Knowing how to match ties to more complicated shirt patterns, such as a checkered dress shirt, is of paramount importance along your sartorial journey. In this guide, we cover how to match a tie to a checkered dress shirt, so that you are always dressed on point!

After hours of perusing through your favorite men’s wear stores, you’ve finally decided on some of your favorite checkered shirts. Sublime, elegant, yet understated. Mostly comprising of relatively subtle checks. Heck, you may even have a few louder ginghams to go with it – for when, you know, you want to make a statement. Until you realize, you have no idea which ties in your wardrobe will complement said checkered shirts. Look, we get it. We definitely get it. Matching a tie to a solid white or light blue shirt is as sure a thing as a Victor Wembanyama dunk off a lob.

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But what happens when one introduces color, and dare we say, pattern. How do we coordinate an ensemble so that it looks visually harmonized and aesthetic to the eyes, as opposed to jarring and mismatched. The irony, after all, is that we want our ties and shirt games to be so effortlessly infused with each other, that the viewer glances up towards our face when starting a conversation – noticing the exquisite combination, without staring too long. That’s the sweet spot. Any longer, and they’re no longer admiring what you’ve chosen to wear…..you get the drift.

Fret not. In this guide, we will cover how to match ties to a checkered shirt, so that you are always dressed on point.

Key Considerations When Matching Patterns

Similar to matching tie colors, you will essentially be looking for ties that create a strong element of contrast vis a vis your dress shirt. As a general rule of thumb, when first experimenting with your suit and tie game, avoid mixing and matching three patterns, as it could prove to be sensory overload.                                                                                          

         . Pattern Proportion

The most important element of matching ties to your suits and shirts is that of pattern proportion. While most people tend to think in terms of differences in pattern, design proportion is absolutely of critical importance. The scale of your tie design i.e the spacing and size inherent to your tie pattern, is what will allow you to discern if it’s an appropriate match for your dress shirt.

Larger Scaled Tie Design With A Smaller Scaled Shirt Pattern

The key rule with pattern proportion is to complement a smaller scaled dress shirt pattern with a larger scaled tie pattern, allowing the tie pattern to really stand out against the shirt- and ironically, bring the viewer’s attention up from the torso and towards your face.

TDK Insight: A highly overlooked part of dressing well, is that dressing congruently allows people to notice your attire and then move their attention towards your face to start directing a conversation! A mismatched ensemble, on the other hand, will keep the viewer's attention on your torso, unfortunately staring at that hideously coordinated outfit!

Hence, a wider regimental striped silk tie can pop off perfectly against a finely striped shirt. Similarly, a wider spaced geometric foulard patterned tie will pair perfectly with a finer, micro checkered dress shirt.

Here are some examples of exquisite silk ties from The Dark Knot pairing perfectly with a smaller scaled patterned dress shirt.

1.     Berkshire Abstract Navy Turquoise Silk Tie & Light Blue Microcheckered Dress Shirt

The Dark Knot’s Berkshire Abstract Navy / Turquoise Silk Tie pairs perfectly with this microcheckered dress shirt, with the larger spaced floral / abstract pattern popping off perfectly against the smaller scaled pattern shirt.

Aiding this combination further is that the primary color of the shirt, turquoise, is a secondary color in this navy tie, adding to that perfect balance of contrast and harmony at the same time.

Featuring The Dark Knot's Berkshire Abstract Navy / Turquoise Silk Tie

2.   Fall River Pink & Grey Medallion Silk Tie & Light Blue Microcheckered Dress Shirt

The Dark Knot’s Fall River Pink & Grey Medallion Foulard Silk Tie pairs exquisitely with this lighter blue micro checkered dress shirt. The scale of the tie pattern, while not as large or spread out as the above pattern, still significantly exceeds that of the shirt pattern, and hence pairs perfectly with it.

Please note that these smaller scaled micro checkered dress shirt patterns are absolutely ideal for pairing even a medium scaled pattern with, as they provide just enough pattern, without overpowering the design of the tie.

Featuring The Dark Knot's Fall River Pink / Grey Medallion Silk Tie

3.  Rockland Stripes Navy & Green Knit Tie & Turquoise Microcheckered Dress Shirt

The Dark Knot’s Rockland Stripes Knit tie pairs perfectly with this turquoise / green smaller checkered shirt, given the differences in pattern scaling. While striped against a checkered pattern would almost certainly be considered a faux pas, we can see here that the correct pattern proportion makes this more than just a feasible look!

Looking for some exquisite striped knit ties that will pair perfectly with those microcheckered dress shirts? Please feel free to view our Knit Tie Collection.

Smaller Scaled Tie Design With A Larger Scaled Shirt Pattern

While we would typically advocate for a larger scaled tie pattern against a smaller scaled shirt pattern, the inverse can work, if close attention is paid to pattern proportions.

Here, a larger scaled shirt pattern, such as a windowpane design, can be perfectly complemented by a smaller scaled tie pattern. However, unlike with standard protocol, this shirt & tie combination often makes the shirt the centerpiece, whereas in the cases above, the tie is clearly the statement piece.

The Dark Knot’s Dorchester Foulard Burgundy Silk Tie pairs exquisitely with this windowpane check dress shirt. In an inverted case of our ‘rule’ above, we can see that a smaller scaled tie pattern can pair perfectly with a larger scaled shirt pattern – the key, again here, is the difference in pattern proportion.  With a larger patterned dress shirt, one can see how the shirt potentially becomes the statement piece.

Tired of not knowing how to match ties to your suits & shirts? Especially those confusing checkered shirts. Fret not, with The Dark Knot's filtered search system, one can find ties based on matching, suits, matching shirts and even based on the occasion you are dressing up for. 

    Tonality

Pairing a higher tonality tie with a lower tonality dress shirt

An often overlooked criteria for matching ties to your checkered shirts is the tonality of the ties and the dress shirts. Tonality refers to the level of contrast within the shirt color scheme and the tie color scheme. Hence, a lower tonal shirt, such as the first two examples above, create the most seamless look, as they are paired with higher tonality ties.

Higher tonality allows for a seamless aesthetic, with a stronger tonal tie popping off against a lower tonal shirt.

This focus on tonality is why pairing a tie with a subtle, micro checkered dress shirt works, while pairing a patterned tie with a gingham shirt almost always looks jarring.

The one instance when one can pair a tie with a higher tonality shirt is when pairing solid ties. Because solid ties are intrinsically not bold and complicated, they can pair with a bolder dress shirt scheme.

Looking for solid ties that will match your checkered dress shirts? Please feel free to view our range of solid silk ties.

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And that's a wrap for this one. We hope that you have enjoyed reading this as much as we have writing it.