What Tie to Wear with a Navy Blue Suit

The navy suit is a staple of any discerning gentleman's wardrobe, and as a corollary, knowing which shirt and tie combinations complement a navy suit is of the utmost importance.

In this detailed guide, we explain how to pair ties with a navy suit based on shirt color, pattern, and some seasonal considerations!

The stage is set. You're ready to make a good impression. This is a closing presentation, and you've ironed out all the wrinkles. The suit is ready, the shirt is crisp and your shoes are brand new.

Except there is a glaring gap. Your choice of tie has become an enigma. You don't know which tie you're going to adorn your suit with. How to choose the centerpiece of your ensemble?

Fast forward a week, and it's date night. Once again, you have planned everything perfectly. A new watch. This classic and timeless navy blue suit, and a stunning pale pink oxford shirt.

What could possibly happen? You rummage through your tie selection, looking for the perfect finishing touch, but you can't seem to choose one. Your mind races and you start to get confused.

Do any of these situations sound familiar to you? The navy suit, a timeless classic, has been around as long as contemporary men's style, and while it's incredibly easy to put on, choosing a tie that's perfect for the shirt you're wearing, the suit and the occasion, can be downright disconcerting.

That being said, here is our complete guide to pairing shirts and ties with a navy suit!

Color Combinations (Shirt + Tie) With Navy Blue Suit

What tie to wear with a white shirt

Few things go together as well as a crisp white shirt and a navy suit. Whether you opt for a plain oxford, a point weave or a white chevron, there are a range of ties that can go with this classic combination.

For a white shirt and a navy suit, you can opt for a navy, red or burgundy tie . Since a navy suit demonstrates a certain level of confidence, these ties become the perfect complement.

While a navy tie allows for a more monochrome look, burgundy or red ties will contrast perfectly with your navy suit.

Our Berkshire Abstract Silk Tie, Burgundy/Blue, is a great way to add contrast and intricate detail to any navy suit/white shirt combination.

Gray and brown should also be wardrobe staples , as they allow you to keep your outfit a little more neutral - allowing you to look confident, while still maintaining a certain level of neutrality .

A brown grenadine tie adds a perfect neutral element to an otherwise powerful suit!

The fall and winter months are best complemented by earth tones, such as a mustard yellow, olive green, or brown tie . Looking to add a level of sophistication to your next wedding? How about a grenadine tie?

Knitted ties are ideal for the colder months , as premium ties are usually made in northern Italy, with a rich weave and texture!

Are you strutting around in your navy suit and white shirt in spring and summer? How about introducing some pastels like pale green, lilac, pink or coral ties for the warm seasons!

On a perfect spring or summer day, silk ties printed with repeating patterns such as animals are a great way to add color and personality to your ensembles.

What tie with a blue shirt

A navy suit with a blue shirt offers a monochrome, seamless look. Would you like to complement this suit and shirt combination with an appropriate tie? A burgundy, dark purple, gray or brown tie will do the trick .

You can also go for a complete monochrome look. If you opt for a navy blue tie, it is best that the shirt is a very light blue . If you prefer, a patterned navy blue tie will give a little more personality to your ensemble!

Looking for something a little more casual for the spring and summer months? How about a silk tie printed with animal designs, which will add a touch of fun and eccentricity to your ensemble. You can also opt for a knit tie , which will add a variation of texture to your ensembles.

What tie to wear with a pink shirt

Yes, real men do indeed wear pink. Few things speak to your sense of style like a pink shirt - especially a light pink shirt. As we've suggested in our many style articles over the years, a tie is best worn when it's a shade darker than your shirt . This is why we favor pale pink shirts.

A light pink shirt is best worn with a navy or burgundy tie . A navy tie provides the perfect level of contrast, complementing your suit in just the right way, while a burgundy tie offers a monochromatic look. In a darker red, the burgundy tie is the centerpiece of this impeccable pale pink shirt.

Looking for a shirt and tie combination more appropriate for the spring and summer months? How about a royal blue tie ?

The blue silk tie is ideal for wearing all year round, but would be particularly suitable for the spring and summer months.

Wearing a pink shirt with a subtle or micro-scale pattern, like a light chevron or microcheck? How about a polka dot or paisley tie in navy or burgundy? The wider spacing of these designs will allow them to stand out perfectly against a finer, more subtle design on your pink shirt!

What Tie to Wear with a Lilac Shirt

The lilac shirt, a lighter variation of purple, perfectly complements a navy suit. Purple and blue are adjacent on the color wheel, which creates a familiar look (they are both cooler colors - red or burgundy, on the other hand, create a greater level of contrast because they are warmer colors) .

Lilac shirts allow you to achieve a stylish look without being too bold. Therefore, ties on the same side of the color wheel can be very effective here.

A navy blue tie will be the perfect accessory to your suit, while complementing the lilac shirt . Looking for a monochromatic look? A darker purple tie will stand out perfectly against the lilac shirt.

A grenadine purple tie is the perfect complement to a nice navy suit and a lilac shirt !

Finally, if you're looking for something really bold, an olive green tie will be the perfect piece (direct complement to purple, and directly opposite the color wheel)!

As we covered previously with pattern combinations, navy and darker purple colored ties will allow you to wear them with a range of underlying shirt patterns.

What Tie With a Green Shirt

Nothing is cooler than a light green shirt. Green is an earthy color that produces a calming effect, especially when presented in a lighter shade.

Are you looking for a sense of familiarity with your costume? How about a navy or darker blue tie with your light green shirt . These two colors are adjacent on the color wheel and help create a cohesive look that is pleasing to the eye.

How about an alternative piece, one that makes a statement without making the viewer feel like they are looking into a kaleidoscope. The purple tie. Purple, a cooler color, can be worn with a lighter green shirt . The trick, as always, is to opt for a darker purple tie!

Looking for something more daring? Burgundy , which is a direct complement to green (directly across the color wheel), creates the greatest level of contrast.

A burgundy tie creates a sense of harmony between warm colors (burgundy is a darker variant of red) and cooler colors (green, blue and purple are the coolest colors on the color wheel).

What Tie Pattern for a Navy Blue Suit

Now that we've looked at pairing ties with different shirts, we thought it would be helpful to spend some time on pattern matching. The combination of patterns, like color, should create an ideal level of contrast. Therefore, the two most important elements of pattern matching are, in order:

What Size Pattern for Navy Blue Suit

The scale of your pattern (i.e. the spacing between the elements of the tie pattern) is of utmost importance. So, using the examples above, a navy blue polka dot tie will go well with a pink micro check shirt.

Even a navy regimental tie with wider stripes will pair well with a light blue shirt with pinstripes. The key here is pattern scale/proportion. Without the proportion of the pattern, the actual patterns won't matter as much, because you'll just get a visually messy effect.

The proportion of the pattern is perfectly illustrated! A larger striped knit tie pairs perfectly with a smaller micro-check shirt .

What Type of Pattern for Navy Blue Suit

Once the proportion is assured, we can focus on the type of pattern. Patterns that generally pair well with a range of underlying shirt patterns, provided the patterns are small (houndstooth, micro check, pinpoint, etc.) are polka dot patterns and paisley patterns .

Since most shirts are not the polka dot or paisley type, these ties offer differences in both pattern proportion AND pattern type, creating an ideal look that can be considered incredibly elegant.

We hope you had as much fun reading this article as we had writing it! Don’t hesitate to look at all of our ties!