What shirt and tie go with a navy suit? Six combinations, drawn
Updated September 2026 · Sam’s Menswear editorial team
Navy is the most forgiving colour a suit comes in. It is dark enough to be formal and has enough colour in it to take almost any light shirt, which is why it is the one to own first. The question is not what works with it, but which combination suits the day.
The drawings are the same navy suit on the Drawing Board, with only the shirt and tie changed.
The rule: light shirt, darker tie
Think of it as three steps of depth. The suit is the darkest thing; the shirt is the lightest; the tie sits between them or below the suit, but always darker than the shirt. Keep that order and almost any colour works. Break it, with a shirt as dark as the suit, and the whole front turns into one dark shape.
Six that work
- White shirt, oxblood tie. The classic, and the one to reach for when you are not sure. Right for the office, an interview, a funeral and a board meeting. Draw it
- Sky blue shirt, navy tie. Tonal and easy: blue on blue on blue, with enough difference in depth to read. The everyday office uniform. Draw it
- Pink shirt, navy tie. Softer and warmer, and better on most faces than men expect. Good for a daytime wedding or a spring meeting. Draw it
- Bengal stripe, oxblood tie. A striped shirt wants a solid tie, and oxblood picks up the warmth the blue stripe lacks. Confident office wear. Draw it
- White shirt, silver tie. The wedding combination: bright, formal and photographs cleanly. Draw it
- Blue oxford, open collar. No tie at all: a navy suit with an oxford shirt is smart-casual done properly, for dinners and Friday offices. Draw it
The one to avoid
A dark shirt under a navy suit. Charcoal, black or dark blue: the shirt disappears into the jacket, the tie has nothing to stand against, and the result looks like a nightclub at two in the morning rather than a suit. If you want a darker, moodier look, go to a charcoal suit with a white shirt instead.
Shoes and the rest
- Shoes: brown. Dark brown covers nearly everything; black makes navy read as one dark mass. Black shoes or brown has the detail.
- Pocket square: plain white linen goes with every combination above. The pocket square covers the rest.
- Belt and watch strap: in the same family as the shoes. See matching your leather.
- Tie width: match it to the lapel. The tie explains how.
Other suit colours
The same six questions for the other suits worth owning: charcoal, grey, brown and black.
Draw your own
On the Drawing Board you can put any of a dozen shirts and six ties on a navy suit, or on the cloth you are actually considering, and see the combination before you buy a thing. Send the drawing to Sam and the appointment starts from it. Sam makes navy suits at his studio in Vaughan in three to four weeks, with one fitting on the finished garment.