Black
Shoes
Works
Cool: blue-gray, white, navy
Clean and crisp
Blue-gray
Suit
White
Shirt
Navy
Tie
Black
Shoes
Works
Neutral: mid gray, light blue, bottle green
Sits comfortably between warm and cool
Mid gray
Suit
Light blue
Shirt
Bottle green
Tie
Dark brown
Shoes
Grays have undertones too. Some lean cool and bluish, others warm and brownish, sometimes sold as taupe or stone. A warm man often looks better in a warmer gray, a cool man in a bluer one. Our gray suit combinations guide explains how to spot the difference in a fabric book.
Which suit colors suit fair, medium and deep skin?
Fair skin
Navy is the most flattering suit for most fair-skinned men, followed by charcoal and mid gray. Brown suits fair skin well when the shirt and tie are chosen with care, such as cream and green for a warm undertone or light blue and navy for a cool one. If your hair is also light, avoid stark black and white, which can make the face look pale. A soft light blue or pale pink shirt is kinder than pure white. Our guide to brown suits covers shades and pairings.
Medium and olive skin
Medium and olive skin wears a wide range well. Lighter blues are especially flattering in shirts, and burgundy, terracotta, tan and cream all look natural. A mid gray suit with a lavender or blue striped shirt and a dark tie is a reliable business look. Very pale pastels close to your own skin color can blend in, so choose shirts clearly lighter than your skin.
Deep skin
Navy and charcoal suits with crisp white or light blue shirts look sharp against deep skin, because the shirt creates strong contrast. Deep complexions also carry saturated colors that can overwhelm fairer skin: emerald, cobalt, true red, rich purple and pastels in shirts. If you choose a black suit, pair it with a bright white shirt to keep the contrast alive, as our guide to the black suit explains. As with every skin depth, let undertone guide the accents: deep blues and emerald for cool, chocolate, olive and terracotta for warm.
How does hair color change the best suit colors?
- Black or very dark hair: usually higher contrast. Dark suits, crisp white shirts and deep or saturated ties look natural.
- Brown hair: usually medium contrast, so most combinations work. Choose by undertone.
- Blond hair: usually lower contrast with fair skin. Mid grays, mid navy, light blue shirts and medium-depth ties look better than black and white.
- Red hair: warm and often low to medium contrast. Greens, lighter blues and browns flatter; bright reds near the face compete with the hair.
- Gray or white hair: contrast drops as hair lightens, so a combination that suited you at 30 can look hard at 60. Softer pairings, such as a mid gray or navy suit with a light blue shirt, often look better than charcoal with pure white.
- A dark beard: adds contrast near the face and can move you up a level.
Why do the shirt and tie matter more than the suit?
Colors close to your face reflect onto it and sit in the same frame whenever someone looks at you. The zone from your collar to about a foot below your chin does most of the work, so the shirt and tie matter most, the suit less and the trousers and shoes least. That gives you freedom: a color you love but that does not flatter you can still be worn away from the face, in trousers, socks or a pocket square. Our guide to matching a tie to your shirt and suit covers the pairing rules.
How to test suit colors before you buy
Testing color in the shop or at the tailor
- Look at the fabric in daylight, by a window or at the door, not only under shop lights.
- Hold the fabric under your chin, not at arm's length.
- Compare two fabrics at a time rather than five at once.
- Watch the skin under your eyes and your beard shadow: the right color makes them look lighter.
- Take a photo with each option and compare them later.
- Think about where you will wear it: office light, evening light and sunshine all change a color.
- Ask the tailor to drape a length of fabric over your shoulder, not just show a small swatch.
Common mistakes when choosing colors for your complexion
- Following a chart over the mirror. Undertone tests are rough. If a color looks good on you, it is good.
- Judging under shop lights. Warm bulbs flatter brown and cream; cool tubes flatter blue and gray. Check in daylight.
- A shirt the same depth as your skin. It blends in. Choose a shirt clearly lighter than your skin, or clearly darker for evening.
- Black suits for daytime on low-contrast coloring. Charcoal or midnight navy gives the same formality with less harshness.
- Too many strong colors at once. One or two colors beyond neutrals is plenty.
Start with navy or charcoal, choose the shirt by your contrast and the tie by your undertone, and check it all in daylight. For complete outfits, see suit, shirt and tie color combinations and navy suit combinations.
Questions people ask
What suit color looks good on everyone?
Navy looks good on almost everyone, with charcoal a close second. Both are dark enough to frame the face and look formal, but softer than black, so they suit fair, medium and deep skin alike. A navy or charcoal suit with a white or light blue shirt is the safest combination for any complexion.
What suit color is best for dark skin?
Navy and charcoal suits are the best starting points for dark skin, worn with a crisp white or light blue shirt for strong contrast. Deep complexions also carry saturated colors well, such as emerald, cobalt, burgundy and true red in ties and accessories. Very pale, low-contrast combinations near the face, such as a light gray suit with a light blue shirt, can look washed out.
What suit color is best for pale skin?
Navy is usually the most flattering suit color for pale skin, followed by charcoal, mid gray and brown. Men with pale skin and light hair look best in softer combinations, such as a mid gray suit with a light blue shirt, rather than stark black and white. Men with pale skin and dark hair can carry crisp, high-contrast outfits.
How do I know if I have warm or cool undertones?
Hold pure white and then cream fabric under your chin in daylight. If pure white makes your skin look clearer, you likely have cool undertones; if cream looks healthier, you likely have warm undertones. Blue or purple wrist veins suggest cool and greenish veins suggest warm, but these tests are rough, and many people are neutral.
What suit colors suit men with gray hair?
Men with gray or white hair usually look best in softer, lower-contrast combinations, because graying hair reduces the contrast of the face. A mid gray, blue-gray or navy suit with a light blue or soft white shirt often looks better than charcoal with stark white. Ties in medium-depth colors such as burgundy, navy or muted green work well.
What shirt color goes best with olive skin?
Light blue is one of the most flattering shirt colors for olive skin, along with white, cream and soft lavender. Choose shirts clearly lighter than your skin, because pale beige or khaki shirts close to an olive complexion can blend in. Ties in burgundy, terracotta and green look natural with olive skin.
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