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For many
decades, the Men's Dress Furnishings Association was a resource
for men's dress shirts and ties for manufacturers, retailers and
consumers. Today, the MDFA lives on in spirit through
ShirtsAndTies.org
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 How
To Match Your Tie, Suit & Shirt
Select Your Tie First
Most men’s fashion advice sites suggest that you first select the
suit you want to wear, then the dress shirt, and finally the tie. We
disagree. The necktie is the most expressive apparel item in a man’s
wardrobe. The whole structure of suit with the lapels and V at the
chest is aimed at showcasing the necktie. So, selecting your suit
first and then your tie is like first picking the box and then the
jewel to go in it.
Select your tie based on how you feel that day, who you will be
seeing, and what type of impression you want to make (creative,
businesslike, outgoing). Then select your dress shirt and, finally,
your suit or sport jacket.
The first hurdle you have to clear is matching the colors of the
various components. It is advisable, but no means a hard and fast
rule, that one color in your tie should match the ground color of
your dress shirt. Obviously, if you have selected a white dress
shirt this does not apply. The main colors of the combined shirt/tie
combo should compliment the primary color of the suit/jacket. Here
are some guidelines:
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Suit Color |
Shirt Ground Color |
Tie Color |
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Grey
Black Navy Charcoal |
White Blue Pink Yellow |
Red
Blue Black Pink Yellow Purple Gold Burgundy |
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Brown Khaki |
White Yellow Tan Ecru |
Brown Rust Green Red Yellow Garnet Rust Orange Gold |
Once, again
these are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. For example, a bright
green tie may be a bit of a stretch with a navy suit. However, if
the tie has blue in the pattern it will be a striking combination.
The next hurdle is pattern coordination. We assume after playing our
How to Match a Tie and Shirt Game you are a wiz at putting patterned shirts and ties
together. If you are going this route, we suggest that you select
either a solid color or wide pinstripe suit.
Putting a strongly patterned suit with a patterned shirt and tie is
pushing the fashion bubble and best left to window dressers and
fashion editors. If, for some reason, you really MUST wear that
plaid suit or sport jacket, let that be your fashion statement for
the day and tone it down with the tie and dress shirt. For example,
stick with a solid color shirt and subtly patterned tie like a
paisley, madder, or neat all-over.
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