The Navy Suit is a staple in every 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 cover how to match ties to navy suits based on underlying shirt color, pattern considerations and some seasonal considerations, along with dressing appropriately for the occasion and figuring out which types of tie patterns work in regard to what they convey!
The stage is set. You’re ready to make that impression. It’s a closing presentation, and you’ve ironed out all the wrinkles. The suit is set, the shirt is crisp and your shoes are brand spanking new. Except there’s a glaring gap. Your tie choice has become a conundrum. You don’t know what tie to strut your suit with. How do you choose the centerpiece of your ensemble?
Fast forward a week, and it’s date night. Again, you have everything perfectly curated. A new watch. That timeless classic navy blue suit, and a stunning light pink oxford shirt. What could possibly go wrong. You fiddle through your tie selection, looking for that perfect finishing touch, but cannot seem to settle on one. Your mind races and you start to blur.
Either of these situations sound familiar? The navy blue suit, a timeless classic, has been around for as long as contemporary men’s style has, and while it is incredibly easy to slip into, choosing a tie that is perfect for the shirt you are wearing, the suit, and the occasion, can be downright flabbergasting. With that said, here is our comprehensive guide on shirt and tie combinations with a navy suit!
Looking for ties that will match exquisitely with your navy suit? Please feel free to view our Ties Matching Navy Suits Collection!
Navy Blue Suit With White Shirt
Few things pair as seamlessly as a crisp white shirt and navy blue suit. Whether you are opting for a solid oxford, a pinpoint weave or a white herringbone, there are a range of ties that can go with this classic combination.
Your go to colors for a white shirt and navy blue suit would include a navy, red or burgundy tie. Given that a navy suit demonstrates a certain level of assertiveness, those ties would become the perfect complement. While a navy tie provides for a more monochromatic look, burgundy or red ties will contrast perfectly with your navy suit.
The Dark Knot's Berkshire Abstract Burgundy Silk Tie with A Navy Suit!
The Dark Knot's Berkshire Abstract Burgundy / Blue Silk Tie is a geometric foulard pattern that can pair well with a wide range of underlying suit & shit patterns, given its pattern spacing. A vibrant tie with a ton of character, this tie is ideal for an important presentation, your next wedding reception or a cocktail party!
Grey and brown should also be staples in your wardrobe, as they allow you to keep your outfit a bit more in neutral – allowing you to demonstrate assertiveness, while maintaining a level of neutrality.
A Brown Grenadine Tie adds a perfect neutral element to an otherwise powerful suit! Featuring The Dark Knot's Domaso Grenadine Brown Silk Tie!
Fall & Winter Months would be 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? Grenadine Ties are ideal for colder months, as the higher grade ones are typically made in Northern Italy, with a rich weave and texture to them!
Strutting your navy suit and white shirt during the spring & summer months? How about introducing some pastels such as light green, lilac, pink or coral ties! On a perfect spring or summer day, printed silk ties with repeating motifs such as sports or animals are a great way to add both color and personality to your ensembles.
Animal Print Silk Ties add a dash of vibrancy and flair to your navy suits!
Navy Blue Suit With Blue Shirt
A Navy Blue Suit With A Blue Shirt offers a seamless, monochromatic look. Looking to polish off this suit and shirt combination with an appropriate tie? A burgundy, dark purple, grey or brown tie will do the trick.
Alternatively, you could opt for a full monochromatic look. If you are opting for a navy tie, it is best to ensure that the shirt is a very light blue. As a personal preference, a patterned navy tie will inject some extra personality into your ensemble!
Looking for something a bit more relaxed for the spring / summer months? How about an animal motif printed silk tie, that will add a sense of fun and quirkiness to your ensemble. Alternatively, you could opt for a knit tie, which adds textural variation to your ensembles.
The Dark Knot’s Stafford Squares Burgundy / Light Blue Silk Tie perfectly complements this lighter blue shirt & navy suit combination!
Looking for ties that will match your suits & shirts, but unsure about color & pattern coordination? With The Dark Knot's filtered search system, one can find ties based on matching suits, matching shirts & even the type of occasion that you are dressing up for. Please feel free to view our exquisite silk tie collection.
An exquisite range of solid, striped, geometric foulard, polka dot, paisley, floral & printed silk ties! Ties are available in both regular and extra long length.
Navy Blue Suit With Pink Shirt
Yes, real man do in fact wear pink. Few things speak to your sense of style like a pink shirt – particularly a light pink shirt. As we’ve suggested over our numerous style articles over the years, a tie is best worn when it is a darker shade than your shirt. For that reason, we would highly prioritize lighter pink shirts.
A light pink shirt is best worn with a navy or burgundy tie. A navy tie provides the perfect level of contrast, complimenting your suit in the right way, while a burgundy tie provides a monochromatic look. Being a darker shade of red, a burgundy tie provides the perfect statement piece to go along with that crisp, light pink shirt.
Looking for ties that match a navy blue suit & pink shirt? Our tie collection, which allows you to view ties based on matching suits, shirts & even the type of occasion you are dressing up for, can be viewed here.
A navy suit and light pink shirt is perfectly complemented by this stunning burgundy grenadine tie. Courtesy of www.pinterest.com
Looking for a shirt and tie combination that is more appropriate for spring and summer months? How about a tie of the royal blue variety?
The Dark Knot’s Fort Covington Blue / Silver Silk Tie is ideal for year round wear, but would be particularly suited to spring & summer months.
Wearing a pink shirt with a subtle or micro scaled pattern, such as a light herringbone or a microcheck? How about a navy or burgundy polka dot or paisley tie. The larger pattern spacing of these designs will allow them to perfectly pop off against a finer, subtler pattern on your pink shirt!
Some of our more popular ties. On sale! Filter your search based on matching suits, so that you have ties to go with those swanky navy jackets!
Navy Suit With Lilac Shirt
Lilac shirts, a lighter variant of purple, perfectly complements a navy blue suit. Purple and blue are adjacent on the color wheel, hence creating a familiar look (both cooler colors – red or burgundy, on the other hand, create a greater level of contrast as they are warmer colors). Lilac shirts help provide for a dapper look that is not too bold. Hence, sticking with ties on the same side of the color wheel can work to great effect here.
A navy tie would provide the perfect accessory to your suit, all while complementing the lilac shirt. Looking for a monochromatic look? A darker purple tie will pop off perfectly against that lilac shirt.
Yes, finding ties that match a navy suit & lilac shirt can be cumbersome! Please feel free to view our ties that match a navy suit & lilac shirt - so that you don't have to do any of the guess work!
This purple grenadine tie provides the perfect complement to this navy suit and lilac shirt! Courtesy of www.thenordicfit.com
Finally, if you are looking for something really bold, an olive green tie (direct complement to purple, and directly across the color wheel) will provide for the perfect statement piece!
As we’ve discussed with pattern combinations previously, larger scaled navy and darker purple tie patterns will allow you to wear them with a range of underlying shirt patterns.
Navy Suit With A Green Shirt
Nothing quite says cool like a light green shirt. Green is an earth color that produces a calming effect, particularly when presented in a lighter shade. Looking for a sense of familiarity with your suit? How about a navy or darker blue tie with your light green shirt. Both colors are adjacent on the color wheel, and help create a seamless, visually pleasing look that is easy to look at.
The Dark Knot's Berkshire Abstract Navy / Turquoise Silk Tie makes for the perfect complement with this lighter green shirt!
How about an alternative piece, that makes a statement without the viewer feeling like they’re staring into a kaleidoscope. Cue the purple tie. Purple, a cooler color, can be worn with a lighter green shirt. The trick, as always, is to go with a darker purple tie!
Looking for something bolder? 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 warmer colors (burgundy is a darker variant of red) and cooler colors (green, along with blue and purple make up the cooler colors in the color wheel).
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s range of Navy Ties
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s range of Burgundy Ties
Tired of not being able to find ties that match your suits & shirts? With The Dark Knot's filtered search system, one can find ties based on matching shirts, matching suits and even the type of occasion you are dressing up for. Please feel free to view our range of ties that will match a navy blue suit & blue shirt here.
Pattern Matching
Now that we’ve gone over tie combinations with different shirts, we thought it would help to spend some time discussing pattern matching. Pattern matching, like color, should be about creating an ideal level of contrast. Therefore, the two most critical components of pattern matching, in order, are:
Pattern Proportion
The scale of your pattern (i.e the spacing between the elements of the tie pattern) are of paramount importance. Therefore, using examples from above, a navy blue polka dot tie will pair well with a microcheckered pink shirt. Even a wider striped navy regimental tie will pair well with a finely striped light blue shirt. The key here is pattern scale / proportion. Without pattern proportion, the actual patterns won’t matter as much, as you’ll just have a visually jarred effect.
Pattern proportion perfectly exemplified! A wider striped knit tie pairs perfectly with this smaller scaled, micro checkered shirt (noted that this was not a navy suit, but it helps to illustrate pattern proportion perfectly). Featuring The Dark Knot’s Rockland Stripes Silk Knit Tie.
Pattern Type
Once proportion has been ensured, pattern type can be paid attention to. Patterns that generally work well with a range of underlying shirt patterns, provided that the patterns are smaller scale (houndstooth, micro checkered, pinpoint etc) are polka dot and paisley patterns. Given that most shirts are not of a polka dot or paisley variety, these ties provide both differences in pattern proportion AND pattern type, creating an ideal look that can come across as incredibly dapper.
Pattern variation played to perfection by @dapper.one, featuring a wider spaced Exeter Paisley Blue / Brown Silk Tie from The Dark Knot, against this finer striped shirt pattern.
There's no doubt that the Exeter Paisley Blue / Brown Silk Tie exemplifies perfect pattern variation. This design works well with a variety of shirt patterns and suit colors - there's no limit to what you'll be able to match with this one.
Consider The Occasion
Ultimately, the occasion / setting that you are dressing up for is largely going to determine the type of tie that you are wearing.
If you are dressing up for a more formal setting – whether it be an interview / presentation, or even a wedding, we suggest opting for a traditional silk tie – that is neither too wide nor too skinny. The key with dressing formally is to avoid dressing to the extremes – stay cautious to an extent and diffuse some of that risk of looking out of place. Of course, here at The Dark Knot, we are all about infusing your attire with style and detail, but that should serve to accentuate your aesthetic profile, not detract from it.
Patterns that work best in a formal capacity include solid, stripes and geometric foulard / repeating patterns. For occasions that offer more leeway with regard to dress code, we would consider polka dot, paisley or floral patterns.
A foulard patterned silk tie can perfectly complement a navy suit in a more formal capacity! Featuring The Dark Knot's Glastonbury Circles Burgundy Silk Tie.
The Dark Knot's Glastonbury Circles Burgundy Silk Tie is a geometric foulard patterned tie that can pair exquisitely with a range of underlying suit & shirt patterns. Its rich tones make it ideal for daily work, an important presentation or your next wedding reception!
So what makes silk ties such an ideal choice with a navy suit for formal settings? Silk Ties are preferred because of their ability to drape gracefully & retain their shape, in addition to the luxurious touch & sheen that they often provide. Additionally, properties of silk mean that these ties can be tied in a knot and can endure frequent use without significant wrinkling and damage.
For more casual / less formal settings, ties with alternative fabrics and / or width should be taken into consideration.
Slimmer ties, whether they be silk, or an alternative material, such as cotton, wool or polyester, tend to make your attire look less formal – one caveat would be for slim men wearing slim suits with narrower lapels – a skinny silk tie can be worn in this combination and still help maintain a relatively formal appearance.
Tie Fabrics
Tie fabrics can be a great point of differentiation when taking into account both seasonality & the type of occasion that you are dressing up for.
Cotton & Linen Ties look particularly good during less formal settings, such as a beach or country club wedding. Moreover, their lighter weight properties provide a more casual look and less stuffy aesthetic, making them ideal for more relaxed settings.
A cotton tie can help dress down what would otherwise be a more formal ensemble. Courtesy of www.pinterest.com
Alternatively, woolen ties can provide a great dapper, but relatively casual aesthetic during the fall & winter months. Knit Ties, characterized by their square bottoms, slimmer blades and open weave, provide great textural variation, and too, allow you to dress down a more formal suit.
Knit Ties allow you to dress down more formal attire. Courtesy of www.pinterest.com
Tie Width
Now that we’ve covered occasion and setting, shifting our focus to tie width is of paramount importance! When discussing tie width, proportion is arguably the most important factor to take into consideration. Generally speaking, tie width should be worn in proportion to your body type and the fit / lapel width of your suit jacket.
Ties look best when worn in proportion to your body type and the width of your jacket lapels. Courtesy of http://www.hespokestyle.com
At The Dark Knot, the vast majority of our silk ties are at 3.25 inches, in between wider ties of yesteryear and slimmer tie variants – thus making them appropriate for a range of body types and jacket lapels!
Tie Length
Similar to tie width, tie length is critically important. Generally speaking, when wearing a tie, we are aiming for the tip of the tie to reach our belt buckle. This means having adequate tie fabric to tie our knot and have it drape well. Therefore, ensuring that you are wearing an appropriate tie length is of paramount significance.
At The Dark Knot, we have an exquisite set of extra long ties, suitable for men 6’1 and over!
Please feel free to view our exquisite range of Extra Long Ties here.
Tie Length is extremely important when choose the right tie to complement your navy suit! Featuring The Dark Knot’s Brentwood Abstract Grey / Burgundy Silk Tie.
Different Types Of Tie Patterns
While we have spoken about tie patterns with respect to matching your suits and shirts, they should also be evaluated based on connotations of formality and what they represent.
Solid Ties
Solid Ties convey professionalism, confidence and a sense of simplicity. Solid ties are highly versatile and can be worn across occasions. However, we believe they look best when worn within a business capacity, whether it be for daily work or an important meeting / presentation.
A solid tie signals professionalism, and is best worn in a business setting. Featuring The Dark Knot’s Domaso Grenadine Navy Silk Tie!
Their simplicity also means that they pair perfectly with a solid, finely striped or micro checkered shirt pattern.
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s exquisite range of solid silk ties
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s stunning range of solid grenadine silk ties
Striped Ties
Striped Ties, the quintessential formal / business ties of yesteryear, one can still make a formidable impression by strutting these pieces of neckwear! Striped Ties represent power, authority and tradition.
Striped Ties are ideal for more formal business environments, such as working within law or banking.
Featuring The Dark Knot's Canterbury Regimental Navy / Red Striped Silk Tie!
The Dark Knot's Canterbury Regimental Stripes Navy / Red Silk Tie is a highly versatile striped tie that can be worn across daily work, an important presentation or when dressing preppy! The stripe width allows this tie to be worn with a range of underlying shirt patterns, including finely striped & micro checkered shirts!
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s range of stunning striped ties
Geometric Foulard Pattern Ties
Geometric Foulard Pattern Ties, in addition to being incredibly eye catching, are paradoxically representative of structure and a sense of order.
These ties work particularly well in business settings, but given their often incredible designs and color sequences, can also work extremely well at a cocktail party or wedding reception.
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot’s range of exquisite geometric patterned foulard ties.
Foulard Ties are the perfect complement to a navy suit. Featuring The Dark Knot’s Montgomery Abstract Navy / Brown Silk Tie.
Polka Dot Ties
Polka Dot patterned ties are inherently playful, whimsical and more fun than some of the more traditional ties mentioned on this list. Given that they convey a certain sense of lightheartedness, they do work best in less formal settings, such as an evening party when out with friends.
Polka Dot ties offered in more formal colors such as burgundy and navy, however, can be worn in professional settings, as they allow you to mix and match with a wide range of shirt patterns, given the sufficient spacing within a polka dot patterned tie.
A polka dot tie adds a whimsical element to a navy suit! Courtesy of www.pinterest.com
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot's range of Polka Dot Ties.
Paisley Ties
Similar in connotation to polka dot ties, paisley ties are often considered whimsical, but also artistic. They work particularly well with a cocktail party or wedding reception!
Paisley Ties presented in more formal colors such as a navy / gold paisley silk tie can work extremely well in formal settings such as an important presentation. However, in these instances, we prefer to stick with a two tone paisley tie (versus the plethora of multicolored paisley ties in the market!).
A Paisley Tie adds a fun and engagement element to a navy suit! Featuring The Dark Knot’s Alexandria Paisley Brownish Gold / Light Blue Silk Tie.
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot's stunning range of Paisley Ties.
Plaid Ties
Plaid Ties seem to infer a sense of sense of tradition and heritage. However, they can also be associated with a more nonchalant, relaxed sense of style. Hence, plaid ties with your navy suit are best worn in a less than formal setting!
Floral Ties
Floral Ties, are by their very nature, paradoxical, given the juxtaposition they provide against what should traditionally be more formal attire. It is this very intrinsic paradox that makes the floral tie so alluring.
Silk Floral Ties are best worn in a traditional wedding setting, while slimmer floral ties of the alternate fabric variety, such as floral cotton tie, are best worn during summer weddings, on an evening out with friends or on date night!
Floral Ties complement a navy suit exquisitely in a more casual capacity! Courtesy of www.pinterest.com
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot's stunning range of Floral Ties.
Novelty Ties
Novelty Ties, as the name implies, feature thematic lifestyle or hobby patterns, such as palm trees, marine life, golf clubs, tennis racquets etc, making them an instant conversation starter.
Given their intrinsically casual nature, novelty ties are best worn in a casual setting, whether it be on an evening out with friends or on date night.
And that’s a wrap for this one. We hope that you have enjoyed reading this as much as we have writing it.
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot's exquisite range of Novelty Ties.
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot's stunning range of silk ties, which each come with recommendations for matching suits & shirts!
