What shirt and tie go with a black suit? Six combinations, drawn
Updated September 2026 · Sam’s Menswear editorial team
A black suit is not a business suit in most offices; it is a formal one. It belongs to evenings, to weddings, to memorials, and to Shabbos and yom tov, where in many communities it is the standard. It is a narrower suit than navy or charcoal, and the rule for it is simpler: keep it clean and keep the contrast high.
The drawings are the same black suit on the Drawing Board, with only the shirt and tie changed.
The rule: white does most of the work
Black is as dark as a suit gets, so the shirt has to be light to hold its own, and a white shirt is almost always the answer. The tie then sets the tone: black for solemn, silver for celebration, a single deep colour for everything between. Pale blue works too, in daylight. What a black suit does not want is a busy shirt or a bright tie, which make it look like a rented one.
Six that work
- White shirt, black tie. The most formal combination short of black tie, and the one for a memorial or a solemn evening. Draw it
- White shirt, silver tie. The wedding and simcha combination: bright, festive and photographs well. Draw it
- White shirt, oxblood tie. One note of deep colour: formal, but warmer than black. Draw it
- Sky blue shirt, navy tie. The daytime version, softer than white and still correct. Draw it
- Charcoal shirt, black tie. Tonal and modern: dark on dark is the one place it works, on a black suit for an evening. Draw it
- White shirt, open collar. A black suit with an open white collar is clean and relaxed without looking underdressed. Draw it
Shabbos and yom tov
For Shabbos and yom tov a dark suit and a white shirt is the standard, and in many communities the suit is black. The tie, if your community wears one, is usually dark and plain. Building a Shabbos wardrobe goes through black versus midnight navy and how many suits a rotation needs, and Sam makes traditional suits as your community wears them.
The one to avoid
A busy business shirt with a bright tie: a bold Bengal stripe and a gold tie, for example. The shirt belongs to a navy suit on a weekday, the tie to a brown one, and against black they look like a costume.
Shoes and the rest
- Shoes: black, always. Black shoes or brown explains why there is no other answer.
- Pocket square: white linen, folded square, or none.
- Black tie is different: a black suit is not a dinner suit. For black tie, see black tie, decoded.
Other suit colours
The same six questions for navy, charcoal, grey and brown.
Draw your own
On the Drawing Board you can put any of a dozen shirts and six ties on a black suit and see it before you commit. Send the drawing to Sam and the appointment starts from it. Sam makes black suits at his studio in Vaughan in three to four weeks, with one fitting on the finished garment.