Posted on February 25 2016
The past few years have been a bumpy ride for anyone who likes to sport the latest shirt and tie combinations. It used to be so simple: white shirt with a tie that matched your suit colour, but didn’t clash with its pattern.
Today, a run through men’s fashion pages shows you that the old rules are out the window. To the untrained eye, it seems like anything and everything goes. That leaves many men wondering about the right combinations – and it has left an unfortunate few sporting the wrong ones.
You can’t be blamed for being a little confused about what direction to take for your personal fashion style. But fear not, we’ve put together the following guidelines to help you look your best at the office.
1. Colours for 2016
Pantone are the keepers of everything to do with colour, including fashion. Their colours of the year for 2016 are Rose Quartz and Serenity (translation: light pink and light sky blue). If they are not there already, it’ll be helpful to add shirts in these colours to your wardrobe.
2. Try Contrasting Colours
If you’re familiar with the colour wheel, contrasting colours come from opposite sides of the wheel – cool (blues and greens) and warm (reds and yellows). For light blue shirts, that means you should consider ties in the muted orange, red and yellow ranges. Navy blue will work well on light pink shirts.
3. Or Go With Tonal/Analogous Colours
These include colours that are different shades of the same main warm and cool colour groups. Think about a forest green tie on your light blue shirt and a violet or purple tie on light pink.
4. Knit Ties on Print Shirts
With the popularity of striped and plaid shirts, it’s sometimes difficult to find a neutral tie that holds its own against a busy pattern. Knits and textures give your tie the presence it needs to stand out on any pattern.
5. Pattern Mashup
If you want to get even bolder with your tie choices, feel free to try floral, paisley and geometric patterns on printed shirts.
Regardless of how you choose to go, sticking within the colour guidelines is the ticket to having shirt and tie combinations that work at work.
