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Tie Color Help

So I know for light shirts you generally want a darker tie.

What about darker colored shirts? Would the opposite be true that you should go with a medium to light colored tie?

I would assume yes. If you wore a black shirt you wouldn't want a navy or black tie that you couldn't see. I think finding a tie that compliments the color of the suit and shirt are key, but this is something I'm working on myself. so for dark shirts I would stay away from dark hues and wear ties that pop, but not in an ugly sort of way. I think the light shirt/dark tie scenario is a grey area because you can still wear a light shirt and a patterned light tie if the patterns on the tie compliment the suit and shirt in some way.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
So I know for light shirts you generally want a darker tie.

What about darker colored shirts? Would the opposite be true that you should go with a medium to light colored tie?

The answer is ... you don't wear darker shirts with a suit and tie.

(Seriously.)

IF you find yourself compelled (persumably at knifepoint) to wear a darker shirt with a suit, find a tie that is darker still.
 
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The answer is ... you don't wear darker shirts with a suit and tie.

(Seriously.)

IF you find yourself compelled (persumably at knifepoint) to wear a darker shirt with a suit, find a tie that is darker still.

No dark shirts with suits....it's a "hood" look. It can look okay at times depending on the business you're in I suppose, but best to keep it conservative in most businesses.

Right now, lavender seems to be THE power tie color.
 
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... If you wore a black shirt you wouldn't want a navy or black tie that you couldn't see. I think finding a tie that compliments the color of the suit and shirt are key, but this is something I'm working on myself. so for dark shirts I would stay away from dark hues and wear ties that pop, but not in an ugly sort of way. ...

The answer is ... you don't wear darker shirts with a suit and tie.

(Seriously.)

IF you find yourself compelled (persumably at knifepoint) to wear a darker shirt with a suit, find a tie that is darker still.

I disagree with both of these viewpoints somewhat. OK, if we're talking strictly business here, then yes, stay away from dark shirts with light ties. However, I will not hesitate to wear a black suit with a black shirt and either black or silver/gray tie when I'm hitting the town with SWMBO. It's very possible to pull that look off, and when you do, it looks GOOD. :001_cool:

To quote SWMBO when I wear this combo: "You look damn sexy." :001_tt1:
 
I'm in SoCal, so if I go out, I throw out the conservative rule book. Love a black suit with black shirt and silver or colorful solid tie.

Actually, being in entertainment biz, I dress like that at work sometiimes.

But don't know that much about the type of work OP is in, and what sort of expectations people have of him.

I'm a big fan of solid color ties. A selection of several colors will probably go well with the dark shirts or light shirts.
 
I'm in SoCal, so if I go out, I throw out the conservative rule book. Love a black suit with black shirt and silver or colorful solid tie.

Actually, being in entertainment biz, I dress like that at work sometiimes.

But don't know that much about the type of work OP is in, and what sort of expectations people have of him.

I'm a big fan of solid color ties. A selection of several colors will probably go well with the dark shirts or light shirts.

Living in LA does not change the way the eye sees color. The rules are there for a reason, the color combos recommended are there because they are pleasing to the eye. Black on black with a silver or bright tie mutes your body's profile and excessively elongates your face (assuming you are a low-contrast complexion, those with darker skin use slightly different rules). Unless you're very wide this is generally not particularly flattering.
 
To make things more complicated, you should also take into concideration what colors complient your skin pigmentation.

I know that personally I am rather pale and therefore black suits can make me look dead. On the other hand, brown and navy suits work very well. When I am wearing brown I tend to favor earth tone combos. When I wear navy I will bring out my slightly more colorfull ties life purple, green, and wine (my personal fav.)
 
Check out the color wheel below. You'll want to try to be either opposite to your main outfit color (contrasting) or adjacent (complimentary).

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You usually want your tie to be darker than your shirt. Also, it should go without saying, but don't exactly match the color with something else on your person. You want the tie's color to compliment the rest of the outfit, not to copy it. Take a look at some of the colors used in the shots Scott Schumann takes in The Sartorialist, he's perhaps the best I've seen at spotting fashion, and rarely are the subjects ever off on their color choices.

Man...been wearing suits for 10 years and never saw this wheel...
 
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